Intended for healthcare professionals

Editor's Choice

24/7 technology—who needs it?

BMJ 2015; 350 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h2894 (Published 28 May 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:h2894
  1. Cath Brizzell , deputy editor, The BMJ
  1. cbrizzell{at}bmj.com

At the Conservative party spring conference David Cameron pledged that, if they formed a new government, the party “would substantially extend weekend working of NHS services.” Post-election, the question is how will it be possible to resource a fully functioning 24/7 NHS when we are struggling to afford the current system? Provision of care seven days a week will increase the demand on already stretched primary and secondary care services, and therefore we need to ask who exactly will be expected to provide it.

In a research paper, Fiona Warren and colleagues analysed results of the GP …

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