BMA Cymru Wales responds to National Audit Office report on the NHS in Wales

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 16 Jan 2005 - 8:00 PDT

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Responding to today's report by the National Audit Office on the NHS in Wales, chairman of the BMA's Welsh Council, Dr Tony Calland said:

"The BMA has been saying for months that the trust management of waiting lists - particularly out-patients has been less than awesome.

"Inexperienced and understaffed Local Health Boards have also been unable to assess the demands on hospital services coming from general practice and the community. It is the shortcomings of these management systems and of the commissioning of services that make a substantial contribution to the appalling state of affairs described in this report.

"The BMA recommends a wider acceptance of innovations proven to work in other countries where they have achieved a reduction in waiting times for surgery and out-patient's waiting lists. We recommend investment for initiatives is spent in a planned manner in Welsh hospitals rather than in the private sector or in English hospitals, but we recognise that in the short term some purchases like this may be necessary.

"Doctors in general practice and hospitals will remain open to different ways of working as agreed in the new contracts recently negotiated with the Welsh Assembly Government, and they will continue to play their part in resuscitating NHS Wales.

"The spotlight must be on NHS Wales's management to get a grip of the problems and to give the doctors and nurses in the service the opportunity and the tools to do the job."

For more information please contact:
John Jenkins
Tel: 029 2047 4611
mobile 07788 565216
pager 04325 638059
Fax: 029 2047 4621
jjenkins@bma.org.uk

BMA Cymru Wales
Fifth floor
2 Caspian Point
Caspian Way
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
CF10 4DQ

Telephone: (029) 2047 4646
Fax: (029) 2047 4600
info.cardiff@bma.org.uk

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