Nuffield Trust responds to 'seven-day NHS'

Nigel Edwards, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust, responds to the Prime Minister's pledge to establish a 'seven-day NHS'.

Press release

Published: 28/03/2015

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s pledge to create a ‘seven-day NHS', Nuffield Trust Chief Executive Nigel Edwards said: 

We should be under no illusions: this will mean big changes to the way services are run across the country.
Nigel Edwards, Chief Executive, Nuffield Trust

“The Prime Minister is right to want to improve the consistency of care people receive in hospitals. There is a need to deal with the higher risk of mortality at weekends, which has been known about for some years. A seven-day service will also help improve the flow of patients though hospital and the problems that result from the surge of demand on Mondays.

“But we should be under no illusions: this will mean big changes to the way services are run across the country. Even if there were significant extra funding available for the NHS, getting the critical mass of specialist staff needed to make seven-day working a reality would be likely to mean closures or mergers of local services, such as emergency surgery or maternity units.

“Such changes may well be necessary in the interest of the best clinical care. But they will cost money and will require immense political bravery.”

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