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Power once held by nurses now belongs to managers and administrators. Doctors are esteemed: nurses are not. Nor are they recognised as independent professionals. The Royal College of Nursing proposes nurses be trained to prescribe certain drugs and on 28 February 2002, the BMA suggested nurses become the first contact for NHS patients. They would deal with minor ailments and filter out those patients that have no real need to see a GP. And clinical nurse specialists in hospitals would co-ordinate care.
Do these proposals really suggest a desperate shortage of doctors? Or would such a reassessment utilise wasted skills?
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