Medical Experts Unite To Demand NHS Changes

All three Royal Colleges of Scottish health professionals have come together to demand an overhaul of the NHS.

They say the time "for political point scoring has passed" and are calling for a long term solution to problems in the health service.

Experts say the problems with an ageing population and increasingly complex care needs won't be solved by throwing money at health boards.

They want a genuine public debate on change, a new approach to targets, new ways of delivering care and improved inter-professional working.

Chair of the Academy and President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Mr Ian Ritchie, said the bodies are committed to a publicly funded health service.

He said: "Yet we’re seeing day in, day out, the immense pressure which the NHS is under, as patient demand and public expectations soar and funding is unable to keep up, even with increases in the NHS budget.”

RCN Scotland Director Theresa Fyffe added: “Tinkering around the edges and simply putting more and more money into the current system is not the answer.

"We know we cannot continue to deliver services the way we have done up to now and it is up to us, as professional leaders who share a collective aim and represent health professionals working on the frontline, to step forward and take a leading role in kick-starting the public debate that needs to take place about the future of our NHS.”

The joint statement issued is based entirely on discussions at a meeting of all health professionals earlier this year, where there was unanimous agreement that everyone – including the public, medical experts, health boards, politicians and the Scottish Government – need to work together to make the NHS sustainable.

'Not up to date'

On the need for a new approach to targets, RCN Scotland Director Theresa Fyffe says:  “We know that targets can often skew clinical priorities and waste resources. There needs to be a new, evidence-based model for measuring success, focusing on better outcomes for patients and our health services.

“Without change now, we’re putting at risk the sustainability of our NHS.  So the Royal Colleges have come together to raise concerns and put forward actions we believe will make a difference and call on all those involved to work with us to secure its future."

Ian continued: “We know that the way services are delivered has not kept up with the advances in patient care and treatment. What we require, urgently, is to develop new models of care which are fit for the future. And, given that it’s our members who will have to implement these new models of care, we are committed to working across our health service to make sure this happens.”

Ian concluded: “The time for talking and political point scoring has passed. We need to take practical action, together, now.”