The health secretary says new hospital consultant contracts are needed to end the “Monday to Friday” culture in the NHS.
The Heath Secretary said that 6,000 people die each year as a result of the weekend opt-out available to senior hospital doctors.
Jeremy Hunt accused the British Medical Association of walking out of contract talks aimed at improving weekend care.
He said he is now prepared to impose seven-day working on hospital doctors if a new deal on consultant contracts cannot be reached by September.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he said there would be “catastrophic consequences” if working patterns did not change because there is a greater risk of hospital patients dying at weekends
Mr Hunt said: “Around 6,000 people lose their lives every year because we do not have a proper seven-day service in hospitals.
“No-one could possibly say that this was a system built around the needs of patients, and yet when I pointed this out to the BMA they told me to ‘get real’. I simply say to the doctors’ union that I can give them 6,000 reasons why they, not I, need to ‘get real’.”
I simply say to the doctors’ union that I can give them 6,000 reasons why they, not I, need to ‘get real’. Jeremy Hunt, health secretary
“They are not remotely in touch with what their members actually believe. I have yet to meet a consultant who would be happy for their own family to be admitted at weekends or would not prefer to get test results back more quickly for their own patients.
“Timely consultant review when a patient is first admitted, access to key diagnostics, consultant-directed interventions, ongoing consultant review in high-dependency areas and proper assessment of mental health needs: I will not allow the BMA to be a roadblock to reforms that will save lives.”
“There will now be six weeks to work with BMA union negotiators before a September decision point. But be in no doubt: if we can’t negotiate, we are ready to impose a new contract.”
The current consultant contract, negotiated by Labour in 2003, means senior doctors can opt out of weekend work as long as they do not work in A&E.
Dr Mark Porter said that his members supported seven-day working but were limited in the care they could offer on weekends by many factors, including a lack of resources.
He said: “Despite whatever the health secretary may claim, his simplistic approach ignores the fact that this is a much broader issue than just doctors’ contracts.
This is a blatant attempt by the government to distract from its refusal to invest properly in emergency care. Dr Mark Porter, BMA
“Today’s announcement is nothing more than a wholesale attack on doctors to mask the fact that for two years the government has failed to outline any concrete proposals for introducing more seven-day hospital services.
“The health secretary has questions to answer. How does he plan to pay for it? How will he ensure there isn’t a reduction in mid-week services or fewer doctors on wards Monday to Friday? Yet again there are no answers.
“This is a blatant attempt by the government to distract from its refusal to invest properly in emergency care. So, I say again to the health secretary, get real and show us what you mean.”