Booked admissions as a replacement for waiting lists in the new NHS.

RAli 1991;303:1257-8 Admission arrangements for elective surgery often seem archaic and out of step with the public's experience of services outside the National Health Service. In a consumer oriented NHS it would clearly be preferable to offer most patients a mutually agreeable date for admission. We consider here the place of booked admission systems within the NHS and discuss surgeons' own experiences and preferences about booked admissions for elective surgery.