BMA criticises government healthcare spending cuts

The British Medical Association (BMA) has condemned the coalition government’s cuts to health service spending, saying patient treatment will suffer.

BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum said at the start of the group’s annual conference that the government has introduced cuts in a “haphazard” manner, and warned of further redundancies in the NHS.

While conceding that savings do need to be made to weather the economic crisis, Dr Meldrum said there also needs to be better communication between those deciding on cuts and medical professionals.

The warning comes after a BMA survey revealed that despite reassurances that front-line services will be protected, many NHS organisations are already taking actions which could have devastating and long-lasting consequences for the NHS.

Dr Meldrum said: “We urge the government and NHS organisations to focus on those areas where they can truly eliminate waste and achieve genuine efficiency savings rather than adopt a ‘slash-and-burn’ approach to healthcare.”