She added: "My condition is lifelong. Is this what the NHS is now - that you must be at death's door to receive treatment? This isn't what it was created for - its purpose was to improve the quality of life of British citizens."<doc-sep>Hundreds of thousands of NHS patients will be refused operations judged futile as part of cost-cutting measures in the health service. Procedures including injections for back pain, surgery to help snorers and knee arthroscopies for arthritis form part of an initial list of 17 operations that will be discontinued completely or highly restricted by NHS England as many of these problems get better without treatment. The health service hopes the measures will save £200m a year by reducing risky or unnecessary procedures. It will tell patients they have a responsibility to the NHS not to request useless treatment. Varicose vein surgery and tonsil removal also feature on the list of routine operations to be axed as part of NHS England’s drive to cease outdated and ineffective treatments. The routine procedures are performed about 350,000 times a year and cost more than £400m. NHS bosses hope to stop at least 100,000 operations, saving £200m. Steve Powis, the medical director of NHS England, told the Times (£): “I’m confident there is more to be done”, adding that the list of 17 operations formed “the first stage” of rooting out futile treatments that are believed to cost taxpayers £2bn a year. “We are also going to ask ‘Are there other procedures and treatments we should add to the list?’,” Powis said. Additions could include general anaesthetics for hip and shoulder dislocations and brain scans for patients with migraines. “We have to spend taxpayers’ money wisely,” he said. “Therefore, if we are spending money on procedures that are not effective, that is money we could spend on new treatments that are clinically effective and would provide benefits to patients. It’s absolutely correct that, in getting more efficient, one component of that is to make sure we are not undertaking unnecessary procedures.” The news comes as the government prepares to raise taxes and ditch an increase to the personal income tax allowance to pay for NHS funding plans. According to proposals, £20.5bn of extra funding would be set aside for the health service by 2023. In a speech at the Royal Free hospital in London a fortnight ago, Theresa May said tax rises were inevitable. “As a country, taxpayers will need to contribute a bit more,” she said. “But we will do that in a fair and balanced way. And we want to listen to people about how we do that, and the chancellor will bring forward the full set of proposals before the spending review.” 17 treatments NHS England may axe Four procedures will only be offered at the request of a patient: Snoring surgery Dilation and curettage for heavy menstrual bleeding Knee arthroscopies for osteoarthritis Injections for non-specific back pain A further 13 treatments will only be offered when certain conditions are met:<doc-sep>Breast reductions, tonsil removals and operations to stop people snoring are among several procedures that could no longer be offered by the NHS, as part of a drive to save millions of pounds a year. Such treatments have been identified as "risky" or "unnecessary", and could be dealt with in a more cost-effective manner, the health service has said, including through injections, dietary changes and physiotherapy. The proposal to cut back on the number of operations offered will be discussed by the NHS England board of directors next week, after which it will go out to consultation. NHS England drew up a list of 17 procedures - also including grommets for glue ear and the removal of skin lesions - with input from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Of those earmarked, 13 would only be offered when certain criteria are met, with the other four restricted to patients who make a specific request. Advertisement Speaking to The Times, national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said cutting back on treatments "where risks and harms outweigh the benefits" would better allow the NHS to provide the "very best clinical care". "We shouldn't, at best, inconvenience or disappoint patients by offering treatments that are not effective and, at worst, harming patients," he told the paper. "By reducing unnecessary or risky procedures for some patients we can get better outcomes while reducing waste and targeting resource to where it is most needed." We shouldn't, at best, inconvenience or disappoint patients by offering treatments that are not effective and, at worst, harming patients. NICE deputy chief executive Professor Gillian Leng said: "It has become commonplace for us to associate action with treatment. However, sometimes doing nothing, or doing less, really is the best approach. "Treatments and procedures that carry a high risk or are associated with serious side effects should only be offered when there is compelling evidence that the benefits are worthwhile." Dr Graham Jackson, co-chair of NHS clinical commissioners, has promised that the public will be part of an "honest conversation" over the proposal before any action is taken, with patients and clinicians also to be consulted. He said the "constrained funds" available to the health service mean it is important that the plans are considered. It comes ahead of a major rally in London over the amount of government funding provided to the NHS. Tens of thousands of people will take to the streets of the capital today in a demonstration timed to mark the upcoming 70th anniversary of the health service on Thursday. Jeremy Corbyn will be among those to address the crowds, with the Labour leader set to criticise the approach taken by the Conservatives as "appalling", and dismiss a boost to the NHS budget recently announced by the prime minister as not enough to keep it running at its current level. The Department of Health and Social Care has insisted it has a "long-term plan" for the NHS, which would see it receive an extra £20.5bn per year by 2023-24. Here are the "unnecessary and risky" treatments that could be cut.<doc-sep>The NHS is planning to end or radically reduce its use of 17 routine surgical procedures in a bid to save £200m a year, health officials have said. Back pain injections, breast reductions or surgery for arthritic knees and snoring are among those deemed to be “ineffective or risky” and face the axe. The reductions being proposed by NHS England, which will now go out for consultation, will mean 100,000 fewer procedures take place each year, freeing up staff, operating space and money. It said for many of these procedures the “risks outweigh the benefits” and alternative treatments such as injections, dietary changes or physiotherapy will be effective in most cases. Procedures for carpal tunnel, haemorrhoids and varicose veins will only be offered where there is a pressing medical need or other options have been exhausted. National medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: “If we want the very best clinical care for our patients, we need to stop putting them through treatments where risks and harms outweigh the benefits. “By reducing unnecessary or risky procedures for some patients we can get better outcomes while reducing waste and targeting resource to where it is most needed.” Speaking to The Times, he added this would be the “first stage” in looking at situations where surgery is better avoided. He told the paper: “We shouldn’t, at best, inconvenience or disappoint patients by offering treatments that are not effective and, at worst, harming patients.” This follows moves last year to blacklist ineffective procedures, like homeopathy, and restrict prescribing of painkillers and medications that can be bought more cheaply over the counter. 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The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. 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The NHS plans to cut back on 17 procedures, including breast reductions, tonsil removals and snoring operations, in a bid to save £200m per year. Varicose vein surgery, haemorrhoid operations and procedures to remove benign skin lesions could also be slashed under the proposals. The plans, which were revealed this week, aim to prevent more than 100,000 "unnecessary procedures" taking place in the UK annually. (Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)) NHS England said hundreds of millions of pounds could be saved every year by tightening criteria for treatments where "the risks... outweigh the benefits", reports the Mirror. It said the proposals will ensure procedures, such as those for carpal tunnel and lesions on eyelids, will only take place where there is good reason to do so. Alternative treatments such as injections, changes of diet or physiotherapy will be effective in the majority of cases, NHS England said. (Image: Getty) National medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: "If we want the very best clinical care for our patients, we need to stop putting them through treatments where risks and harms outweigh the benefits. "By reducing unnecessary or risky procedures for some patients we can get better outcomes while reducing waste and targeting resource to where it is most needed." Speaking to the Times, he added this would be the "first stage" in looking at situations where surgery is better avoided. He told the paper: "We shouldn't, at best, inconvenience or disappoint patients by offering treatments that are not effective and, at worst, harming patients." (Image: Rob Stebbing) NHS England's board of directors will meet next week to discuss the plans which will then be put out to consultation. Other procedures on the list of 17 include grommets for glue ear and hysterectomies for heavy menstrual bleeding, with the plans drawn up in consultation with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Four of them will be offered only when a patient makes a specific request, with the other 13 being offered only when specific criteria are met. Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive at Nice, said: "It has become commonplace for us to associate action with treatment. "However, sometimes doing nothing, or doing less, really is the best approach. "Treatments and procedures that carry a high risk or are associated with serious side effects should only be offered when there is compelling evidence that the benefits are worthwhile." Dr Graham Jackson, co-chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners, said: "It is important that we have an honest conversation with the public, patients and clinicians about what can be expected from the NHS within the constrained funds it has available." Revealed: The 17 procedures NHS could cut back The plans, put forward by NHS England, would see the commissioning of the below 17 procedures reduced or stopped. Other, less invasive, treatments would be used instead to save money. The four procedures that wil be offered only upon request from a patient Snoring surgery Dilation and curettage for heavy menstrual bleeding Knee arthroscopies for osteoarthritis Injections for non-specific back pain These 13 treatments will only be offered if certain conditions are met Breast reduction Removal of benign skin lesions Grommets for glue ear Tonsillectomy Haemorrhoid surgery Hysterectomy for heavy menstrual bleeding Removal of lesions on eyelids Removal of bone spurs for shoulder pain Carpal tunnel syndrome release Dupuytren's contracture release Excision of small, non cancerous lumps on the wrist called ganglia Trigger finger release Varicose vein surgery Get the Hull Live app It's completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and what’s on information. You can download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play .