NHS ‘run ragged’ by scandalous underfunding, warns BMA

Full story GP Online, 25 June 2018

The BMA has warned that scandalous underfunding of the NHS has left the service ‘run ragged’, as a major poll by the union found four in five doctors believe quality and safety of patient care are under threat.

BMA chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul warned on Monday at the union’s annual representative meeting (ARM) that the NHS faces an all-year-round crisis – with pressure on the service through summer now on a par with extreme winter pressure.

His warning came as a BMA poll of almost 8,000 doctors found that three quarters of respondents believe financial targets in the NHS override patient care. Underfunding is ‘significantly affecting quality and safety in the NHS’, according to 78% of doctors.