Introduction of 24/7 health and care

Some healthcare services, such as acute orthopaedics in some hospitals, already provide a service on a 24 hour basis, every day of the week – commonly referred to as 24/7 care.  Rising service user expectations, driven in part by their experience of commercial services, mean there are pressures on public health services to offer this level of access.

In the absence of 24/7 care, responsibility falls to out-of-hours healthcare providers which only meet particular types of demand, and these involve professionals such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists. It may be the case that some health and care workers choose to work in the community because the work is often 9-5, Monday-Friday, rather than the shift work patterns associated with hospital work.

Contributing trends and developments

Demand for 24/7 services may increase, coming from different stakeholders. Patients increasingly expect to be treated by a consultant and there is a political drive towards providing a 24/7 consultant-delivered service. Commissioners may increasingly expect consultant-led or consultant-present acute services to be available seven days a week. NHS England are seeking to accurately define this to determine if it means a consultant on site and present or a consultant who is on call and can be there within a short time frame.  Technological developments including in online communication technology, could further support 24/7 access.

Potential future situation

Service user expectations for 24/7 care are high and commissioners increasing demand clinically led 24/7 services. A range of services including primary and secondary care are offered outside of traditional hours and on Saturday and Sunday. Community care offers a similar service where 'virtual wards' are developed.