Poor leadership to blame for staffing crisis

Unrealistic efficiency targets, poor leadership and a failure to recruit, train and retain medics have caused a spiralling staffing crisis in the NHS. A damning report released today by the Commons public accounts committee, which includes MPs from across the political spectrum, says Government and NHS leaders’ failures have led to a shortfall of 50,000 NHS staff. It calls health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s plans for ‘seven-day services’ into question — suggesting the Government has made ‘no coherent attempt’ to consider the staffing needs necessary to deliver its pledge. Committee chair Meg Hillier said: ‘Taxpayers are being asked to accept un-costed plans for a seven-day NHS — plans which therefore present a further serious risk to public money. ‘It beggars belief that such a major policy should be advanced with so flimsy a notion of how it will be funded — namely, from money earmarked to cover all additional spending in the NHS to the end of the decade. ‘Taxpayers are entitled to ask questions about the financial security of the NHS and the level of service it is able to provide both now and in the future.’ Mixed messages The scathing report says NHS trusts have been told to make swingeing cuts to budgets while also being told to increase staffing levels — following the Mid-Staffs scandal. The result of the mixed messages, the report says, is an NHS which has reduced the amount of training ava...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news