Emergency care should take priority in plan to introduce seven day working in NHS, says BMA

The government’s drive to offer high quality NHS care seven days a week in England should focus on emergency, urgent, and acute services, as the resources are not available to provide “routine and elective services” at evenings and weekends, the BMA has warned.

The government wants to ensure greater consistency of service across the week as part of its drive to raise standards of care and improve access and convenience to patients. A new Seven Day Forum, led by NHS England’s medical director, Bruce Keogh, is due to report on the feasibility of the proposals later this …