Robots ‘best way to ease crisis in NHS’

ROBOTS and other technologies are desperately needed to replace some of the work done by doctors and nurses because of the time it takes to train them, a health chief has warned.

NHS Lothian chief executive Tim Davison said that the fact it can take up to ten years for some medics to qualify and train meant the health service staffing crisis would never be addressed.

And he claimed the problem would not be solved by traditional hiring – and medics must instead look to technology.

His comments come as one in four GP practices in Scotland report empty posts. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has warned there will be a shortfall of 856 full-time equivalent GPs by 2021.

Speaking at an NHS board meeting in Edinburgh, Mr Davison said: ‘Even if we had all the money in the world we would still have workforce challenges.’

He added that ‘longer term sustainable planning has to include responses to demand that don’t require ten-year medical school training, or a four-year or threeyear nursing training. In other words, what can we do using innovation, technology, automation, robotics, self management’.

Mr Davison also claimed the NHS would struggle to recruit enough GPs or specialists such as psychiatrists, as many doctors now elect to work part-time.

Mr Davison called on health chiefs to ‘take action’ urgently, adding ‘we haven’t got that luxury’ of time.

Dr Carey Lunan, chairman of RCGP Scotland, said: ‘We must not lose sight of the need to urgently expand our GP workforce in Scotland.

‘We know that the vast majority of NHS consultations take place in general practice, so it must be properly funded in order to preserve the relationships and continuity of care that develops between patients and their GPs.’

A damning Audit Scotland report earlier this month indicated that NHS Lothian’s funding gap looks set to soar to more than £80million by 2021-22.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘The NHS should always be looking at ways to be more efficient and improve treatment.

‘But there is no substitute for healthy staffing levels, and no technology can replace an understaffed hospital. If the SNP had properly planned the health service workforce for the future, there would be less need to be having this conversation.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The latest figures show a new record high number of NHS staff, with seven consecutive years of growth.

‘This is being supported by record funding as well as an additional investment of £850million to reduce waiting times.’