Commons misled by Labour Minister over NHS tattoos
The Department of Health has apologised for misleading MPs by giving incorrect figures on tattoos removed on the NHS. Health minister Rosie Winterton said in October that 187,063 tattoos had been removed last year. Some experts later estimated this could have cost £300m. But the department now says the figure was a mistaken estimate and that the true amount was not known. The error was uncovered during a debate in the Lords and condemned by Tory Lord Tebbit as "extraordinary".
In a written ministerial statement, the Department of Health apologised for the error and said steps had been taken to ensure it did not happen again.
Misleading answer
It said the figure was provided by the NHS Information Centre, which had formally apologised and accepted full responsibility for providing an incorrect response.
The statement said: "The attempt was intended to be helpful, but ended up being misleading because it is not possible from the existing data sets to say with any precision how many tattoos are removed by the NHS each year."
"How can we give any credence to any answer about costs and statistics in the National Health Service when such things are allowed to go on unchecked?" Lord Tebbit.
It added that "clinical advice is that it is likely to be a far smaller number than the figure given".
Tattoo removal on the NHS is sometimes allowed for psychological reasons - criticised by some MPs and doctors who say money is being spent on trivial surgery while staff are laid off and patients denied potentially life-saving drugs.
Millions spent
Ms Winterton's original answer given on 18 October prompted the Sunday Times to report: "NHS blows millions on removing tattoos".
Its estimates put the cost of removing 187,063 tattoos under anaesthetic at at least £37m, but some consultants said it could run to £300m.
But Lord Tebbit said it was extraordinary the wrong figure had been given in the Commons, and had only been corrected once it was queried in the Lords.
"How can we give any credence to any answer about costs and statistics in the National Health Service when such things are allowed to go on unchecked until there is a further question in this House?" he said.
More news on this story can be found at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6125022.stm
Health Direct carried this story on Thu 27 Oct 06- NHS blows millions on removing 187,000 tattoos that the National Health Service spent tens of millions of pounds removing nearly 200,000 tattoos last year, according to figures released by the Department of Health last week. Rosie Winterton, the health minister, said in a Commons written answer that doctors had carried out the procedure, involving either skin grafts or lasers, on 187,063 tattoos.
We had our doubts about the sheer scale of the numbers involved, but as the health department employs 142 press and public relation officers (Aug 31, 06- Spending on spin trebles under Bliar's Labour govt) we made the erroneous assumption that someone at the department knew what they were talking about.
However coming hard on the heels of another health minister Lord Warner caught lying to the House of Lords Tue 7 Nov 06- Labour's lying Lord- Baron Warner health minister- a brief biographical overview of his "achievements" by Health Direct and Mon 6 Nov 06- Labour's Health Minister admits lying- Lord Warner lies to Parliament we now have the situation where the health minister in the Commons has not a clue about what she is talking about either.
And the Great Liar claims that he wonders why voters don't trust labour politicians.
In a written ministerial statement, the Department of Health apologised for the error and said steps had been taken to ensure it did not happen again.
Misleading answer
It said the figure was provided by the NHS Information Centre, which had formally apologised and accepted full responsibility for providing an incorrect response.
The statement said: "The attempt was intended to be helpful, but ended up being misleading because it is not possible from the existing data sets to say with any precision how many tattoos are removed by the NHS each year."
"How can we give any credence to any answer about costs and statistics in the National Health Service when such things are allowed to go on unchecked?" Lord Tebbit.
It added that "clinical advice is that it is likely to be a far smaller number than the figure given".
Tattoo removal on the NHS is sometimes allowed for psychological reasons - criticised by some MPs and doctors who say money is being spent on trivial surgery while staff are laid off and patients denied potentially life-saving drugs.
Millions spent
Ms Winterton's original answer given on 18 October prompted the Sunday Times to report: "NHS blows millions on removing tattoos".
Its estimates put the cost of removing 187,063 tattoos under anaesthetic at at least £37m, but some consultants said it could run to £300m.
But Lord Tebbit said it was extraordinary the wrong figure had been given in the Commons, and had only been corrected once it was queried in the Lords.
"How can we give any credence to any answer about costs and statistics in the National Health Service when such things are allowed to go on unchecked until there is a further question in this House?" he said.
More news on this story can be found at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6125022.stm
Health Direct carried this story on Thu 27 Oct 06- NHS blows millions on removing 187,000 tattoos that the National Health Service spent tens of millions of pounds removing nearly 200,000 tattoos last year, according to figures released by the Department of Health last week. Rosie Winterton, the health minister, said in a Commons written answer that doctors had carried out the procedure, involving either skin grafts or lasers, on 187,063 tattoos.
We had our doubts about the sheer scale of the numbers involved, but as the health department employs 142 press and public relation officers (Aug 31, 06- Spending on spin trebles under Bliar's Labour govt) we made the erroneous assumption that someone at the department knew what they were talking about.
However coming hard on the heels of another health minister Lord Warner caught lying to the House of Lords Tue 7 Nov 06- Labour's lying Lord- Baron Warner health minister- a brief biographical overview of his "achievements" by Health Direct and Mon 6 Nov 06- Labour's Health Minister admits lying- Lord Warner lies to Parliament we now have the situation where the health minister in the Commons has not a clue about what she is talking about either.
And the Great Liar claims that he wonders why voters don't trust labour politicians.
Labels: DoH, health direct, labour liars
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