BMA Response To Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Investigation, England

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 18 Mar 2009 - 7:00 PDT

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Commenting on the report by the Healthcare Commission into emergency care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, Chairman of the BMA's Consultants' Committee, Dr Jonathan Fielden, said:

"It is very important that lessons are learnt from this report. Doctors, trust managers and health professionals must work together to ensure this does not happen again.

"It is essential that top-down targets do not get in the way of good clinical leadership. We must allow doctors and senior healthcare workers to improve the whole patient journey not just the apparent bottlenecks. Targets need to be flexible and must not interfere with clinical priorities. We must also ensure there are enough consultants and other staff in place so patients get the first class, expert care they deserve."

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