NHS pays hundreds of thousands of pounds for medical procedures which never took place

NHS pays hundreds of thousands of pounds for medical procedures which never took place

The BBC has discovered that the NHS in Cornwall has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on more than 1,400 operations which never happened.

According to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act, in its first three months, the Bodmin centre in Cornwall carried out 1224 fewer operations and tests than it was contracted to. At basic NHS rates that means more than £500,000 was spent on procedures that were never performed.

North and East Cornwall Primary Care Trust said it would now be working with Capio, a private healthcare company, and GPs to increase the number of procedures carried out.

NHS funds non-existent operations (BBC website, 15 June 2006)