Dwindling staff numbers leads to healthcare rationing at its lowest form

The NHS is said to be experiencing its worst winter on record, with horror stories appearing in the media day in, day out. The King's Fund (2015) reports that during 2014, the NHS struggled to meet the target that 95% of patients should wait no longer than 4 hours in accident and emergency, even in the spring and summer months when performance should have been comfortably within target range. Performance deteriorated sharply towards the end of the year, with accident and emergency waiting times reaching their highest levels for a decade this winter.

Rationing (an act often associated with the Second World War) is alive and thriving, particularly in one ambulance service in England. Rationing—it could be suggested—is part of healthcare business. Some might argue that rationing supports the greater good as it controls costs and diverts services to where they are most needed.

However, diverting and downgrading 999 calls for terminally ill patients and to those who had been given instructions not to resuscitate really have to be the lowest form of rationing. Allegations have been made that more than 50 patients in one NHS Trust died due to the introduction of a policy (a policy that was produced covertly) to downgrade 999 calls and not to send paramedics to people who were terminally ill. The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) has been charged with the most heinous form of rationing, after acknowledging that 8 000 patients in their care had been affected by the policy.