Weekend Working Ultimatum To Hospital Doctors

A Monday-to-Friday culture in the NHS is causing patient deaths, the Health Secretary has argued as he defended plans to make hospital consultants work at weekends.

Speaking on Sky News, Jeremy Hunt denied accusations by the British Medical Association that the move represented a "wholesale attack on doctors" and said the current system was "incredibly inefficient".

He has issued an ultimatum to the BMA to reform doctors' contracts or face having changes imposed by the Government.

Currently, doctors can opt out of non-emergency work at evenings and weekends, something he wants to end.

Mr Hunt said 6,000 patients die needlessly every year because of a lack of a seven-day service.

Defending the plans, Mr Hunt told Sky News: "This a problem that dates back to 2003 when the then-government made the decision to give consultants the right to opt out of working at weekends.

"Something nurses don't have, that paramedics, ambulance drivers don't have, indeed no one else in any emergency service has.

"The result is a Monday-to-Friday culture in many parts of the NHS that mean if you are admitted on a Sunday you have a 15% higher chance of dying than if you are admitted on a Wednesday.

"I have yet to meet a doctor who thinks that's acceptable."

He also rejected claims there were not enough staff to deliver the plans.

Mr Hunt said: "We have got nearly 10,000 more doctors in the NHS compared to five years ago. So we are recruiting more doctors to the NHS.

"But it's incredibly inefficient to have a service that cranks up on a Monday morning and starts to wind down after lunch on a Friday.

"It's bringing back professionalism and a sense of vocation to those (doctors') contracts."

In a speech later, Mr Hunt argued it was time for the BMA to "get real" on the issue and vowed: "I will not allow the BMA to be a road block to reforms that will save lives."

He also warned the union they have six weeks to reform the existing contract or a new one will be imposed upon them.

But Dr Hamed Khan, a London-based GP and a clinical lecturer, said the vast majority of consultants did work on weekends, despite having the option not to.

And he claimed the death rate figures used by Mr Hunt were misleading.

While higher at the weekend, this was because the caseload was different, such as more patients being admitted with neurological problems, argued Dr Khan.

He told Sky News: "If you are going to put consultants on weekends how will you fill the gaps that are then create on the weekdays?

"You are simply moving the problem from weekends to weekdays unless you substantially increase funding and unless you substantially increase the number of consultants that are available.

"Funding has reduced in this government's tenure.

"If you reduce funding you have less doctors and if you have less doctors, they have to spread themselves more thinly."

BMA council chairman Dr Mark Porter said doctors support more seven-day services, and accused Mr Hunt of having a "simplistic approach" in focusing on doctors' contracts.

He said: "Today's announcement is nothing more than a wholesale attack on doctors to mask the fact that for two years the Government has failed to outline any concrete proposals for introducing more seven-day hospital services."