Should doctors work at the weekend?

[RickyM]

If there's one thing you should have learned as an adult it is that the NHS will NEVER have enough of anything, apart from patients.

 

Therefore if you want it to do more you have to find ways of doing it with less. 7 day working is a much better way to stop people dying by using all the expensive equipment and buildings than having the standing idle just because consultants don't like change. Once you've got more efficient work patterns you can look at capital spending.

 

Hospitals should continue to offer routine appointments during the week and ensure they have enough capacity to deal with emergencies at the weekend.

 

We don't need a seven day NHS.

[Eric Arthur]

11,000 dead people say that you are wrong.

[JFKvsNixon]

11,000 dead people say that you are wrong.

 

How many of those 11,000 people were due to the fact the generally only people with serious problems attend hospital at the weekend compared with weekdays?

 

Also, having adequate weekend cover hasn't got anything to do with a 7 day working week NHS. It's got more to do with penny pinching NHS trusts looking to save money, by cutting down the amount of staff on duty at the weekend to the bare bones.

[Berberis]

Here is my experience. While this whole story unfolded my wife was in the Northern General Hospital. Each time a test was scheduled, if it wasn't carried out by Friday you had to wait until Monday. One weekend evening, I was talking to one of the Doctors on shift. He told me there were 5 doctors in the whole hospital (remember the NG is the largest hospital in Europe) and there was over 2000 jobs on the system for them to attend. The pressure on the junior doctors on a weekend is huge, but unless you are critical, the NHS works 9-5 Monday to Friday.

 

Don't ignore the fact that those who work in the NHS, from the ward assistants to the surgeons do an amazing job. Wishing for a 24 hour, 7 day a week is no inditement on their permanence but rather a response to how we live our lives today compared to when the NHS was conceived.

[Cyclone]

Are you saying that in the past people didn't get ill or injured at weekends?

[JFKvsNixon]

Here is my experience. While this whole story unfolded my wife was in the Northern General Hospital. Each time a test was scheduled, if it wasn't carried out by Friday you had to wait until Monday. One weekend evening, I was talking to one of the Doctors on shift. He told me there were 5 doctors in the whole hospital (remember the NG is the largest hospital in Europe) and there was over 2000 jobs on the system for them to attend. The pressure on the junior doctors on a weekend is huge, but unless you are critical, the NHS works 9-5 Monday to Friday.

 

Don't ignore the fact that those who work in the NHS, from the ward assistants to the surgeons do an amazing job. Wishing for a 24 hour, 7 day a week is no inditement on their permanence but rather a response to how we live our lives today compared to when the NHS was conceived.

 

The Doctor that told you that there were 5 doctors on duty for the whole hospital was talking rubbish! However, any shortages of staff on duty at the night has got nothing to do with people not wanting to work the shifts, but due to the trusts cutting back on costs.

[Daven]

]The Doctor that told you that there were 5 doctors on duty for the whole hospital was talking rubbish![/b] However' date=' any shortages of staff on duty at the night has got nothing to do with people not wanting to work the shifts, but due to the trusts cutting back on costs.[/quote']

 

Agreed.

5 doctors on duty for 1,100 patients !!! Dear God - the NHS may be in trouble but it hasn't reached that level yet !

[tinfoilhat]

Agreed.

5 doctors on duty for 1,100 patients !!! Dear God - the NHS may be in trouble but it hasn't reached that level yet !

 

I was told by a doctor there was only 3 covering Rotherham general overnight on any given night. Maybe he was lying too. (This would have been before 2008 )

 

There should be a 7 day Nhs but the funds should be given to make it happen. Stretching existing resources aren't going to help.

[Daven]

I was told by a doctor there was only 3 covering Rotherham general overnight on any given night. Maybe he was lying too. (This would have been before 2008 )

 

There should be a 7 day Nhs but the funds should be given to make it happen. Stretching existing resources aren't going to help.

 

In an ideal world - yes.

But where is the funding coming from ? This government is set to look at ways to reduce costs and that does not bode well for the NHS or anyone who is sick or is going to become sick in the future i.e., every one of us.

Be afraid - be very afraid.

[Eric Arthur]

There you go again, it's always about spending more money with the NHS instead of being efficient and doing more with what you've got.

 

Antediluvian attitudes like that are what people should be afraid of because it is killing hundreds of people every day in the NHS.