Blog
Rayner my parade! The importance of specialist advice.
Jemma Brimblecombe
8 February 2017
999 – can you hear me?
It has recently been widely reported that Accident and Emergency departments across the country have reached crisis and are often unable to provide a level of care where patients can be seen and treated within a reasonable period of time which may be crucial in saving someone’s life or preventing further injury from occurring. Despite the £700m in additional funding from the Department of Health this wasn’t enough to halt the decline in A&E.
1 February 2017
How to get the NHS rabbit out of the headlights
An article by Lawrence Dunhill in the Health Service Journal (HSJ) on the 18th January reported Mike Durkin (The national director of patient safety at NHS improvement) describing the health service as like a "rabbit in the headlights". He was describing the fact that in the maelstrom of all of the pressures on the NHS, from patient numbers to hospitals under pressure to deliver strict financial targets, safety is being compromised. Almost worse than this was his conclusion that the cause of the compromise is that there is a fear of raising the issue because they will not be listened to.
4 November 2016
When the A&E computer says “no”
Most of us at some point have made our way to an A&E department unable to wait until the next day to see our GP. You may be suffering from unbearable toothache or require stiches to your finger after cutting yourself badly when drilling a hole in your wall to hang this amazing photograph you just bought in IKEA on a late Sunday afternoon.
6 October 2016
Reaney -v- University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust The sequel: a further judgment but still riddled with uncertainty?
On 8 August 2016 Mr Justice Foskett handed down the latest in a series of judgments that have been given on this long running case, Reaney -v- University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust. In November 2015 the Court of Appeal determined an issue of law and referred the case back to Mr Justice Foskett (the trial judge) for the quantification of Mrs Reaney’s damages. Unfortunately the latest judgment did not resolve the outstanding quantum issues and the parties were sent away to attempt to agree a "satisfactory settlement" to avoid the need for further written submissions or another hearing.
2 August 2016
Doctors encouraged to ask “is this sepsis?” in all cases of infection
Sepsis is in the news again following new guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) urging doctors to be vigilant to the possibility of sepsis in patients, and to consider it as a potential diagnosis as early as possible.