Patient deaths ‘due to staffing’

21 September 2011 Last updated at 03:56 ET

“Stark” differences in consultant hours at weekends were identified

Hundreds of people die every year in London due to a lack of hospital consultants available at weekends, according to NHS London.

A report from the strategic health authority showed there were more than 500 avoidable deaths in emergency care in the capital every year.

It found: “Reduced service provision at weekends is associated with this higher mortality rate.”

Under the review, NHS trusts were asked to rate themselves on key indicators.

The report, Acute medicine and emergency general surgery – case for change, was compiled for NHS London in the spring.

It focused on the care adult patients receive on a general ward after being admitted for emergency treatment.

‘Inadequate access’

The review found: “If the weekend mortality rate in London was the same as the weekday rate, there would be around 520 fewer deaths.”

It identified “stark” differences in consultant hours across the capital’s hospitals at evenings and weekends, and named those with the patchiest cover.

While the Hillingdon Hospital and Croydon Health Services expected an on call consultant emergency general surgeon to be on for 12 and nine hours a day, respectively, over the weekend, King’s College and Newham University hospitals had cover for only two hours.

Across London, consultant emergency general surgeons were on for an average of four hours a day at the weekend, compared with 10 in the week.

The report said: “In London there is significant variation in the number of hours that a consultant is expected to be on-.

“There is inadequate access in almost a third of London’s hospitals to an emergency theatre – this is detrimental to patient outcomes and can increase mortality and morbidity,” it warned.

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