BMA head attacks 'sausage factory NHS'

The leader of Britain's doctors today accused the Government of putting the profession under pressure for increased output at the expense of patient care.

Dr Ian Bogle, chairman of the British Medical Association, said doctors were being treated like factory workers - and warned that patients would suffer.

At the BMA's annual conference, he warned the Government not to treat the NHS as a political football.The dozens of productivity targets set by Government were "crude" and would not improve the health service.

In the last year, ministers have introduced a star ratings system for hospitals, league tables for heart surgeons and other statistical tables which are designed to weed out failing doctors and NHS trusts. But the profession claims that bringing health service performance down to league tables does not work.

Dr Bogle, while welcoming the extra billions announced in the Budget, said: "Do we want this new money to help us deliver a sausage factory service based on productivity targets which ignores the needs of individuals and the importance of time with patients?

"Crude productivity targets are no measure of quality."