A&E doctors hand in resignations in 'mass exodus' from NHS hospital

Five doctors working for one NHS trust have resigned

Dr Richard Taylor said he is not surprised the consultants resigned (Creative Commons)

Four consultants at an accident and emergency department have quit over fears of the future of the service at the NHS hospital, it has been reported.

The doctors at Alexandra Hospital in Redditch have handed in their resignations in what has been described as a “mass exodus” by a leading campaigner.

An “urgent transition plan” has been put in place by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, who says services will continue as normal despite potentially having to find replacements.

One other member of staff from Worcestershire Royal Hospital, which is managed by the same trust, has also quit.

The doctors have been offered jobs at Warwick Hospital after their “continuing uncertainty” about the future of services at Alexandra Hospital, which is said by Malvern Gazette to be struggling to reach targets and treat a higher number of patients.

Out of a total of 3,109 admissions to A&E at both hospitals, 469 people were made to wait longer than four hours to see a doctor and performances are feared to get even worse, the local paper reported.

Dr Richard Taylor said he is not surprised the consultants resigned (Creative Commons)

Leaving terms, including notice periods, will be discussed over the coming days, said The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust said in a statement.

The statement added: “We would wish to stress that services will continue to be provided as normal and an urgent transition plan will be put in place in conjunction with stakeholders to ensure that patients can continue to receive safe and high quality urgent care going forward.”

Dr Richard Taylor, the former Health Concern MP, described the resignations as a “mass exodus” caused by the delay of a review into hospital services in Worcestershire.

Consultants had been “left in limbo” over the future of the A&E department – Dr Taylor, who represented Worcestershire's Wyre Forest constituency from 2001 to 2010, said.

“It’s not surprising they’ve decided to find secure, alternative jobs at another NHS hospital,” he added.