Via the Royal College of Physicians
A survey from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) found that over a quarter (28%) of consultant physicians surveyed rate their hospital’s ability to deliver continuity of care as poor or very poor.
In addition, over a quarter (27%) believe that their hospital is poor or very poor at delivering stable medical teams for patient care and education.
The results reinforce previous RCP concerns for the increasing pressures that NHS Trusts are facing due to the rise in acute admissions, the ageing population with increasingly complex conditions, and cuts in budgets and staffing.
In order to address all these issues, the RCP is setting up a Commission on the Future Hospital, to look at the organisation, processes and standards of care in hospital in order to identify the best way to treat medical inpatients in the future. This Future Hospital Commission was first discussed at RCP Council in November 2011, and will be chaired by Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, begin in March, and will have five workstreams:
- People (medical teams, handover, communication)
- Data (patient records, medical information, audit)
- Place (medical wards, the patient pathway, generalists and specialists)
- Planning infrastructure (radiology, laboratory , pharmacy and support staff, interfaces with community and primary care)
- Patients and compassion (leadership and responsibility, MDTs, end of life care)
Further information:
The Future Hospital Commission will begin in March, and is expected to be finalised by Spring 2013. For further information and interviews with Professor Tim Evans, please contact RCP PR Manager Linda Cuthbertson on 020 3075 1254, 07748 777919 or linda.cuthbertson@rcplondon.ac.uk.