Doctors have raised concerns that Olympic VIPs could receive fast-track emergency care during the games.
5 w% g! W: n! x0 pEmails seen by Newsnight suggest that 25,000 people in the "Olympic family" could expect to see a consultant within 30 minutes at University College Hospital (UCLH).
: h. f$ G4 V3 t# ~2 a8 ?Olympic organisers Locog dismissed the 30-minute claim as an "urban myth".
6 M% g% j* ?4 {4 qNHS London says the arrangement did appear in a draft agreement but will not be part of new guidance.1 D7 _: P. _- C9 ~. i
In one email, senior trauma doctors at UCLH raise concerns about a "conflict of interest" if on-call doctors treat VIPs while the department is "struggling with the NHS wait".
% R) y4 f/ V+ }) o! t2 ^/ ]' X- ~Homerton hospital - another Olympic healthcare provider - earlier told the BBC that the 30-minute response time did apply to all hospitals designated to handle Olympic patients.
2 g% g% K) \9 r+ ?+ o$ |& @Liberal Democrat Olympics spokeswoman Baroness Doocey criticised the arrangements.& | _, K G$ o! b# r& H
"It should not be one rule for the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and VIPs and another rule for the taxpayers who are actually paying for the NHS," she said.
8 v8 L7 a7 e. ~"The idea of them jumping the queue is to me, absolutely horrific. It's completely unacceptable and it's morally wrong. . a. P/ R0 s7 F
"The idea of them being able to see a senior consultant rather than anyone who happens to be on duty at the A&E department is completely unjustifiable. It is so wrong I cannot even imagine it is happening."* u, ?& m7 d7 w( x" y
The typical wait for NHS treatment in UCLH's emergency department is 81 minutes, according to the latest statistics, published in December 2011.
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: m$ l: r! G' s" X- Q2 D# }The Department of Health says |