Whole Stay Doctors Would End 'Chaotic Care'

Hospitals must offer patients "whole stay doctors" who will look after them throughout their treatment, the Health Secretary will say.

Jeremy Hunt wants to tackle the "fragmentation of care experienced by patients in hospitals" and to make sure patients are treated like people rather than numbers or problems.

Speaking at St Thomas' Hospital in central London he will highlight how action is needed to stop patients feeling like they are being passed from pillar to post.

It comes after an announcement in November that patients should have the name of a consultant above their bed.

He will say: "Every day, the first thing I do when I arrive at work at the Department of Health is to read and reply to a letter from someone whose NHS care has gone wrong.

"Of course I know that for every mistake there are many instances of superb care.

"But as Health Secretary I want to know where the problems are because I want to sort them out."

Mr Hunt will describe a letter he received from a lady whose husband passed away after "what can only be described as two years of chaotic care".

"Her husband was passed around the system from clinician to clinician, with no-one appearing to know anything of his needs or history.

"When you look into why that was, it was not about the doctors or hospital ever ignoring the problem, far from it," he will say.

"He was sent for tests and asked to wait a month for the results. Then more tests by a different doctor, and again asked to wait.

"Then a consultation with yet another doctor - with no-one at any stage stopping the conveyor belt and saying 'Wait, this person has been waiting for three months without us sorting out the problem, we need to do so urgently'."

Individual hospitals will be asked to develop their own plans for how whole stay doctors will work in practice.

Professor Norman Williams, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "The progressive fragmentation of care that we have seen in the NHS is not only confusing and damaging for patients but also undermines the professionalism of medical teams.

"We have to end the situation where patients are shuttled from one member of staff to another with no one individual taking responsibility for ensuring they receive the right treatment at the right time and in the right place.

"Having one named consultant in charge across a hospital stay will help bring about an important cultural change and reassure patients that they are not lost in the system, with no-one overseeing the totality of their care."

:: Jeremy Hunt will be on Sky News at 7.15 am. Watch live on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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