Seven day working: why the health secretary’s proposal is not as simple as it sounds

The rationale for expanded seven day working set out by Jeremy Hunt was to improve the quality of care at weekends and, in particular, to tackle higher mortality among people admitted on Saturdays and Sundays. It is not clear whether he had in mind emergency or elective procedures, or both, when he made his comments, but he called for speedier diagnostic test results, timely consultant review when a patient is first admitted, consultant directed interventions, ongoing consultant review in high dependency areas, and proper assessment of mental health needs.

These points echo several of the 10 clinical standards set out by NHS England’s seven day working taskforce in 2013. The clinical standards focused mainly on process improvement and ensuring provision was appropriate for urgent and emergency patients. Following Hunt’s speech NHS central bodies wrote to trusts asking them to prepare to be monitored against four of these standards, focusing on consistent provision for inpatients at the weekend: time to consultant review, access to diagnostics, access to consultant directed interventions, and ongoing review.