If one person jumps the waiting list, everyone else behind them in the
queue has to wait longer for treatment. By
doing things in turn the differences in waiting time between patients, and the
maximum waits that some patients experience, are reduced.
See the NHS
Institute for Keep Things Moving - See and Treat Patients in Order, and also for related tools: clinically prioritise and treat, tracer studies and reviewing the patient pathway: mapping your last 10 patients.