Ahead of our annual conference last week, BMA Cymru Wales surveyed 5000 BMA members in Wales to find out, in their opinion, the top problems facing the NHS.
An overstretched workforce and inadequate clinical engagement were top of the list.
The overstretched workforce is the result of years of poor workforce planning in Wales. We have raised this problem many times with the Welsh Government, and warned of the implications which could arise if inadequate staffing levels in the NHS are not addressed.
Our fears lie with patient safety and medical training – the risks posed here are unacceptable.
A focused expansion in the number of doctors across the NHS which is led by clinicians, working together across primary and secondary care is the best way to ensure decisions on health services best meet the needs of patients.
Doctors working in public health will have a particularly important role as they have an intimate knowledge of local and national health priorities.
Unfortunately today, many clinicians feel disenfranchised, and often excluded from key decision making processes that affect the clinical delivery of services that fundamentally affect patients and their experience of the health service.
BMA Cymru Wales and the front-line clinicians that we represent are committed to NHS Wales and the delivery of a world class health service to the patients of Wales, who deserve no less. This will only be realised if the doctors and other health professionals are included in, and remain at the heart of discussions about NHS Wales, and the way in which services are delivered.
