May 17, 2004
A Lottery You Need To Win
Scots losing out in heart treatment 'lottery'
HEART patients in Scotland are losing out to their English counterparts in a "national lottery" which sees them deprived of one of the best treatments available, a leading Edinburgh consultant warned today.Posted by Ithildin at May 17, 2004 10:40 AM | PROCURE FINE OLD WORLD ABSINTHEDr Nick Boon, a consultant cardiologist at the new ERI, said that while up to 80 per cent of patients in English hospitals were offered the latest form of non-surgical treatment for angina, that figure fell to just 13 per cent in Scotland.
The new treatment, while more expensive, is said to be far more effective, making patients less likely to need to return for further treatment or surgery.
Dr Boon, one of Scotland’s leading heart specialists, blamed the huge difference in the treatment given to English and Scottish patients on the different NHS funding systems in the two countries.
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The treatment has been approved for use in Scotland, but is still relatively rarely used because health boards are not providing the funding, said Dr Boon.
In England, where foundation hospitals see the health service run on a competitive, business model, funding is being provided in many hospitals.
"It has not become a post code lottery now, it has become a national lottery," said Dr Boon.
