Understaffed A&E In Crisis

A&E services in the UK are spending £80m a year on locum doctors to plug the gap qualified doctors leaving the UK has created.  Fears that temporary staff could lead to more medical mistakes are escalating as casualty is once more in crisis.

With the rise in qualified medics leaving the UK to work abroad seeking higher pay and improved conditions junior doctors are taking the strain.  Anti-social hours and low pay is plunging A&E departments into debt and with a cold snap forecast fears are also growing for a lack of beds available.

A Daily Mail article uncovered shocking figures and reported some A&E departments were paying a colossal £1,500 per shift to entice doctors to work evenings and weekends.  The trend for spending has spiralled since GP's were entitled to opt out of working these hours in 2004 while family doctors are often drafted in to consult with less urgent patients.

As the number of locum doctors are recruited the worrying picture of inexperienced staff emerges.  Temporary staff are not familiar with hospital equipment and not found to be as competent leading to serious mistakes and medical negligence claims could be on the increase.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham was quoted as accusing David Cameron of leaving the NHS with a "dangerous shortage of A&E doctors and a locum bill which is spiralling out of control."

Please call our medical negligence solicitors on 0800 567 7272 or email blvlaw@btinternet.com and one of our experienced medical negligence solicitors will call you back.

BLV Law

Medical Negligence Solicitors

Stourport, Halesowen & Birmingham

Tel: 0800 567 7272