10.09.15
Public back seven-day NHS – but for reasons of convenience, not safety
Most people think seven-day NHS services are being implemented for their convenience, rather than to improve weekend mortality rates, according to a new survey by Ipsos MORI released today (9 September).
Despite new data showing that the public considers seven-day services fundamental, 36% of adults in England think government plans for the reform were put forward to allow more convenient appointments.
And while a quarter of adults think services not being available in the weekend is one of the biggest problems facing the NHS, almost half of those surveyed prioritised long waiting times and a lack of resources generally. Almost 40% were mostly concerned about the ageing population.
Only 15% of respondents believed that some services being worse on some days than others was an important issue, despite this being what seven-day services seek to address.
However, despite the misunderstanding, nearly four in five respondents think the NHS should provide the same standard of service to patients at the weekend as during the week, with over half “strongly agreeing” with this.
Anna Quigley, head of health research at Ipsos MORI, said: “While a seven-day health service is generally something that the public would welcome, it’s not clear they yet grasp the main motivation for doing so.
“The public are in favour of weekend services that match week-day ones, but at the moment, their main interests is in convenience rather than safety.”
When asked to spontaneously name possible reasons behind weeklong services, nearly six in ten pointed out reasons relating to convenience, while four in ten think they were designed to improve quality. Others linked it to too many people using A&E and other services, more staff working on weekends, or doctors being paid enough to cover the whole week.
Only 9% of the 1,123 adults interviewed in August said they don’t think weeklong services are needed.
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In July, health secretary Jeremy Hunt said the current ‘Monday to Friday culture’ could be contributing to 6,000 deaths per year.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If you are admitted on a Sunday, you are 15% more likely to die than if you are admitted on a Wednesday. We have 6,000 avoidable deaths a year.
“If you look at the evidence of what is causing those avoidable deaths, lack of senior consultant cover at weekends is one of the critical points. When you turn medicine into a Monday-to-Friday profession, you end up with catastrophic consequences for patients.”
Although most people backed seven-day plans, Hunt’s proposals were perceived as an attack on doctors. The NHS workforce reacted angrily to his ultimatum by showing the health secretary they already worked on weekends through a #ImInWorkJeremy Twitter campaign.