A recent headline from the BBC caught my attention ‘Doctors paid up to £200,000 overtime to tackle NHS Backlog.’

Clearly the current state of NHS affairs is a concern for all. People are awaiting an unacceptably long period of time for treatment, whether that be whilst sat in Accident and Emergency awaiting immediate care or awaiting surgery that isn’t deemed urgent.

The above scheme is designed to specifically combat the excessive waiting lists. The question is will this cure the problem or cause more problems? Putting increased demand on overworked resources may only lead to operations being done substandard due to fatigue. Whilst the article focused on whether this was a good use of public money, questioning the pay rates of consultants, it also begs the question of whether overworked staff carrying out more overtime will lead to negligence claims?

It also reports that six in ten consultants worked beyond their contracted hours. In one instance, Medway NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it had paid three radiologists who diagnose and treat patients using scans and tests more than £150,000 in overtime. It found that shortages in that department meant they had to pay the premium rates.

Research from other Trusts revealed similar statistics with the Chief Medical Officer Kate Wood saying that the overtime spending had helped fund extra operations and justifying the expense as putting ‘patient safety is first and the key focus.’

However, is this the answer? Obviously, some action needs to be taken in a time of crisis but one would hope it doesn’t lead to treatments and operations being carried out negligently.

Our medical negligence specialists at Farleys have seen far too often the impact of negligent treatment, caused not only by delayed diagnosis’s but also from mistakes in treatment which can occur when the medical professional is not performing to the required standard.

While we, like everyone else, hope to see the standard of care provided by the NHS improve and waiting lists reduced significantly, we will always be here to support those who have suffering unnecessarily due to negligent treatment. To discuss your case in confidence with one of our medical negligence experts, please call 0845 287 0939, get in touch through our online contact form, or use the online chat below.