MPs warn ‘no coherent attempt’ to address staffing gaps in seven-day NHS plan
Staffing gaps in the NHS could lead to “shortcomings” in quality of care for patients, leading MPs have warned.
The shortage of clinical staff in the NHS could mean longer waiting times for treatments, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said.
A new report from the powerful committee concluded that supply of staff is not meeting demand in the health service in England.
MPs point out that in 2014 there was a shortfall of around 5.9% of clinical staff working in the NHS – equating to a gap of around 50,000 staff.
They warned that this shortfall inhibits the health service from providing an “efficient and effective” service.
In recent years, NHS trusts have been forced to reduce staff to meet efficiency targets, the report suggests. And the NHS met the staffing need by using more costly agency staff “thereby increasing the financial pressure on the NHS”.
The authors criticise the Department of Health for “ineffective leadership and support, giving trusts conflicting messages about how to balance safe staffing with the need to make efficiency savings.”
The MPs add that “no coherent attempt” has been made to assess staffing implications on the Government’s pledge for a seven-day NHS.
Plans for a seven-day health service are intertwined with the ongoing dispute between ministers and junior doctors. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants to change the hours where junior medics can claim premium rates of pay, turning 7am to 5pm on Saturday into a normal working day. This has been a major sticking point in the row.
But the PAC report states: “The Department has not adequately assessed the impact on the clinical workforce of implementing seven-day services, and so does not know if there will be enough clinical staff with the right skills.”
The group of MP called for an “urgent review” of NHS clinical staffing in England.
PAC chairwoman Meg Hillier said: “There are serious flaws in the Government’s approach to staffing the NHS and without urgent action the public will pay for it on multiple fronts.
“Frontline staff such as doctors and nurses are the lifeblood of the service, yet the supply of these staff in England is not keeping pace with demand.
“This poor workforce planning means patients face the possibility of longer waiting times and a greater cost to the public purse.
“It is unacceptable for the Government to blame staffing agencies for the growth in spending in this area when its own mismanagement is a major contributor to the size of the bills.
“At the same time, taxpayers are being asked to accept uncosted plans for a seven-day NHS – plans which therefore present a further serious risk to public money.
“It beggars belief that such a major policy should be advanced with so flimsy a notion of how it will be funded – namely from money earmarked to cover all additional spending in the NHS to the end of the decade.
“Taxpayers are entitled to ask questions about the financial security of the NHS and the level of service it is able to provide both now and in the future.
“If the Government hopes to reassure the public it has credible plans for staffing and service delivery we urge it to demonstrate leadership in addressing the pressing concerns detailed in our report.”
Dr Mark Porter, chairman of council at the British Medical Association, said: “This report further underlines the Government’s failure to consider how it will staff and fund additional services when the NHS is struggling to provide existing services.
“Despite what ministers claim, NHS funding has not kept up with rising patient demand and the increased cost of delivering care.
“This situation is only set to get worse, not least because the Government’s handling of the junior doctor contract which has alienated a generation of doctors. This is disastrous for the delivery of patient care in the long-term.”
Labour’s shadow health minister, Justin Madders added: “Everybody would support the vision of a seven-day NHS, but David Cameron’s plans are simply not credible without the extra staff the NHS desperately needs.”
A Department of Health spokesman said: “This report doesn’t properly take account of the dramatic workforce increases we have delivered, or our clear plans to increase capacity in the future in order to deliver a safer, seven-day NHS.
“We’ve got more than 25,300 extra clinical staff caring for patients already since 2010, and because we’ve increased nurse training places by 15% there are currently 50,000 nurses in training. By 2020, we expect to have 11,420 more doctors working in the NHS, coupled with 10,000 nursing, midwife and allied health professional training places through our reforms.
“By March next year, we will provide a quarter of the population with seven day care.”
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2016, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Dominic Lipinski / PA Wire.
