Weekend Hospital Visits Risky to Health and Safety
A recent study suggests that hospitals are more dangerous on weekends.
It has been stated in a recent study that patients admitted on a Sunday are 16% more likely to die than those who are sent to the hospital during the week. The two-tier NHS policy is being blamed for the issues that are faced on the weekends. There are many who are saying it is a health and safety issue that needs to be addressed. It should not matter when a person is admitted; they should be safe.
It is not a matter of improper workstation risk assessments. More, it is an issue with senior staff being off on the weekends. This leaves staff members who may have an inability to conduct the proper tests or who are more likely to provide the wrong treatment. It is a full breach of risk assessment protocol if one looks at it as a senior staff issue versus any issue with the medicine.
The NHS denies that there is any problem with the staff on the weekends. They stated they are offering better staff, such as consultants, on weekends to ensure that there is nothing wrong with the care provided. Yet, the results do not seem to support this given the amount of individuals who die on weekends versus during the week. There appear to be deeper issues facing hospitals resulting in more tragic issues occurring on weekends.
