Diagnostic and Treatment Centres
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Contracts with specialist units (diagnostic and treatment centres), often in the private sector (Independent Sector Treatment Centres - IS-TCs), to reduce waiting times for non-urgent elective surgery, may reduce the capacity of the NHS to respond to large scale emergencies, when it may be appropriate to prioritise the work of all trained staff and facilities such as wards and operating theatres. If surgeons, nurses and other staff are tied to an employer performing only non-urgent operations, they may not be available for an emergency. Contracts should enable the diversion of staff and facilities in an emergency so that facilities that are needed are staffed with the right number of people with the right skill mix. For example an operating theatre normally used only for cataract operations might be used for people sustaining eye injuries in a terrorist incident. Specialist units should be included and involved in emergency planning. In the medium term staff in specialist units might lose more general skills, so specialist units should be phased out and their work returned to general hospitals. Reports in 2005 and 2006 showed low standards and lack of accountability. Patients ill treated in ISTCs had great difficulty being put right in mainstream NHS hospitals. |
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Sheila
Porter-Williams |