BMA response to the Chief Medical Officer's annual report

Jul 14 2008

The BMA is supporting many of the recommendations in the annual report of the Chief Medical Officer for England (CMO).

Commenting on recommendations aimed at tackling the problems facing the health of the nation's teenagers, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's Head of Science and Ethics, said:

"We support the recommendations designed to engage more fully with young people over the array of health problems currently facing their generation. It is vitally important that we understand teenagers' views and learn from them so that our public health policy is effective and relevant to those it is aimed at.

"The BMA strongly supports the formation of specific expert bodies charged with the task of assessing teenage health issues and producing clear clinical priorities. The government must make sure that the proposed summit and new organisations interact effectively so that the nation's public health policy is cohesive.

"We agree with the six priorities identified by the CMO. Persuading young people to reduce their risks in these areas will significantly improve their health expectations.

Commenting on recommendations to improve the safety of surgery, Dr Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the BMA's consultants committee said:

"We strongly support measures designed to enhance patient safety and hope these new proposals will be used constructively to further improve the quality of patient care.

"The quality of data still needs improvement in some areas, but these measures should allow clinicians to have a more fully informed discussion with patients undergoing surgery and to assess the risk and benefits of procedures.

"Although these recommendations are focused on surgery, the lessons learnt should be transferred across the whole patient experience to improve all aspects of quality and patient safety. Clinicians will also require the necessary support to allow them to collect and analyse the data."