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Plans to replace London’s District General Hospitals with new local hospitals
providing fewer services carry clinical risks and need more thought, the BMA
says today (Friday 29 May 2009).
Under proposals from Healthcare for London, more patients would bypass their
nearest hospital to attend new centralised specialist centres. While expressing
support for the aspiration to improve healthcare in London, and welcoming many
of the plans, the BMA’s response to the proposals raises concerns about
local hospitals being downgraded.
It warns that “although it may be beneficial for some patient conditions
for a small number of patients to bypass local hospitals to specialist centres,
this is not true for the majority of patients attending A&E”.
The downgrading of hospitals, coupled with a lack of nocturnal surgical cover
for some services, would mean more critically ill patients being transferred
at night, with implications for their safety, the response says.
The BMA document argues that there needs to be more evidence, as well
as detailed costings, before changes to London’s healthcare go ahead.
It raises concerns that:
* the needs of children who require surgery are not addressed adequately
* the proposals could financially destabilise existing hospitals, as services
are transferred to other clinical settings, reducing their income
* the impact of the proposals on the education and training of doctors and other
staff has not been assessed
* it is unclear whether the new model is financially viable.
Dr Kevin O’Kane, Chair of the BMA’s London Regional Council, says:
“London doctors share the aspiration to improve health services,
but we have significant concerns about these proposals. They’re not
supported by enough evidence, they carry clinical risks, and they would leave
the average London hospital with a very limited range of services.”
Dr Jonathan Fielden, Chairman of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, says:
“We welcome plans to reform and update local services when they
are in patients’ best interests, based on solid evidence, and clinically
led. In the current economic climate, we need to ensure that these plans both
deliver high quality care, and represent value for money. Change is needed
but the public needs to understand the profound implications of these plans
for London.”
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Any views expressed in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose
Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by the British Medical Assocition
(BMA) on 29 May 2009
and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding
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