TREATMENT DENIED
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS foundation trust appear to have been sub-contracting out some of their MSK work to private health 'Partners' Ascenti physio who in turn seem to be doing their utmost to keep NHS patients referred to them out of hospital.
This is very dangerous for patients since NHS hospitals provide the more expensive diagnostics equipment needed for MSK such as MRI and CT scanners, which Ascentii don't have.
Without these diagnostic and access to more experienced consultants the patient is being denied their right to a universal NHS coupled with a higher risk of mis-diagnoses.
Since the advent of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) in 2013, almost FIFTY NHS treatments have been removed from the list of treatments available on the NHS.
Contract regulations now apply conditions when a clinician refers a patient for a certain procedure/operation, including "is it financially viable". This 'funding request' is then either accepted in part payment, referred back for a 2nd opinion, or denied.
The clinician/GP now has to go cap-in-hand to the CCG, begging for funding to treat their patients.
The NHS is now being operated as a health insurer by denying treatment on the grounds that management believe it to be ineffective or unaffordable.
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In this article, a treatment that what was previously provided on the NHS was awarded to private physio firm Ascenti instead. But Ascenti Ltd admitted it didn't have the sophisticated diagnostics equipment to help the patient.
Instead of resolving the patients obvious postcode lottery problem, a spokesman for the local Clinical Commissioning Group - who awarded Ascenti the contract - refused to do anything. Instead they glossed over the problem by reciting such issues as how to self-refer.
