Royal College of Surgeons

BMJ Investigation: Half of England's ICBs Impose Minimum Waits of Up to 16 Weeks for Elective Surgery

- Exclusive BMJ data show 17 of 36 Integrated Care Boards in England have imposed minimum waits of 12 to 16 weeks for procedures including hip, knee and cataract surgery. - Two ICBs, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and West Yorkshire, set 16-week minimum waits for all routine procedures, risking the NHS Constitution's 18-week standard. - The Royal College of Surgeons said it is concerned by the scale of measures that prolong patients' pain, while the RCGP called the waits difficult to justify. - Some ICBs defend the policies as a way to spread budgets fairly, but the Nuffield Trust warns there is no clarity on how to apply them equitably.