The health system needs a “radical shake-up” to tackle a “fundamental lack of joined-up thinking” across the Welsh NHS and social care, says the BMA in Wales.
A report from the General Medical Council (GMC), The State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK Workplace Experiences 2024, says that UK health services are in a critical state and those who work within them are at breaking point. Workloads are high and professional satisfaction is low, it says, with a third of doctors struggling and feeling unable to cope. 41% report having seen patient safety compromised.
The report says that the experiences reported by doctors in Wales were generally very similar to those of all UK doctors. They were more likely than the UK average to identify patient flow or bed pressures as a barrier to providing good patient care (68% compared with 57% of UK doctors).
Responding to report, Deputy chair of the BMA’s Welsh Council Dr Phil White called for urgent action and a collaborative approach.
He said:
“Just last week it was reported that more than 1,500 patients in Wales are waiting in hospital to be discharged. It is unsurprising then to see that a significantly higher proportion of doctors in Wales (68%) compared to the rest of the UK (57% UK average) felt bed pressures and the inability to improve patient flow was one of the barriers to providing good care to patients. This is a serious issue which we have brought to the highest levels on many occasions over the years.
“Whilst the report also cited inadequate staffing, workload pressures and bureaucracy as other factors affecting the ability to deliver safe patient care, patient flow appears to be a far greater concern for doctors in Wales compared with colleagues across the UK.
“There is a fundamental lack of joined-up thinking across the Welsh NHS and social care and there is an urgent need for a collaborative approach. The system needs a radical shake-up to create a seamless service between the NHS, social care and community services working in partnership to meet needs of patients effectively, as well as significant investment in the system and the workforce.
“The report also highlights the rising proportion of doctors planning to reduce their hours due to the significant workload pressures. We know that many, overworked and exhausted doctors are being pushed to do this for the sake of their own health and wellbeing.
“Urgent action is needed to relieve the pressures of the system to improve patient care. This includes a greater focus on and more investment in primary care. We have called on the Welsh Government to urgently address the crisis in general practice by securing a mandate to allow for GMS (general medical services) contract negotiations to start without any further delays.”
