Professor Mayur Lakhani, Chair of the Royal
College of General Practitioners (RCGP), says:
“We are very sorry to hear of this tragedy and
our thoughts are with the family.
“It is essential that there is not a
repetition of this situation and that lessons are learnt.
Coordination of care and continuity of clinical management -
including electronic records - are crucial in out of hours care and
without this errors can occur.
“Because of our concern about standards of PCT
out of hours services we have given a great deal of thought and
attention to how things can be made better for patients.
“We would urge all PCTS to review their
systems and implement the ten point plan and the audit tool kit
produced by the RCGP to ensure that services are designed around
the clinical needs of patients, clearly signposted and
accountable.
“Let us hope that some good comes out of this
tragedy which must now be a stimulus for urgent action by the
NHS.”
Ends
For more information please contact Lorna Fletcher in the RCGP
Press Office 020 7344 3136 / press@rcgp.org.uk