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NHS reforms 'threaten' medical research

03/07/2008

Medical research could be under threat from NHS reforms, the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned today.

The government set out a series of new measures for the NHS this week including the creation of body to oversee medical education.

The BMA claims, however, that many of the current NHS reforms take too "short-sighted" a view and are "jeopardising long-term benefits to patient care from education and research".

New models of healthcare delivery, such as polyclinics, do not have adequately incorporated education and research, the health group also warns.

Dr Michael Rees, co-chair of the BMA's medical academic staff committee, said: "Medical education and research fuel the economy and are fundamental to the success of the NHS.

"The future of academic medicine in the UK, however, is uncertain. It is threatened by NHS reforms, a declining workforce, and a failure to respond to increasing numbers of medical students.

"If we do not incorporate education and research into our vision of the 21st century health service, it will be to the detriment of the next generation of doctors, to the UK's position as a world leader in medical research, the UK economy, and ultimately the quality of care that patients receive."

In its report, the BMA also calls for an increase in the number of doctors working in academic medicine, which have fallen by 27 per cent since 2000.