PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Health bosses are deliberately making patients wait for treatment so they will remove themselves from waiting lists by either going private or dying, a report has suggested.

Some Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are refusing to operate before 15 weeks in a bid to save money, an independent agency that advises the Department of Health has discovered.

The tactic was employed by PCTs after they found that if patients were made to wait longer "some will remove themselves from the list or will no longer require treatment when it is finally offered".

"A PCT may therefore save money overall by increasing waiting times," the report said. "We understand that patients will 'remove themselves from the waiting list' either by dying or by paying for their own treatment at private sector providers," the report by the Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP) said.

The terms of the NHS Constitution states that patients should be seen within 18 weeks, but the panel has been told by some PCTs that they are imposing minimum waiting times of up to 15 weeks. The DoH guidance is to treat patients within 18 weeks but there is no specific guidance on a minimum waiting time.

Some PCTs said that increasing waiting times had the potential to save money, but the authors of the report pointed out that when treatment is delayed, more complex and expensive care can be required so money may not be saved in the long run. However, not all trusts impose minimum waiting times and provide care "as soon as a provider can safely deliver".

The Patients Association said that the "cynical manipulation" of waiting lists should not be tolerated. Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: "It is outrageous that some PCTs are imposing minimum waiting times of up to 15 weeks. This is unacceptable and aside from the worry and inconvenience it may cause for patients, we are concerned that it will put patients' health at risk.

"We urge the Department of Health to take a firm stand on this issue, clearly demonstrating to PCTs that this deplorable practice has no place in the NHS."

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "This is exactly why we need to put patients' interests first. Too many PCTs have been operating in a cynical environment where they can game the system - and in which political targets, particularly the maximum 18 week waiting time target, are used to actually delay treatment.

"When GPs, specialist doctors and nurses are making the decisions, as they will under our plans, they will plan care on the basis of the clinical needs of patients and their right to access the best service, including the least possible waiting time."