Harmoni admits not enough doctors to cover out of hours care

Posted 16/05/2013

Harmoni have admitted to sending patients to an alternative base two miles away when there was not sufficient GP cover in Hackney over the Easter Weekend.Reports in the Daily Mail over the weekend stated that in order to try to address their desperate staffing problems, Harmoni were offering doctors £150 an hour and almost £1,500 a shift. It has been reported that GPs are reluctant to work for Harmoni due to poor care standards.Sharon Allison, a medical injury lawyer from Ashtons Legal, says: “This is sadly more of the same sort of horror stories that we hear about out-of-hours care which have been contracted out.With A&E departments nationwide at breaking point, the new NHS ‘111’ initiative failing and with insufficient care being provided by GP surgeries after hours, the public have a right to be gravely concerned. Urgent action needs to be taken to ensure that patients are safe when accessing these services.I agree with Jeremy Hunt that the personal accountability on the part of GPs for 24/7 access to out of hours care has been destroyed through the renegotiation of GP contracts which came about under the last government in 2004. In my view, private healthcare providers do not have a comparable level of accountability which is clearly evidenced by the crisis situation now facing us.”If you think you may have a possible medical injury claim as a result of poor out of hours care please contact us on 01842 752401.