Compliance with NICE guidelines when commissioning varicose vein procedures.
Daniel CarradiceJ ForsythA MohammedC LeungL HitchmanAmy Elizabeth HarwoodTom WallaceGeorge E SmithB CampbellI ChetterPublished in: BJS open (2018)
The majority of CCGs in England have commissioning policies that contradict NICE guidelines. Rationing strategies include disease severity, delay and patient lifestyle-related factors, creating unwarranted geographical variation for varicose vein treatment, disregarding the NHS Constitution for England, and perhaps leading to an increase in costly treatment of chronic complications in the long term.