Health group calls for radical overhaul of NHS services
On the eve of its annual conference in Manchester, the NHS Confederation said that patient care is suffering due to the financial pressure the healthcare system is under.
Mike Farrar, the organisation's chief executive said that the NHS is like 'a tanker heading for an iceberg and that many services are suffering from a lack of funding, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Mr Farrar said that while much effort has gone into trying to protect patient care, healthcare managers fear for the future of the NHS and their knee-jerk reaction is to cut costs in the short-term.
As medical negligence solicitors, we see first-hand the effect on patient safety when front-line services are not available when they are needed. Managers see cost-cutting as a quick fix to the avalanche of budgetary pressures they now face, but it is simply not the answer.
As we have said before, our experience of handling medical negligence cases tells us that the NHS is in need of a radical overhaul if it is to survive in its present state in the face of the extreme challenges it now faces.
Mr Farrar agrees and states that there is simply not enough money to continue to provide current NHS services in the same way and cater for a growing, ageing and sicker population.
We would urge the government to take heed and realise that the cost savings it is expecting the NHS to make are putting it in an impossible position. Yes the NHS needs to become leaner and more efficient, but it needs time to put in place the plans that will also allow it to meet its growing challenges without putting patient safety and care at risk.
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