UK PRIVATE EYE # 1376: BIRMINGHAM NHS RESTRICTS OUT-OF-AREA PATIENTS to DEPTS. of PAIN, DERMATOLOGY & GENERAL SURGERY.

"August 26 Andrew McKirgan, executive chief operatng officer of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust sent a blunt letter to the chiefs of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) who are outside the area....we are no longer in a position to combine patient choice with a guaranteed maximum 18-wk waiting time."

"NHS in England alone is facing a GBP30bn deficit over the next five years."