Hospital deaths higher at weekends

A report by NHS London has indicated that over 500 people a year die unnecessarily in London hospitals because of a reduced availability of consultants at weekends, reports the BBC.

The report looked at the care given to patients who were admitted for emergency treatment. It found that, on average, consultant general surgeons were on site for ten hours a day during the week to deal with emergencies, but only for four hours a day during the weekend.

According to the BBC, the report found that: "If the weekend mortality rate in London was the same as the weekday rate, there would be around 520 fewer deaths."