03.12.12
Warning signs
There are two severe warnings today in the form of new reports highlighting increasing demand and the NHS struggling to respond adequately.
The Dr Foster report must be carefully considered to ensure there is not a repeat of the travesties that took place at Mid Staffs and that hospitals with above-average death rates take immediate action to prevent future failings.
And the Nuffield Trust has issued a stark warning about the size of the funding gap that could arise without significant productivity gains. It is clear that the NHS needs to make some critical changes to the way it works in order to deliver savings without jeopardising the level of care it provides, and patient safety.
But the knowledge that this is necessary, as RCP director Dr Goddard states, “is not new”. How long will it take to translate this ideology into practice, and is there enough time to do so?
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