Specialist hospitals 'better for patients'
Local hospitals lack the best specialist facilities, report claims
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Tuesday, 05, Dec 2006 09:21
New reports suggest that specialist hospital centres are better for patients in need of certain types of medical aid, stating that local hospitals often lack the latest specialist treatments.
Research carried out by the IPPR thinktank reveals that hundreds of lives could be saved every year if patients have access to specialist hospital treatments. According to its figures, 1,600 emergency heart attack patients received specialist treatment last year out of a total of 61,000.
It is thought that many patients will be considerably safer if they travel further for specialist help, rather than being admitted to local hospitals that lack the best facilities. In addition to heart attacks the research highlights severe injury patients among those at greater risk of death if denied specialist help.
Richard Brooks, IPPR associate director, recommends that local hospitals should be developed to be able to offer specialist treatment to those who need it.
"If clinicians, politicians and the public work together to change hospital services, many more lives can be saved every year. On the strength of the evidence, people should be out on the streets campaigning for changes to NHS services to protect the health of their families, not to keep services the way they are.
"Many people are understandably worried about local services moving away from their local district general hospitals," he continued. "But if heart attack and serious injury victims were taken past their local hospitals to a specialist centre, they would be significantly more likely to survive."
"Other traditionally hospital-based services like tests, routine surgery and minor treatments are better provided in local community hospitals and clinics."
Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the British Medical Association consultants' committee, maintains that focus should be placed on the needs of local communities.
"Patients, doctors and NHS managers will find it extremely helpful to have good clinical evidence available when decisions are taken on how hospital services should be best provided in local communities," he stated in response to the IPPR research.
"Without the evidence, there is a real risk that decisions on reconfiguration will be based on what suits politicians and NHS accountants rather than what is in the best interests of patients."
He added: "It is absolutely right that there is a public debate about the way our health services are delivered in the future and it is vital that patients and clinicians are properly informed and engaged in these discussions. Necessary change in healthcare is best delivered when led by clinicians in partnership with the public."