Health Secretary responds to RCP concerns

The Health Secretary has responded to a new survey which quotes senior figures within the Royal College of Physicians saying they fear the NHS could face “breaking point” in years to come.

The new RCP survey says that increased demands on the service, allied to financial restraints within the health service, including limits on doctors working hours, could put the NHS under great strain. It warns that the financial pressures on the NHS could mean that junior doctors are not given training posts within the service and the overall number of places at medical school could fall, despite greater patient demand than ever before.

A previous RCP survey found that patients were more vulnerable on evenings and weekends because of the lack of consultant cover at those times and Sir Richard Thompson, president of the RCP, said that patients deserved better care at those times. However, he added: “This will only be achievable if we continue to increase the number of posts, particularly in acute medicine.”

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said that he had asked Medical Education England to consider, with others, how best to secure better patient outcomes. He said: “The objective is to produce fully qualified specialists who are able to provide high-quality and safe patient care, and for the service component of training to be properly supervised.”

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