article_snippet.sent: Half of hospitals in England are allowing patients to jump NHS queues for cataract surgery if patients pay for it patients, new figures reveal (file picture)
article_snippet.sent: Half of hospitals are letting patients jump NHS queues for cataract surgery if Half of hospitals pay for it Half of hospitals, an investigation has revealed.
article_snippet.sent: Yesterday the Mail revealed how millions was being wasted on prescriptions for suncream and toothpaste.
article_snippet.sent: Freedom of Information responses from 78 hospital trusts in England obtained by the Mail found that 41 offered patients the opportunity to pay for cataract surgery themselves.
article_snippet.sent: It’s shameful that people are being asked to consider funding people own treatment when people are entitled to It for free, and in a timely manner, on NHS.
article_snippet.sent: ’ Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients’ Association, added: ‘NHS belongs to the people, and all patients have the right to access appropriate treatment at the right time and in the right setting, irrespective of the people ability to pay; we cannot and should not have a two-tier NHS.
article_snippet.sent: In England, 41 hospital trusts said 41 hospital trusts offered patients the opportunity to pay for cataract surgery.
article_snippet.sent: But this rises to £2,552 at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey and £2,700 at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in Kent.
article_snippet.sent: Several trusts actively encourage patients to ‘self-fund’.
article_snippet.sent: The University Hospital Southampton’s website informs patients that ‘surgery will be offered much sooner than the usual NHS wait’.
article_snippet.sent: The University Hospital Southampton’s website adds: ‘Our cataract choice service offers a new option, between the traditional private sector and NHS, bringing private healthcare within the reach of many more people.
article_snippet.sent: Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey says Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey private cataract service will ‘help you get back to the things you love’.
article_snippet.sent: Patients at North Cumbria are offered free parking and a daily newspaper, while at Frimley Park Patients at North Cumbria can choose from an ‘exclusive a la carte menu’, which includes whitebait and chicken goujons.
highlights_snippet.sent: Half of hospitals in England let patients jump queues if patients pay for surgery .
  