Patient care increasingly at risk unless NHS changes the way it provides services

As the annual NHS Confederation conference and exhibition gets underway, chief executive Mike Farrar warns that the NHS must win public backing for long-term radical changes to healthcare services or the care of patients will be put at risk. As the leading supplier of health and social care workers to the public sector, HCL Workforce Solutions is attending the conference and exhibition, showcasing HCL Clarity

HCL Clarity, a managed service for modern staffing solutions, demonstrates HCL’s commitment to supporting the NHS at this time of austerity and financial turbulence.

At the event, Mr. Farrar will publish the results of a major survey of NHS leaders highlighting growing fears about the impact of financial pressures on the quality of care.

Storm clouds gathering

In a statement published ahead of the conference, Mr. Farrar said: “Despite huge efforts to maintain standards of patient care in the current financial year, healthcare leaders are deeply concerned about the storm clouds that are gathering around the NHS,”

“Our survey shows that many NHS leaders see finances getting worse and that this is already having a growing impact on their patients. In response, they are cutting costs in the short-term but they know that much more radical solutions are the only answer in the long run.”

Survey findings

Headline findings from the NHS Confederation's member survey of chief executives and chairs show:

• Healthcare chiefs believe the financial position the NHS is facing is very serious
• The pressure on the NHS is greater than 12 months ago and is set to increase further
• Many NHS leaders say care in their organisation has been affected, particularly the experience of patients, and they expect to see the impact on care spread over the next year
• There is serious concern about the outlook for patient care nationally
• Cuts to local authority funding have added to the pressure facing the NHS
• Confidence varies in the readiness of parts of the new NHS system
• There is strong consensus that radical long-term action for the NHS is necessary
• Healthcare leaders want the Government to back them in addressing long-term challenges facing the NHS

See the survey findings in full.

Read a summary.

Annual conference and exhibition

The NHS Confederation annual conference and exhibition (22 to 22 June) will be the first time the NHS has come together nationally since the passing of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Watch the main speakers live. Key speakers include:

• Health secretary Andrew Lansley
• NHS chief executive David Nicholson
• Health Select Committee chair Stephen Dorrell

Ends.

For any further information, contact HCL Communications and PR Manager Laura Ackland on +44 (0) 207 451 1448.

About HCL plc

HCL plc, headquartered in London, was formed in 2003 and is a leading provider of staffing solutions in the health and social care sectors. HCL supplies over 2,000 temporary and permanent doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, qualified social workers and administration & clerical staff to public and private sectors every week. We are an international company with offices in UK and Australia and recruitment drives in Europe. For more information please visit our website at www.hclplc.com, view our facebook page or follow us on Twitter @HCLplc.