Named consultant for hospital patients will end culture of “brief encounters,” says England’s health secretary

I agree with Mr Hunt's view about named consultants and the lack of such an arrangement leading to a diffusion of responsibility. The organisation of non-surgical care in hospitals has been modeled around the terms of the contract of Consultants, nurses and junior doctors. The requirement of a named consultant requires a sea change in attitudes and pathways and processes which would take a huge upheaval to reorganise. A named Consultant model would also warrant a named nurse, therapists and juniors if we are serious about continuity in a holistic sense. Till recently, re-organisation happening outside secondary care had drained a lot of resources but this internal re-organisation could be done with the degrees of enthusiasm and flexibility that anyone working in healthcare should possess. It is certainly a priority.