Need a hip, knee or eye op? Just hope you live in the ‘right’ postcode
A MASSIVE postcode lottery for routine surgery has emerged across Scotland.
A new report has found some patients are more than twice as likely as others to get hip, knee and cataract operations, depending on where they live.
The huge disparity suggests some patients may have undergone unnecessary surgery, while others could be denied treatment when warranted.
The Scottish Atlas of Variation study says ‘no judgment’ should be made on the quality of care in different areas.
But critics said it revealed ‘astonishing’ levels of SNP mismanagement of the NHS.
The research only looked at geographical differences in surgery rates for the commonest NHS procedures in 2017-2018.
It found a 2.4-fold difference in hip replacement rates, with the lowest among people in Glasgow, Inverclyde and Aberdeen and the highest in Highland and Ayrshire.
A 2.1-fold variation was found in knee replacement rates, with the lowest in Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Aberdeenshire. Highland, North Lanarkshire, Falkirk and South Ayrshire were the highest.
For cataract surgery a 2.5-fold variation was found, with the lowest rates in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Moray and Perth and Kinross, and the highest in areas including Highland, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Inverclyde and Glasgow.
The report – published by the Scottish Government – states: ‘Recognising unwarranted variation is of vital importance because it allows the identification of under-treatment; over-use of lower value interventions and over-use of interventions which may result in increasing harm.’
But Scottish Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘This is less an atlas of variation and more a map of the SNP’s postcode lottery in our NHS. It is an astonishing level of SNP mismanagement.’
Professor Derek Bell, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said: ‘We believe that treatment must be based on clinical need. What is most important to patients is getting the best possible outcome.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Data from the Scottish Atlas of Variation will allow us to make the best use of our resources to improve performance across the country.’
He added: ‘The atlas is not to determine if a high level is bad, a low level is good, or being at the average is ideal.
‘It’s a tool to spark discussion about why differences exist and promote understanding and improvement.’
A FUNDAMENTAL principle of the health service is that care is equally available to all. The NHS is blind to power and status; if one requires treatment then one receives it.
But, under this Scottish Government, things are not quite so straightforward.
A new report reveals that, when it comes to routine surgery, Scots are subjected to a postcode lottery, with some patients more than twice as likely as others to get hip, knee and cataract operations, depending on where they live.
The SNP claims that only it can be trusted to protect and maintain the NHS but the truth is the service has been undermined by a combination of funding cuts and the unwillingness of ministers to consider serious reforms.
Someone living in Glasgow should be able to expect the same standards of treatment as someone living in the Highlands. If this is not the reality, the NHS is failing at the most basic level.