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Hunt hospital claims could scare off parents, says top paediatrician Hunt hospital claims could scare off parents, says top paediatrician
(about 1 hour later)
Ministers are “unjustifiably frightening” parents by wrongly claiming that sick children could be at risk if they seek treatment in a hospital at weekends, a leading NHS paediatrician has said.Ministers are “unjustifiably frightening” parents by wrongly claiming that sick children could be at risk if they seek treatment in a hospital at weekends, a leading NHS paediatrician has said.
Prof Neena Modi, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, contradicted several key claims made by Jeremy Hunt about the basis for the government’s push to create a seven-day NHS and his plan to impose a new contract on junior doctors. Prof Neena Modi, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, contradicted several key claims made by the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, about the basis for the government’s push to create a seven-day NHS and impose a new contract on junior doctors.
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She stressed her college’s support for key NHS services to be available all week but, without naming the health secretary, took issue with Hunt’s repeated claim that hospitals are dangerously understaffed by doctors at weekends.She stressed her college’s support for key NHS services to be available all week but, without naming the health secretary, took issue with Hunt’s repeated claim that hospitals are dangerously understaffed by doctors at weekends.
“The language used is unjustifiably frightening to parents and the public by suggesting that the safety of sick children is at risk due to a lack of round-the-clock support for junior doctors,” said Modi. She added that consultant paediatricians already worked at weekends.“The language used is unjustifiably frightening to parents and the public by suggesting that the safety of sick children is at risk due to a lack of round-the-clock support for junior doctors,” said Modi. She added that consultant paediatricians already worked at weekends.
“If people feel that hospitals are unsafe places due to a lack of support for junior doctors outside ‘core’ hours then they are likely to do one of two things: either delay going to the hospital, for example until after the weekend, or arrive at hospital feeling frightened that they won’t get the best possible care. Both of these scenarios are dangerous, particularly in paediatrics.“If people feel that hospitals are unsafe places due to a lack of support for junior doctors outside ‘core’ hours then they are likely to do one of two things: either delay going to the hospital, for example until after the weekend, or arrive at hospital feeling frightened that they won’t get the best possible care. Both of these scenarios are dangerous, particularly in paediatrics.
“Children can fall ill quickly and seeking immediate advice and avoiding a delay to treatment is often crucial. Similarly, causing added anxiety to already worried parents simply isn’t right.”“Children can fall ill quickly and seeking immediate advice and avoiding a delay to treatment is often crucial. Similarly, causing added anxiety to already worried parents simply isn’t right.”
Modi, whose college represents Britain’s 13,000 paediatricians, urged parents to seek urgent medical help whenever their children needed it and sought to reassure them that the quality of care did not vary depending on the time or day of the week.Modi, whose college represents Britain’s 13,000 paediatricians, urged parents to seek urgent medical help whenever their children needed it and sought to reassure them that the quality of care did not vary depending on the time or day of the week.
“I want to send a strong message to parents and carers. Whether your child falls ill on a Sunday, in the middle of the night on a Wednesday or on a Friday afternoon, they will receive the same level of high-quality care from paediatricians. Despite the workforce pressures in paediatrics, patient safety is always at the fore and our junior doctors are not left unsupported.”“I want to send a strong message to parents and carers. Whether your child falls ill on a Sunday, in the middle of the night on a Wednesday or on a Friday afternoon, they will receive the same level of high-quality care from paediatricians. Despite the workforce pressures in paediatrics, patient safety is always at the fore and our junior doctors are not left unsupported.”
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In a statement, she stressed that the sort of fully functioning NHS that the government had pledged to create in England by 2020 needed other types of staff and backup services to be available too, not just more doctors to be on duty. In a statement, she stressed that the sort of fully functioning NHS that the government had pledged to create in England by 2020 needed other types of staff and backup services to be available, too, not just more doctors to be on duty.
She made clear her strong support for the 45,000 junior doctors working in the NHS in England, who are being balloted over strike action in protest at the contract Hunt is threatening to impose from August 2016. Modi made clear her strong support for the 45,000 junior doctors working in the NHS in England, who are being balloted over strike action in protest at the contract Hunt is threatening to impose from August 2016.
“In a meeting [last week] with the secretary of state we pointed out that juniors work long hours, for less pay than their peers in comparable careers. Their morale, already severely affected by the imposition of austerity upon the health service and increasing fragmentation of services, is now at an all-time low. We wish to see them valued and respected for their dedication and commitment and do not consider an imposed contract an appropriate way to resolve the current dispute”, Modi said. “In a meeting [last week] with the secretary of state we pointed out that juniors work long hours for less pay than their peers in comparable careers. Their morale, already severely affected by the imposition of austerity upon the health service and increasing fragmentation of services, is now at an all-time low. We wish to see them valued and respected for their dedication and commitment and do not consider an imposed contract an appropriate way to resolve the current dispute”, Modi said.
She urged ministers and the British Medical Association to resume negotiations and avoid a strike, which, if it happens, is likely to occur in the run-up to Christmas.She urged ministers and the British Medical Association to resume negotiations and avoid a strike, which, if it happens, is likely to occur in the run-up to Christmas.
The Department of Health was asked to respond to Modi’s concerns but had not responded by the time of publication.
The Department of Health agreed with Modi that parents with a sick child should seek immediate help, but defended Hunt’s drive to ensure more doctors are on duty in hospitals at the weekend.
A spokeswoman said: “The NHS will always provide the care children require – parents should not delay accessing services if they need them. However, there is clear clinical evidence that standards of care are not uniform across the week and this government makes no apology for tackling the problem to make sure all patients receive good quality care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”