18
May 2016
Warning over plans for senior nurses to cover for doctors that may lead to poorer care
Experts have warned that plans to train nurses to cover for doctors is a ‘cheap fix’ that may affect patient care.
The measures, which have been drawn up by the Nuffield Trust think tank and approved by NHS employers, are an attempt to ward off a staffing crisis in surgeries and hospitals.
The proposals include plans for senior nurses to undergo training to enable them to perform some junior doctor roles, and the training of paramedics to undertake some GP duties.
As GP surgeries deal with an ageing population and rising levels of migration, and hospitals face rising numbers of older and sicker patients, they are becoming increasingly desperate for well-trained staff.
However, Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association warned that using paramedics and nurses to undertake doctors’ duties, was seen as a “cheaper alternative to highly qualified staff”. She went on to say “The proposed new roles and extra responsibilities for existing staff should not be adopted as a quick fix solution to the complex staffing problems within the NHS. These proposals will not solve the shortage of skilled doctors and nurses”.
The British Medical Association’s Dr Mark Porter, said “It takes doctors many years to learn how to provide the best care for their patients, and there is no substitute for this kind of expertise and experience.”
Candace Imison of The Nuffield Trust said “Our research shows reshaping of the NHS workforce can offer huge opportunities, for patients through improved health outcomes, and for staff through more rewarding roles.
“But we stress that this is not simply a ‘nice to do’ – it is urgent, and essential if the health service is to find a sustainable balance between available funding, patient needs and staff needs, and deliver services fit for the 21st century.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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