• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Hunt’s weekend death claim ripped apart by study

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A medical expert has said that Jeremy Hunt might be “trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist,” regarding increase weekend death claims. Prof Peter Rothwell laid into Hunt in the Mirror for not carrying out “due diligence” in a report which dismissed his claims that more NHS patients die […]

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2016-05-09 09:55
in News, Politics
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor

A medical expert has said that Jeremy Hunt might be “trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist,” regarding increase weekend death claims.

Prof Peter Rothwell laid into Hunt in the Mirror for not carrying out “due diligence” in a report which dismissed his claims that more NHS patients die at the weekend.

Rothwell called for an urgent investigation by MPs into “flawed” data behind the top Tory’s claims.

Mr Hunt has often quoted studies saying patients are more likely to die on the weekend as a way to justify his demands for a 7-day NHS. Many people in the medical profession already claim the NHS is a 7-day service and simply does not have the capacity to expand in the way Hunt is planning, leading to numerous Junior Doctors’ strikes.

But Prof Rothwell, from Oxford University, said it should have been “fairly obvious” something was wrong with the data.

Rothwell’s team studied 1,693 stroke hospital admissions and found 638 (38%) were lower-level incidents that had been put in the wrong category.

RelatedPosts

Tory MP says Keir Starmer is to blame for Pincher’s antics

Just 21% think Conservatives are ‘fit to govern’ – lowest score ever

Tory MPs: The resignations and expulsions that have beset the ‘party of sleaze’

BBC journalist and wheelchair user Frank Gardner stranded on plane at Gatwick

That skewed weekend death figures, because it meant many so-called “acute stroke patients” had simply gone in on weekdays for routine appointments.

Prof Rothwell said: “We don’t want to be putting in enormous amounts of money trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.

“The routine administrative diagnostic coding is something that’s done once the patient’s discharged.

“That’s fine for straightforward admissions, but it’s actually very difficult for elderly patients admitted in A&E with several previous conditions – so often they get it wrong.

“What the Department of Health should have done was just check when they did their analysis that there wasn’t some problem with the coding.

“They didn’t do the due diligence to check whether there was something funny going on with the data.

“My feeling is Jeremy Hunt and the Prime Minister have been badly let down by their team. The quality of the research they’ve based this on is poor in ways they couldn’t realistically have perceived.”

“There are probably other studies coming up I suspect in the next few weeks so I think there will be a steady build-up of evidence.

“Certainly for stroke, this idea which Jeremy Hunt was widely quoted on that you are 20% more likely to die of a stroke at the weekend therefore weekend care is poor – there’s no evidence of that.

“The same problems we found for stroke, we also found for other conditions.

“The onus really has to be on the Department of Health, who claim there’s a problem which needs billions spent on it, to prove that it’s needed.”

BMA Council deputy chair Dr Kailash Chand, speaking in a personal capacity said: “Jeremy Hunt’s statements about mortality and seven-day working in the NHS simply don’t stack up.

“He has been economical with the truth by repeatedly attributing excess deaths to doctors not being available at weekends.”

Tags: featured

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Tories voted against rule ensuring landlords make properties fit for human habitation

Police have been blasted for parking a marked van on a narrow street for more than a hour – blocking the path of a fire engine

Penny drops for Gove as he admits: “Border issues are not teething problems”

Test and Trace system records worst ever contact tracing rate

“The perfect hotel for a cultural weekend” The Ampersand, Kensington

Condimentum Bibendum Cursus Malesuada Tellus

Man claims he acted as spy for French secret service to disrupt Jersey’s financial sector

Recycling and e-waste in London

‘He is a class act’ Celtic man inspired by Man City star as Scotland boss hopes for play-offs

Restaurant Review: Hankies, Marble Arch

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.