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From the Guardian five years ago.


NHS wields the axe on 17 'unnecessary procedures'
This article is more than 5 years old
Varicose vein surgery and tonsil removal feature on list of routine operations to be axed
Patrick Greenfield
@pgreenfielduk
Sat 30 Jun 2018 08.43 BST
Hundreds of thousands of NHS patients will be refused operations judged futile as part of cost-cutting measures in the health service.

Procedures including injections for back pain, surgery to help snorers and knee arthroscopies for arthritis form part of an initial list of 17 operations that will be discontinued completely or highly restricted by NHS England as many of these problems get better without treatment.

The health service hopes the measures will save £200m a year by reducing risky or unnecessary procedures. It will tell patients they have a responsibility to the NHS not to request useless treatment.

Varicose vein surgery and tonsil removal also feature on the list of routine operations to be axed as part of NHS England’s drive to cease outdated and ineffective treatments.