Denial of access is unacceptable

03 Sep 2016
Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Health, speaking in response to the report that reveals officials at Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group have stopped elective surgery for obese patients and smokers – a decision which NHS England has asked them to review – said: “This is an unacceptable breach of the NHS principle of a universal service. It’s absolutely right that NHS England have asked for the policy to be reviewed and they should intervene if it isn’t reversed.
“We have a major public health crisis in this country. The answer is not rationing access to the NHS by weight or by lifestyle.
“The Government’s underfunding of the NHS is leading to this crisis. I call on Jeremy Hunt to end the false economy of cutting investment in public health, and to fund the NHS properly.”

* September 3, 2016

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