Chief Medical Officer highlights problem areas

Patients should be empowered to ask healthcare professionals if they would like to clean their hands before treating them and will be provided with alcohol-based hand rubs to offer staff. Donaldson also pointed out that the number of people on the organ donor register would need to treble to meet current demand and proposed an opt-out system – similar to that in other European countries. Other recommendations included making the use of in-vivo dosimetry radiation checks mandatory and conducting more research to establish the reasons why 500 babies die each year, despite starting the process of birth apparently healthy.

He further highlighted the fact that two-thirds of new medical students are women, yet less than 30% of consultants, 11% of professors and 36% of senior lecturers are female. Studies of women doctors' attitudes and experience show that many regret entering the profession because of the barriers to career progression that they encounter. Sir Liam called for improved flexible working patterns and increased childcare facilities for NHS staff.