Doctors denounce PM’s seven-day NHS announcement as 'empty headline grabbing'

The British Medical Association has criticised the Prime Minister’s seven-day NHS announcement as “empty headline grabbing” and questioned how it will be delivered, when the NHS is facing a funding gap of £30bn and a chronic shortage of GPs and hospital doctors.

The Prime Minister used his first major speech since winning the General Election to underline his commitment to a seven-day NHS, with funding set to increase by £8 billion a year.

The Government is promising to prioritise patient access to all services – from GP access to hospital care.

There will be an increase in the number of GPs, faster access to new drugs and treatments and a greater focus on mental health and healthy living, according to the Government.

Speaking at a GP centre that offers patients late night and weekend appointments, the Prime Minister said: “There is nothing that embodies the spirit of one nation coming together – nothing that working people depend on more – than the NHS. Our commitment is to free healthcare for everyone - wherever you are and whenever you need it.

“That means getting the best care and making that care available for everyone – free – wherever they are and whenever they need it.

“So I believe that together – by sticking to the plan – we can become the first country in the world to deliver a truly 7-day NHS.”

Flexible approach to work patterns

The Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund is already bringing extended hours opening across the country. By the end of this year 18m patients will have access to a GP at evenings and weekends, according to Mr Cameron.

The Prime Minister said it is a ‘shocking fact’ that mortality rates for patients admitted to hospital on a Sunday are as much as 16 per cent higher than on a Wednesday, while the biggest numbers of seriously ill patients arrive at the weekend when hospitals are least well equipped to handle them.

The Prime Minister claimed this is not about staff working longer hours but about having a more flexible approach to work patterns that will see doctors and nurses available when they are needed most.

However Dr Mark Porter, British Medical Association council chair, questioned how the Government intends to make the plan a reality, saying: “Patients should have access to high quality healthcare whenever they need it, and many GP and hospital services are available around the clock, seven days a week.

“What remains much less clear is how the Government intends to translate this announcement into reality.

“Crucially, the £8bn promised by the Prime Minister is the bare minimum needed for the NHS to simply stand still and will not pay for extra services.”

Politicians playing games with the NHS

He added: “The real question for the Government is how they plan to deliver additional care when the NHS is facing a funding gap of £30bn and there is a chronic shortage of GPs and hospital doctors, especially in acute and emergency medicine, where access to 24-hour care is vital.

“Without the answer to these questions this announcement is empty headline grabbing and shows that even after polling day, politicians are still avoiding the difficult questions and continuing to play games with the NHS.”

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) also voiced serious concerns about the plan, with Peter Carter, chief executive saying: “The concept of seven-day working and uniformity of care we fully welcome, but please don't cut the pay of people who are already working seven days a week”. He warned that any attacks on nurses’ unsocial hours and weekend working payments will be “strongly resisted” and could lead to strike action.

Shortage of GPs

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) expressed concern about the viability of the plan due to the current shortage of GPs.

Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, said: “Waiting times for a GP appointment are now a matter of national concern and hardworking family doctors are going all out to ensure that patients can get access to a GP when they need one.

“But we have a severe shortage of GPs and it is difficult to see how this will work without major investment in general practice and a major boost to the GP workforce.

“Many practices are already offering extended opening hours but for the majority, seven day opening remains an aspiration and telling patients that they can walk into their local surgery in the evening or at weekends risks raising expectations that general practice cannot live up to with current resources.

“GPs are now seeing 370 million patients - 70m more than even five years ago.

“We manage 90 per cent of patient contacts in the NHS, but as patient demand has rocketed and our workloads have become more complex, the share of the NHS budget for general practice has fallen to an all-time low of just over eight per cent in England.

“We welcome the new Government's commitment to delivering the Five Year Forward View and hope that it will honour its promise of 5,000 additional GPs as a matter of urgency.”

Election manifesto

In its election manifesto, the Conservatives promised a ‘truly 7 days a week NHS’ with everyone able to see a GP any day of the week by 2020 as well as seven days a week hospital services staffed the same, regardless of what day it is, with the same level of services available any day.

It also pledged an additional £8bn extra funding for the NHS per year by 2020, as well as 9,500 more doctors recruited and 6,900 more nurses.