Nurses cover for night GPs
A recent investigation by the Daily Mail revealed that in four trusts there are more nurses on overnight shifts than doctors - and at seven more, there are equal numbers of GPs and nurses covering nights. Between them the trusts cover millions of people. In some areas, up to 330,000 patients are looked after by just one doctor at night.
The snapshot survey throws fresh light on the out-of-hours nurses have a very important role to play within the NHS, but it is questionable as to whether such a heavy burden should be placed on them, especially when more qualified staff are not around to supervise.
Primary care trusts (PCTs) have been forced to bring in locum doctors, many from overseas. The poor quality service was highlighted last year when an exhausted German doctor killed a pensioner on his first shift in Britain.
The survey reveals that many PCTs are relying on less qualified nurses to look after patients, rather than more expensive doctors. More than one in five NHS trusts cut funding for the out-of-hours service at the start of last month.
It also highlights a worrying postcode lottery of the level of out-of-hours care, with some PCTs spending 57p per patient while others spend £15.
Medical negligence lawyer Nicola Gaukroger from Reading based law firm Boyes Turner said: “We are increasingly approached by potential clients with concerns about the out-of-hours care they have received. Additionally many of our nursing medical negligence cases relate to Urgent Care Centres and Walk-in-Centres where patients are invariably seen by nurse practitioners, often believing them to be doctors. Unfortunately, avoidable medical errors are being made.”
Click here to read the full Daily Mail article.
Click here to find out about some of the medical negligence compensation claims we have been involved iwth.
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