Commenting on research published in the Royal Society of Medicine Journal on weekend hospitalisation and death rates, Dr Andrew Goddard, Royal College of Physicians director of medical workforce, said:
This study is further evidence that patients admitted at weekends are more likely to die following admission than patients admitted to hospital during the week. There are many reasons for this, but the two most important are that the patients are more ill and there are fewer doctors available.
The Royal College of Physicians has already called for any hospital admitting acutely ill patients to have a consultant physician on-site for at least 12 hours per day, 7 days a week.
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