"Poor Management"

Over 2 weeks my father was treated by 7+ different doctors and consultants - all of whom seemed competent but it was not coordinated. We observed that the system fails the patient (and the tax payer) because no doctor or consultant manages patient which means that no one takes responsibility for discharging the patient. the result is that the patient stays longer than is necessary which is neither good for the patient or the hospital. The solution is simple: each patient is assigned a doctor or consultant who has overall responsibilty for the patient and this person calls in his/her colleagues as required to treat the patient. It is then this doctor or consultant responsibility to treat and decide when to discharge the patient. Result of this continuity of care? Better care, better information for families, better management of the resources, better monitoring of performance and better value for the tax payer. (Obviously, if a doctor is away they can deputise to a colleague but the original doctor retains responsibility for a patient and the deputy reports back.)