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The
BBC report that a former senior
consultant blows the whistle on how patients are being
denied vita operations which reduce future problems
John Scurr, a former NHS surgeon who now
practises privately, said most NHS patients were denied
surgery. This caused numbers of complications such as
ulcers to increase. The problem was that varicose veins
were seen as a "cosmetic problem", he said.
Mr Scurr's contemporaries argue that he is
overstating the case and that figure vary from one Trust
to another. However there is still cause for concern
about some of the surgical policies being adopted.
The BBC article goes on to say:
You can only get NHS treatment if you have an
ulcer or severe skin changes, but for the majority of
people, or those in the initial stages of the problem,
there is no NHS treatment any more John Scurr
consultant vascular surgeon Mr Scurr said that
patients were often left untreated with severe symptoms,
such as aching, swelling and pain.
"When I was a surgeon at University College
Hospital we were treating thousands of patients in the
early stages of the condition but the NHS then decided
they weren't going to treat patients with varicose
veins, purely to save money and cut waiting lists. "Now
patients are 're-presenting' when their symptoms are far
worse, so instead of needing an outpatient appointment,
they need several nights in hospital, at far greater
cost."
"You can only get NHS treatment if you have an
ulcer or severe skin changes, but for the majority of
people, or those in the initial stages of the problem,
there is no NHS treatment any more."
Professor Bruce Campbell, a consultant vascular
surgeon at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital,
disagreed. His survey, carried out two years ago,
suggested that while over a third of hospitals would not
treat varicose veins if they were only a cosmetic
problem, rather than causing pain or discomfort, only
12% were denying treatment to those with symptoms.
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