NHS spending millions on tooth surgery

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The Audit Commission has revealed that the NHS is spending millions of pounds each year on “ineffective” operations, including procedures to remove tonsils and wisdom teeth.

The report compiled by the Audit Commission claimed that “low value” procedures were costing the NHS around 500 million pounds ever year. The report suggests that Primary Care Trusts should prioritise essential procedures and adopt a more consistent approach when it comes to determining which procedures are necessary.

A separate report compiled by the Kings Fund think-tank revealed that patients in some areas were not getting the treatment they need; the report showed considerable variations between different trusts, with rates of coronary artery bypass grafts varying from 34 per 100,000 people in Westminster to 197 per 100,000 in Berkshire.

The think-tank also suggested that tonsil surgery was carried out much more commonly in some areas than others; the number of operations in Coventry, for example, was ten times the number in Kingston-upon-Thames.

According to the Audit Commission, the NHS could save around 500 million pounds per year by eradicating or reducing the number of ineffective operations; some experts have suggested getting rid of tonsillectomies and certain orthodontic treatment, which could be considered as cosmetic procedures. Andy McKeon, managing director of health at the Audit Commission, said that taxpayers were currently paying for treatments which have been shown to have “little value” to patients.

Health minister, Anne Milton, said that the report confirmed that there is a need for change in the healthcare system.

 

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