UK DAILY MAIL: ER DISASTER

Overworked doctors 'forced to look after up to 70 elderly patients during single shift and are missing vital signs of illness' Sir Richard Thompson attacked Government plans to cut NHS budget 'NHS is under-doctored, under-nursed and under-funded,' he said Said 'stressed' doctors run around 'like a scalded cat' on their 7hr shifts Many tend to 70 patients a shift - over the maximum of 20, he added Medics only spend five minutes with each patient so they 'miss things' By Mario Ledwith Published: 07:50 GMT, 5 April 2014 | Updated: 15:26 GMT, 5 April 2014 283 View comments Sir Richard Thompson attacked government plans to cut the NHS budget - saying it is already 'under-doctored, under-nursed and under-funded' +2 Sir Richard Thompson attacked government plans to cut the NHS budget - saying it is already 'under-doctored, under-nursed and under-funded' Overworked doctors are looking after up to 70 elderly patients during a single shift making it 'impossible' to provide adequate care, one of the UK’s top doctors has claimed. Sir Richard Thompson, head of the Royal College of Physicians, said that patient safety is being put at risk because doctors are so stressed and over stretched. He complained that some doctors can only spend five minutes investigating each patient’s symptoms - far below the recommended 15 minutes. Launching a strongly worded attack on the Government for cutting the NHS budget, he said that doctors 'miss things' as they are working under constant 'strain and stress'. The 73-year-old, whose college represents the vast majority of the UK’s 30,000 doctors working in hospitals, becomes the latest senior doctor to bemoan cutbacks to the health service. Criticising promises made by the Prime Minister to defend the NHS budget, Sir Richard said: ‘In spite of what weasly words people at the top say, money’s been taken out of the NHS.’ He said that ‘billions’ more needs to be invested in the NHS every year for it to operate effectively, calling for all political parties to devise additional funding strategies. Sir Richard also criticised Jeremy Hunt for 'slagging off the whole of the NHS', claiming the Health Secretary dwells on poor care over the good treatment received by patients. He added: ‘The NHS is under-doctored, under-nursed, under-bedded and under-funded. There are too few doctors to do the increasingly large job to a high standard, and safely, and compassionately.’ Guidelines suggest that doctors should treat a maximum of 20 patients during a single shift to ensure that they receive adequate levels of care. But Sir Richard said some medical professionals are having to attend to 70 people on one shift, including many elderly patients suffering from a range of medical problems - or what medics call 'multiply morbid.' He said this results in doctors running around ‘like a scalded cat’ during a typical seven-hour shift, with safety most concerning at weekends and on night shifts. ‘You try standing on your feet for seven hours trying to be on the ball, thinking of the various complications, being nice to patients, for seven hours. It’s absolutely destructive. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2597558/Overworked-doctors-forced-look-70-elderly-patients-single-shift-missing-vital-signs-illness.html#ixzz2y3Hylyrp Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook