Dozens of common tests and treatments are to be ‘rationed’ in a bid to save money, it has been reported.

Hernia repair surgery, X-rays for sore backs and knee scans to detect arthritis are among those listed as ‘unnecessary treatment.’

In total some 34 diagnostic tests and treatments for patients in England have been highlighted for the cull by the NHS and doctors’ groups.

They are listed in a document seen by the Guardian and form part of a drive to save money and free up NHS workers’ time.

They would only be offered in exceptional circumstances, it is claimed.

The Patients Association has said the plan, if implemented, could lead to patients having to suffer the pain of their condition or pay for private health remedies.

Chief Executive Rachel Power said: ‘Often there are good reasons for not using these “low-value” treatments as a first choice, but they are appropriate for some patients.

‘We are unhappy at any new barriers being erected between patients and the treatments they need.’

Among the treatments highlighted are CT and MRI scans and blood tests for cancer.

The plan would also see patients told to use physiotherapy or painkillers for arthritis rather than getting an exploratory operation called an arthroscopy.

Kidney stones would no longer be removed in theatre and would instead be treated with soundwave therapy.

Adenoids would also now not be removed as the evidence shows it is ‘unnecessary.’

An NHS spokesman told the paper the plan had not been approved or implemented, adding there was ‘strong support from senior doctors in the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AOMRC) for action to eliminate wasteful interventions that don’t benefit patients’.

The document notes that many of the tests and treatments could make patients more anxious or even put them in danger.

The 50-page paper notes that blood tests to check prostate health are not needed but can cause a patient additional upset.

The paper should have been put out to public consultation this month but has been delayed during the general election period.

Dr Richard Vautrey, chair of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said any changes should be based on best evidence and not cost-cutting.

Chair of AOMRC, Professor Carrie MacEwan, defended the plan, saying: ‘Medicine continually evolves and it’s right we don’t carry out tests, treatments or procedures when the evidence tells us that they are inappropriate or ineffective and which, in some cases, can do more harm than good.’

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