BAPRAS responds to speech made by Secretary of State about continuity of patient care

24th January 2014

 

We absolutely welcome the Secretary of State’s call to reintroduce a person-centred approach to care and the importance he places on continuity of treatment by and between named senior clinicians. However, this model should not be thought of as new or innovative but rather a return to a long established professional approach which was overtly undermined by policy makers in the last several years. The focus was to drive efficiency targets and cost reduction through generic provision of variable quality care by pooled clinicians with inevitably less direct responsibility.

The patient had been commoditised and the doctors had been de-professionalised by time-sensitive contracts. We applaud the recognition of the failure of this trial of healthcare provision which fundamentally undermined the keystones of quality in individual patient care.

BAPRAS and its members have always believed that quality, personal responsibility and continuity of care are critical to delivering the best and most appreciated outcomes for patients. We will continue to lead professional standard setting, training, education, research and look forward to working with the Government and the Royal Colleges in re-establishing professional care which acts on individual patient needs

Graeme Perks
BAPRAS President 2012-2014

 

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