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4,000 new medical staff to boost London health
Sophie Goodchild15.09.08
An extra 4,000 NHS nurses, paramedics and midwives are to be recruited to treat patients in the capital.
The staffing boost is among reforms to be announced tomorrow by health chiefs in a bid to modernise patient care and provide a "world class" service for London.
They will also unveil a £132 million cash investment for training more than 15,000 healthcare workers to provide care closer to patients' homes instead of just in hospitals.
This new 10-year Workforce for London strategy will outline the need for a health service which can adapt to meet the future needs of Londoners.
It will recommend an overall increase in the size of the NHS in London, better-trained staff based outside hospitals and an improvement in training and education.
This includes staffing supersurgeries under reforms drawn up by health minister Lord Darzi.
Last week, NHS London announced the first sites for the clinics which will provide minor surgery and maternity care as well as routine GP services.
The polyclinics will also shift the emphasis of health care away from overburdened hospital accident and emergency units to doctor-led health centres in the community as well as into special trauma centres.
Critics claim the reforms will lead to a less personal service for patients.
NHS London chief executive Ruth Carnall said the quality of staff providing care to patients was crucial in improving the quality of treatment.
She said: "This is about promoting excellence in training and education but also about getting the right health care professionals working in the right place, delivering quality services to patients in the most appropriate setting."
Baroness Young, of the Care Quality Commission, said it was crucial that London had a health service that was "fit for purpose, equal for all and world class".
She added: "A more efficient workforce, treating patients at the right place and the right time, goes hand in hand with a world class health service."
A quarter of doctors deliver care in the community but this will rise to nearly half over the next decade. Nurses based in the community will rise from one in five to two in five over 10 years.
There will also be a large increase in the number of nurses and other workers trained to take clinical decisions.
Reader views (6)
- Karan, London. Love your embittered racist tone their.
At least you would understand the English spoken by the English. Not from these parts are you? All right is it if the English white man works in his own country?
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
to Anthony I say thank God for the foreigners because if it left to the british people to staff hospitals there would be no functtioning hospitals and as for the 4000 new staff I dont care why or where all i care about is when give them to us asap
- Karan, london
And not one of these jobs will be given to a British person. All of them will be taken by foreigners!
- Anthony, London
In the meantime the A & E at Chase Farm Hospital is downgraded, as is the maternity unit (no consultant led team)!
- B. Smith, Enfield
I smell a general election on the horizon. Labours pathetic attempts at bribing the electorate.
Meantime on the south coast, we are fighting to keep our local hospital open.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
A two year course triainig a nurse to become a Clinical Assistant Technitian involves 70% multi cultural and diversity awareness.
In other words, how to pander to the wishes of the Muslim patient.
Total waste of time and taxpayers money !!!
- Chris, London
