THE number of consultants working weekends at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital has increased from two to 13 over the past two years.

The trust plans to have all patients who are admitted at weekends seen by a specialist appropriate to their medical needs, rather than simply by one of two consultants on duty as was the case in the past.

Hospitals nationally have in recent months come under pressure from the Department of Health to increase the number of consultants working on wards at weekends after figures showed patients admitted then had a far greater risk of dying than those admitted during the week.

Tristan Richardson, consultant endocrinologist and RBH's clinical director of medicine, said: "Politically this has been a hot potato for the last few months, but it is the right way to go, and even before all this started we were making positive changes.

"We have been evolving to make patient care much better and allow specialists to see their appropriate patients, it is a real move forwards.

"Weekends are important to everybody so we are trying to move one step at a time.

"We are much further down the line than other hospitals regionally.

"Our weekend mortality rate is much better than the national average, I think through the changes we are making."

At present the hospital has consultants specialising in cardiology, gastroenterology and treatment for illnesses affecting the elderly on site every weekend, with specialists in diabetes or respiratory conditions alternating.

In surgery, experts in urology, ophthalmology, radiology and haematology have joined consultant surgeons providing weekend cover, while the number of junior doctors has also been increased.

Also hospital inpatients - those either very ill or those recovering enough to be discharged soon - are now being reviewed at weekends.

The trust's future plans are to have full weekend cover for respiratory and endocrinology patients, as well as ambulatory care.

Dr Richardson said two consultants had, in the past, been sufficient to meet patient needs, but the trust was now recruiting extra doctors to meet growing demand.

"There has been a significant rise year on year in the number of people coming in at weekends, and in the complexity of their conditions," he said.

One problem the trust was working to overcome, he said, was arranging cover during the week for consultants now holding clinics at weekends.

The hospital infrastructure has had to be expanded to allow consultants to work new hours, with support staff brought in to operate equipment.