It is vital to the safety of patients that there are enough staff to deliver care, without feeling pressurised by lack of hands or time. Seven-day emergency services must be properly funded, safe and tailored to what the public wants and needs before we can start planning elective 7 day services.
The independent Commission should consider how to:
- Ensure emergency care is safeguarded as we move towards a seven-day elective NHS. It should assess the desires and needs of the public for seven-day GP & hospital care, and how we can safely and sustainably achieve this.
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Ensure changes needed for more comprehensive seven-day service are evidence-based with full consultation.
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Ensure minimum safe ratios of staff to patients are set by relevant professional bodies and NICE, rather than the whims of Ministers. These should be tailored to the local conditions and needs.
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Publicise staffing levels to local residents with easily-accessible data on how they are being met.
