Doctors Want "Target-Culture" To End

The culture of chasing targets in the NHS must end - that's the call from BMA Scotland.

A report from Audit Scotland has said setting targets undermines doctors' professionalism and diverts resources.

The medical association says staff need to be consulted on changes to the health service.

Chair of the BMA in Scotland, Dr Peter Bennie said that ‘real change’ was the only solution to the challenges facing the NHS.  

He said: “Before we look forward, we first need to look back to learn from mistakes and missed opportunities.  In October of this year, an Audit Scotland report raised questions around the impact of the target culture in the NHS; flagging up points of concern shared by the profession.

"It found that the drive to achieve targets at all costs diverted resources and undermined the professionalism of doctors.

"The Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) report into NHS Lanarkshire and the Inquiry into the Vale of Leven both illustrate that systems can become unstable when resources are stretched too thinly. 

"In Aberdeen, it is reassuring that the HIS review of the Royal Infirmary showed that patient outcomes had not suffered in spite of the cultural and organisational problems at the hospital.  There has been a huge reliance on the goodwill of staff across Scotland to keep things going but this is not a sustainable solution.”

Looking forward to 2015, Dr Bennie described how doctors want to see real change delivered in Scotland.  He said:

“The focus must be on delivering high quality care to the people of Scotland and to make sure our NHS is sustainable for future generations.  BMA Scotland is keen to develop greater consensus across the profession about how to do this, and to ensure that the new Cabinet Secretary is supported to make it her priority too.

“2015 will see more challenges for the NHS.  BMA Scotland will continue to ensure that doctors’ voices are clearly heard, and that they are having a positive influence on the future of healthcare.  We will continue to fight for doctors’ rights so that they are able to deliver the sustainable, high quality care people in Scotland need and deserve, free at the point of delivery and true to the founding principles of the NHS.”