Date: 28 November 2011

A study by research company Dr Foster has reported that patients who are admitted to hospital at weekends are 10% more likely to die, due to a shortage of senior doctors being available and patients having less access to diagnostic investigations. The chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing said NHS Trusts need to look at their staffing levels as a "matter of urgency".

Sandra Patton, a medical injury specialist at Ashton KCJ comments: "We often advise patients who have had experienced poor care simply because, it seems, they have been admitted ‘out of hours’. It should not matter when a patient comes under the care of a hospital as it is a service that never closes, but it clearly does. It is worrying that the Government seems more intent on pushing through its reforms rather than sorting out basic problems such as ensuring the right level of doctor is available to provide care."