Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) chair Ms Helen Fernandes says patient safety must be the priority for any reform of the NHS.
Ms Fernandes says avoidable harm costs the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds each year in insurance, additional treatment, and compensation for patients.
The HSJ last week reported that the ‘costs involved in managing accidents that could be avoided’ neared £3bn per year.
Ms Fernandes said: “Patient safety issues must be at the top of any agenda for the NHS.
“Avoidable harm is costing the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds every year. That is money that’s desperately needed to treat patients, to improve pay and conditions for staff, and to invest in infrastructure.
Patient safety
“Which is one of the reasons DAUK has been warning about the potential for patient harm with the roll-out of physician associates.”
Ms Fernandes comments comes as Health Secretary Wes Streeting today announced the introduction of NHS league tables as part of a package of reforms.
Mr Streeting told the NHS Providers’ annual conference there will be a review of performance, with providers placed into a league table.
Persistently failing managers will be replaced. Turn around teams will be deployed to help providers which are running big deficits or poor services for patients. They will be offered urgent, effective support so they can improve their service.
NHS league tables
Ms Fernandes said: “While holding managers to account is good, I am not in favour of NHS league tables. There is no evidence they actually work.
“Learn Not Blame and a just culture in the NHS do not seem to be at the root of this. And it could demoralise staff.
“Agendas, toxicity, and undervaluing staff with misuse of investigatory and disciplinary and discriminatory practices need to be stamped out.
“We need a just culture to improve morale, productivity, and ultimately patient outcomes.
“At a higher level, decisions taken on GP funding and on physician associates need to be addressed.
“Those who created these scandalous costly unproven schemes also need to be held accountable.”
Read the response to Mr Streeting’s speech from our GP committee.
Read Mr Streeting’s speech in full.
