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Leading think tank The King's Fund has branded hospitals as medical factories.

It says they churn patients through without treating them with enough kindness and respect with the problem being more with the way patients are treated than with medical care.

The respected organisation made the criticism as it launched a series or trials that aims to realign attitudes toward patients and fall in line with the Darzi report calling for a more personalised health service.

The report launched the think tank's Point of Care programme using analysis of previous research and interviews with patients and staff.

It highlighted the fact that while more than 90% of patients rate their care as good or better, many continued to raise concerns about the lack of respect, dignity and kindness they were shown.

Jocelyn Cornwell, director of the Point of Care programme, said: "As with any large organisation, there is a lack of personalisation in the service being provided.

"Staff come to work intending to provide the quality of care they would want for themselves and their families.

"But today's hospitals are vast, time is at a premium and in these busy medical factories care of the person can unfortunately get squeezed out."

London's Royal Free Hospital and Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College will be trialling new systems working with groups of patients and staff to redesign services.

Patient Concern agreed the NHS had become a "conveyor belt" though care services minister Phil Hope said steps were already being taken to improve the situation.

 

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