Date Published: 30 April 2009
NHS must recruit enough doctors and nurses to look after patients, says BMA
Responding to the two government reports released today (Thursday 30 April 2009) on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, the BMA's Chairman of Council, Dr Hamish Meldrum, said:
“We are pleased that the Government is taking the events that occurred at Stafford Hospital seriously and that they have accepted, in full, the recommendations in these reports. It is also positive to hear that extra nurses have already been deployed to Stafford Hospital in response to one of the proposals.
It is clear that a shortage of nursing and medical staff was a key factor in the poor quality of care that patients received at Stafford Hospital. It is essential that there are enough doctors and nurses to provide patients with the level of care they deserve. Targets, applications for foundation status and budgets must never interfere with patient care. The culture must change to one that puts patients first.
While I am pleased that significant improvements have been made in the Trust it is clear more remains to be done. It is essential that the Trust has sufficient support and resources to implement the recommendations outlined in today's reports.
Finally, I would like to express my sympathy for the patients who did not receive the care they deserved at this hospital. I sincerely hope this situation does not arise again, either here or, just as importantly, elsewhere. We are working on further guidance for doctors to support them if they feel that there are problems in their workplace. It is vital that doctors feel able to speak out and that they and their patients know that they will be listened to and that their concerns will be acted upon.”
Source: British Medical Association.
