Petition Finance specialist medical staff 24/7 in NHS Hospitals like pain teams/scans/surgeons instead of Mon - Fri 9 -5. W/ends in hospitals are a nightmare.

At present, specialist treatment is only available in NHS hospitals during the week Mon to Friday 9 - 5 unless an absolute emergency (and then it still has to be fought for) Bank holidays and weekends can be frightening and upsetting for in-patients as specialist staff/pain teams/ scanners/nutritionists/ surgeons (name your need) are stopped or reduced. The NHS needs to run specialist services at the same level over weekends and bank holidays.I had been told that my daughter (an in-patient) with suspect peritonitis had to wait to see a specialist on Tues after a Bank Holiday (it was then the Saturday) and that the pain team, who need to daily monitor a new pain relief drug which they have just administered (Friday am) will not be available till Monday to monitor it. Its senseless and frightening and unhelpful for patient care and the specialist has offered to come in on his Saturday off just to check her.This is one case of many we hear every day. All the in-patients dread weekends.