Letter

Equity and NHS reforms

What about independent sector treatment centres?

BMJ 2009; 339 doi: 10.1136/bmj.b4255 (Published 21 October 2009)
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4255

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  1. Allyson M Pollock, professor and director1,
  2. Sylvia Godden, senior research fellow1,
  3. Graham Kirkwood, research fellow1
  1. 1Centre for International Public Health Policy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG
  1. allyson.pollock{at}ed.ac.uk

    Cooper and colleagues have ignored the government’s £5 billion independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) programme in explaining the narrowing of the gap in waiting times across social classes.1 2 3 Patients attending such centres are routine and straightforward elective cases—that is, without complications and co-morbidities—and …

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