IVF treatment, boob jobs and weight loss surgery are some of the NHS treatments that could be axed in the borough to save £55million under new proposals.
Barking and Dagenham’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are asking residents and patients for their opinion about the saving plans which must be done to protect services such as cancer care, emergency care and mental health treatment.
Other non-essential services that could be dropped include cosmetic procedures, male and female sterilisation and prescription of some ‘over the counter’ medicines such as paracetomal tablets and gluten-free and soya products.
Free travel vaccinations could also be withdrawn.
Dr Ravali Goriparthi, CCG clinical director, said: “The care and treatment that we, along with our GP colleagues, provide every day for our patients is funded by taxpayers’ money – your money.
“That’s why we have a duty to spend it wisely, to make sure we get the best value we possibly can for every penny – especially when NHS funding is being severely squeezed and we are seeing more patients with more complex health issues than ever before.”
Dr Anju Gupta, another CCG clinical director, added: “We haven’t made any decisions yet and we won’t until we have heard from you, our patients. “Unfortunately, doing nothing is not an option,”
The CCG has launched an eight-week series of events called Spending NHS Money Wisely which residents can attended to discuss the proposals.
There is also an online survey which you can take part in by clicking here.
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