League tables.

If you have been sharp, you will have noticed that I haven’t been campaigning for surgeons statistics to be made available to the general public.

This week, that’s what started, beginning with Vascular and Cardio Vascular surgeons. They have a right to opt out, but the pressure is on them not to.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the ‘league tables’ are really important but not for the likes of us.

The importance is that the NHS keeps a watch on surgeons relative outcomes.

The figures should be available to the profession – in my experience Doctors are, if anything, too competitive. Peer pressure is an important control which will ensure that those with poor outcomes will be encouraged to pass on patients to specialists.

It’s also very important that each surgeon has the figures – that will encourage them to pass on cases beyond their competence – to improve their averages.

So, all that is good.

What isn’t good is giving them out to the public – it only helps the pushy, arrogant, middle class patient scrambling to get some advantage for themselves or their relations and devil take the hindmost. In a time of scarcity it guarantees that the disadvantaged will be further disadvantaged.

That’s been the effect of publishing school league tables, it won’t be any different with health, because it isn’t going to bring about any increase in spending or the fairer allocation of scarce resources.

That’s why I haven’t been campaigning for it and I’m saddened that it is happening now.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

helpmesortoutthenhs@blogspot.com