Hospital wards to shut in secret NHS cuts

Sick urged to stay at home, e-mail doctors rather than visit emergency rooms--London Telegraph

Tens of thousands of NHS workers would be sacked, hospital units closed and patients denied treatments under secret plans for £20 billion of health cuts.

By Jon Swaine and Holly Watt
Published: 10:41PM GMT 26 Mar 2010

Internal NHS documents show cuts are expected to fall on hospital services Photo: GETTY

The sick would be urged to stay at home and email doctors rather than visit surgeries, while procedures such as hip replacements could be scrapped.

The plans have emerged as health chiefs draw up emergency budgets that cast doubt on pledges by Gordon Brown to protect “front line servicesâ€