Annex A > Chapter 6 - Funding and Resources > Resources > Disruptions in service
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Disruptions in service
176 The Inquiry was shown a letter from Mr Paul Walker, consultant physician and cardiologist (adults), to Ms Linda Williamson of the B&DHA, dated 27 October 1993. [242] The letter concerned cardiac catheterisation services for adult patients from Southmead Hospital. It had been prompted by the case of such a patient who had decided to tell his story to the `Bristol Evening Post'. The letter commented on the need to avoid `sudden crisis directives' from the UBHT concerning matters such as the cancellation of all non-emergency and all non-long-term-waiter patients who were not on the long-term waiting list.
177 Mr Roger Baird [243] commented on this letter in the following exchange:
`Q. Is it the fact that whether the decision is right or wrong, a shortage of money has led to a lack of treatment?
`A. Yes. There were always pressures on the cardiac catheterisation budget. There were always more people that could be investigated than there was the money to do it and they tried to increase the number that were done year on year, but there were often problems like this and we would always try to resolve them.' [244]
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Footnotes
[242] WIT 0159 0086 Ms Evans
[243] Consultant general surgeon, BRI