Challenges of private provision in the NHS: Treatment centres and their effect on surgical training

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7528.1338-b

BMJ 2005;331:1338 (3 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7528.1338-b

Letter

Challenges of private provision in the NHS

Treatment centres and their effect on surgical training

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Timmins questions whether the benefits of usingindependent providers for health care outweighs the risks.¹He notes the tendency for treatment centres to take on simplercases, leaving the NHS to deal with complex surgery, but hebrushes over the devastating effect that this is having on surgicaltraining.¹

Cataract surgery is the most common operation performed by treatmentcentres. It takes intensive training to become a good cataractsurgeon. It is usually possible to predict which cataract operationsare going to be difficult or high risk when the patient is seenbefore the procedure.² In our department, these complex casesare listed as "consultant to do." The remainder are listed as"any surgeon to do," and it is these patients who may be suitablefor training.

Credit: PASCAL GOETGHELUCK/SPL

Since Netcare, a mobile treatment unit, and the Shepton Mallettreatment centre started operating in Somerset, we have . . . [Full text of this article]

Catherine Guly, senior house officer ophthalmology

Catherine_Guly@yahoo.co.uk
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust, Musgrove Park, Taunton TA1 5DA

Richard Sidebottom, senior house officer ophthalmology, Kim Hakin, consultant ophthalmologist, Keith Bates, consultant ophthalmologist

Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust, Musgrove Park, Taunton TA1 5DA

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