Vince Cable

Local residents have been told that there is no guarantee that requests for hip and knee replacements, cataract removal and slipped disc back surgery will be met on the NHS.

The local NHS has instructed doctors that some operations are no longer available on the NHS (cosmetic surgery or removal of wisdom teeth), some will no longer be funded routinely (varicose vein surgery, removal of tonsils or hysterectomy for women with heavy menstrual bleeding) and some are subject to a vetting procedure (hips, knees, as above).

Notices have appeared in local surgeries and anxious residents have asked Vincent Cable MP to raise the matter with NHS officials. He said: "The new priority setting was agreed and notified last year but the exercise was not well publicised and residents are only just beginning to realise the significance of the changes. So far, I understand that no requests for treatment have been turned down but, if resources become tighter, I am sure it will happen.

"I can't quarrel with the idea that the NHS should set priorities. Of course it must. But I would like the public to be more aware of what is going on and to understand the reasons behind what is, in effect, a rationing of treatment to reflect the urgency of different treatments."