30.01.12
24-7 care?
The problem with having a reduced workforce at weekends in the NHS is that people do not only need care during daylight hours Monday to Friday.
Illness and accidents and especially emergencies cannot wait for their allotted slots of time to receive appropriate care.
Spreading shifts out across the entire week could provide more timely responses to patients on the weekends, delivering care quickly to those who need it, and stopping certain cases from deteriorating over time.
But with the NHS as stretched as it is, how will it be possible to provide this extra care?
Unless shifts were rescheduled so that the same amount of time was spend, spread over both the week and weekends. But while this would improve care at the weekends, it would also reduce the amount of staff available to work through the week, leading to a lower average of care provision.
Is it better to always have a certain level of services open and care available, or for better treatment during the week offset by poor care at the weekends?
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]