23.03.11
Be the best
A group of doctors has suggested saving money by copying the Army in the way that senior personnel get involved with frontline issues.
The British Medical Association in Wales says delivering better value for money could save £100m – without the need to cut jobs or patient services – with one proposal being to give senior medics a more prominent role in patient care alongside junior doctors.
Chairman of council for BMA Wales, Dr Andrew Dearden, said senior doctors and consultants “save money in the long run” by directing patients to the appropriate care pathway more quickly than less experienced doctors.
He gave the example of London hospitals using GPs in A&E departments with successful results.
There is a longstanding piece of folk wisdom that suggests those working within an organisation will have the best ideas on how to make it better – which is fine, until you consider the power of vested interests. We shouldn’t necessarily take the BMA’s word as gospel, any more than we should ignore recommendations by external management consultants, agencies or think tanks, just because they are not on the frontline themselves.
Is the BMA recommending making more use of senior doctors just a case of ‘well, they would say that’ – or do they have a point?
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