Thursday 7 July 2022 05:21 PM Fat people and smokers could be bumped up NHS waiting lists because of new ... trends now
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Fat people and smokers could be bumped up NHS waiting lists by new software that may also deprioritise middle class patients.
Dozens of trusts are looking to adopt the new 'agile waiting list' that prioritises people based on their health and risk factors, rather than how long they've waited.
Its developers say it could mean a patient who smokes cigarettes or is obese could be prioritised over someone who has queued longer.
Another example could be someone from a deprived area being pushed ahead of another patient with similar needs from an affluent neighbourhood.
The computer programme has been developed by University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire Trust, where it is currently being piloted.
Trusts are looking for ways to use technology to help them get through record backlogs for routine treatment that have amassed during Covid.
Professor Kiran Patel, UHCWT medical director, said trusts will be able to weight particular patients based on 'social value judgements'.
Fat people and smokers could be bumped up NHS waiting lists by new software that may also deprioritise middle class patients. Dozens of trusts are looking to adopt the new 'agile waiting list' that prioritise people based on their health and risk factors, rather than how long they've waited
University Hospital Coventry (pictured) and Warwickshire Trust developed the 'agile waiting list' and is trialling it
