NHS will only treat responsible patients

Heavy drinkers, smokers and obese people will not receive treatment from the NHS under news plans. The rules are part of a proposal to be announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown that will outline the “rights and responsibilities” of patients.

The plan is expected to provoke controversy as it ends the NHS’s founding principle of free care for all but the Government believes that banning patients with unhealthy lifestyles from receiving treatment could save the service billions of pounds.

Brown will reveal the proposals in a New Year speech to health workers today (January 2). Some UK hospitals already refuse to treat people with unhealthy lifestyles but there are currently no national guidelines on such cases.

Recommended

Unilever tops ethical reputation index

Marketing Week

Unilever has the best ethical reputation among multinational companies, according to an influential survey. Marks & Spencer, Rio Tinto and Dell have all entered the top ten for the first time in Covalence’s annual reputation index. Geneva-based Covalence’s ethical quotation system is based on data from 45 criteria such as labour standards, waste management and […]

NPower blames Government targets for price hike

Marketing Week

Npower has blamed the Government’s energy efficiency targets for its decision to hike prices for gas and electricity. The energy provider confirmed today (January 4) that it is increasing electricity prices by 12.7% and gas prices by 17.2%. It also claims that it has been “forced to put up prices” because of the cost of […]