Blog
Rayner my parade! The importance of specialist advice.
Jemma Brimblecombe
13 May 2014
Labour wards not for “straightforward births’ says NICE
This BBC headline today comments on draft advice issued by NICE – the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence which suggests that healthy women experiencing a “straightforward” or “low risk” pregnancy should be encouraged to give birth in a midwife-led unit rather than a traditional labour ward.
27 March 2014
Streamlining the complaints process
Healthwatch England has found that the complaints process for the NHS in England is “hopelessly complicated” and needs a complete overhaul.
18 March 2014
How to avoid cosmetic surgery cowboys
The Government has recently announced its reforms for the cosmetic surgery industry to enhance patient safety. Whilst some of the proposed measures are welcome and overdue, there have been criticisms that the changes do not go far enough. The fact is that the new landscape will not clean-up the vagaries of the industry overnight.
25 February 2014
The Care.Data Programme: Who’s reading your medical records?
In clinical negligence cases we invariably need to obtain copies of our clients’ medical records. Presentation of a signed Form of Authority is a key part of the process, and so it should be. Confidentiality lies at the heart of the patient doctor relationship, and doctors must always be clear that the patient’s explicit agreement is obtained before their private and sensitive data is released to third parties who are not involved in their care. The care.data programme that is being rolled out by the NHS puts both the doctor and the patient in an invidious position.
7 February 2014
The Francis Report: One Year On
A year has passed since the publication by Robert Francis QC of his report of the Public Inquiry into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust (commonly known as the Francis Report) and a new report out today attempts to evaluate the extent to which acute hospital trusts in England have sought to embrace and act upon the main themes and recommendations from that Inquiry.