Response to the Secretary of State's speech on the future of the NHS
16 Jul 2015
The Royal College of Surgeons's President, Miss Clare Marx, said:
"There is much to welcome in the Secretary of State’s speech today which complements the NHS Five Year Forward View. We particularly support his commitment to establishing a clearer learning culture in the NHS and a strengthened focus on patient safety.
"On seven day care, it is widely recognised that the same quality of care is not currently available to patients across the week, particularly for emergency patients at weekends. Many doctors and most surgeons already commit to working over seven days and we support moves to help ensure this is standard practice in the NHS.
"However, we would like to see this apply to other key hospital services such as diagnostics, pharmacy, and radiology. This is an essential step for patient safety and should help to reduce variability in standards of care."
Notes to editors:
The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) is committed to enabling surgeons to achieve and maintain the highest standards of surgical practice and patient care.
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