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Clinical Negligence Articles
New government plans expected to reduce stillbirths and neonatal serious injury by half (30 November 2017)
Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, will introduce plans to improve care in maternity wards as part of NHS improvements. It is hoped that the changes made will reduce the number of births resulting in stillbirth and brain injury by 50% by 2025. Read more...
Legal battle success sees non-spouse receive bereavement damages (30 November 2017)
It has been a long-standing issue that those who lose their spouse through clinical negligence receive a lump sum of £12,980 in bereavement damages, but those who are unmarried that lose their partner are not afforded the same legal rights. Read more...
Compensation awarded to family of boy whose birth was delayed causing brain damage (16 November 2017)
The family of a boy, aged 12, have been awarded compensation for a negligent delay in his birth which ultimately caused brain damage at Boston Pilgrim Hospital in Lincolnshire, by High Court judge Mr Justice Warby. Read more...
Contaminated Blood Scandal will receive a full statutory inquiry (15 November 2017)
The government has announced that a ‘full statutory inquiry’ will be launched into the contaminated blood scandal in which approximately 7500 people were given blood products that were infected with Hepatitis C and HIV during the 1970s and 1980s, leaving 2400 dead. Read more...
Blindness drug Pharmaceutical companies threaten legal rebuke over NHS plans to use cheaper drug (2 November 2017)
The drug, Lucentis, is licensed to be used for macular degeneration, treating blindness brought on by aging. Over 10 years ago an anti-cancer drug, Avastin, was discovered to have the same effect as Lucentis for treating the condition, with a significantly reduced cost per dosage. The difference is, the manufacturer of Avastin has refused to license the drug to treat macular degeneration. Read more...
Victims of contaminated blood have been given approval to claim (28 September 2017)
The patients and families affected by the contaminated blood from the NHS manufactured in the United States in the 70s and 80s have been given the right to sue the government. Read more...
Botch Surgeon Ian Paterson’s victims receive compensation (26 September 2017)
Spires, the private healthcare firm under which Ian Paterson was employed, has put together a fund of £27m for victims of Paterson’s surgery. Paterson’s insurers and The Heart of England NHS Trust have put £10m into the fund. Read more...
Six year old girl dies of meningitis after delayed diagnosis (12 September 2017)
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust reveals a report into the failure to diagnose meningitis, in the case of a six year old girl, before she died of the disease. Read more...
Essure sterilisation device causes some to have hysterectomy (6 September 2017)
The Victoria Derbyshire Show has documented the controversies surrounding Essure sterilisation device, on the BBC. Read more...
NHS figures have revealed that the number of people waiting for routine surgery in England is at the highest level it has been for a decade (1 September 2017)
3.83 million people are currently waiting to have surgery, but the NHS believe that missing data from the six trusts that didn’t participate means the figure is more likely to be “just over four million patients.” Read more...
Young mother who died of a cardiac arrest in court did not receive treatment for 4 minutes after paramedic arrived (24 August 2017)
A coroner has said that a woman’s death in a court building was “a potentially survivable situation”. Hayleigh Gascoigne, 32, collapsed in the public concourse area of Hull Combined Court Centre in January, and she was later pronounced dead. It has now since been found that Gascoigne was neither immediately nor accurately examined and was not given the intervention she should have been Read more...
Cancer patients in Huntingdon to benefit from new cancer rehabilitation partnership (23 August 2017)
The Hunts Community Cancer Network (HCCN) in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire has partnered local innovator with Aseptika Ltd to better support cancer patients Read more...
Vaginal mesh implant complications more widespread than previously thought (22 August 2017)
New figures have suggested that one in fifteen women fitted with vaginal mesh implants will require surgery to remove it because of complications, demonstrating that the problems are more widespread than previously thought Read more...
Decorated military surgeon apologises for conducting unsanctioned surgery on a 12-year-old boy’s genitals (18 August 2017)
The parents of a 12-year-old boy who had his genitals operated on without parental consent have spoken out, branding the surgeon “not trustworthy” Read more...
£50m funding boost to reduce waiting times in NHS Wales (17 August 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has announced that an additional £50 million is being invested in the Welsh NHS to help further reduce waiting times Read more...
Enhanced flying medics A&E services for North Wales (16 August 2017)
The Welsh government has announced that Wales’ flying medics service – which works in partnership with the Wales Air Ambulance Charity – is strengthening its service cover, with the introduction of consultants and critical care practitioners on board the charity’s helicopter in North Wales Read more...
Enhanced flying medics A&E services for North Wales (16 August 2017)
The Welsh government has announced that Wales’ flying medics service – which works in partnership with the Wales Air Ambulance Charity – is strengthening its service cover, with the introduction of consultants and critical care practitioners on board the charity’s helicopter in North Wales Read more...
Over 40% of maternity wards in England reportedly closed their doors to expectant mothers on at least one occasion in 2016 (15 August 2017)
Data received by the Labour party in a Freedom of Information request revealed that 42 out of 96 trusts shut their maternity wards temporarily on a total of 382 occasions, primarily due to a shortage of staff and beds. 40 hospital trusts did not respond to the Freedom of Information request Read more...
New appointees to run Urgent Care Centre in Bath (15 August 2017)
Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (BaNES CCG) has appointed Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and B&NES Enhanced Medical Services (BEMS) to run a Bath-based Urgent Care Centre Read more...
Type 1 diabetes immunotherapy research “promising” for developing new treatments (10 August 2017)
Pioneering immunotherapy research at King’s College London has brought the possibility of a new treatment for Type 1 diabetes a step closer Read more...
The lead clinician in charge of Connor Sparrowhawk’s care has admitted to a string of failings over the teenager’s death (9 August 2017)
Dr Valerie Murphy, a consultant psychiatrist, admitted to almost 30 failings during a hearing before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester on 7 August Read more...
Sentence increase for breast cancer surgeon who carried out unnecessary procedures (4 August 2017)
A surgeon who carried out unnecessary breast cancer surgery has had his jail sentence increased from 15 to 20 years Read more...
Diabetic retinopathy screening programme shown to reduce sight loss in Wales (3 August 2017)
New research from Swansea University in South Wales shows that the number of people in Wales diagnosed as blind or living with sight loss as a result of diabetes has almost halved since the introduction of a new national diabetic retinopathy screening programme in 2003 Read more...
Organ donations in Wales increase, with fewer patients dying while awaiting organ transplants (28 July 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has welcomed new figures, which show an in increase in the number of donor organs being transplanted in Wales Read more...
£21m investment in clinical research by Welsh government (27 July 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has announced that more than £21 million will be invested by the Welsh government during the next year in high-quality research in the Welsh NHS, to help researchers develop the treatments of tomorrow Read more...
Car crash victim discharged from hospital with “bruising” that was actually a broken back (27 July 2017)
A car crash victim was reportedly sent home from hospital with painkillers despite having a broken back. 20-year old Ciaran Lovelace says he was discharged from Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham by medical staff after being involved in a serious car crash on 4th July 2017 Read more...
Disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson struck off by tribunal (27 July 2017)
Ian Paterson, the disgraced breast surgeon who was found to have carried out a number of unnecessary cancer operations, has now been struck off after a tribunal ruled that his actions over a 14-year period were “serious, calculated, and sustained.” Read more...
A record high cost of NHS negligence pay-outs linked to maternity errors (24 July 2017)
Figures have revealed that over £1bn – a record high – was paid out by the NHS for medical negligence damages last year, and this has been closely linked to maternity blunders Read more...
Vaginal mesh victims meet with MPs as senior doctors call for a public inquiry into the use of vaginal mesh surgery (24 July 2017)
Women across the UK who have been physically and emotionally affected by complications of vaginal mesh surgery have taken a campaign to Westminster calling for the implants to be banned Read more...
“Recommended” hernia mesh repairs leave thousands at risk of chronic pain (13 July 2017)
Several patients are being left in severe chronic pain caused by mesh used by NHS England to repair hernias, surgeons have revealed Read more...
Welsh government launches precision medicine strategy to improve diagnosis and treatment using genomics (13 July 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has said NHS patients in Wales will in the future receive a quicker diagnosis and more personalised treatments, as part of a new strategy to harness new cutting-edge “gene testing” genomics technologies in the Welsh NHS Read more...
NHS Trust that saw a patient fall to his death from an industrial chimney has been fined £300,000 (12 July 2017)
In May 2014, 20 year old mental health patient died after gaining access to a 130ft chimney at Epsom Hospital in Surrey. The patient suffered from an acute psychotic illness, and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABT) admitted serious health and safety breaches during a hearing at Guildford Crown Court Read more...
Prime Minister announces inquiry into contaminated blood scandal (12 July 2017)
The Prime Minister has announced an Inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s, which she said was “an appalling tragedy which should simply never have happened” Read more...
New survey reveals 93% of respondents had positive experience of cancer care in Wales (11 July 2017)
A survey of more than 6,700 cancer patients in Wales has revealed that 93% said they had a positive experience during their treatment Read more...
Women worldwide continue to suffer from vaginal mesh complications (11 July 2017)
Following reports in April about the severe complications of vaginal mesh implants and recent reports that hernia mesh implants are causing chronic pain, the NHS has been accused of trying to divert media attention from the problems, whilst further complaints have been lodged in Australia Read more...
Weston General latest hospital to close its overnight A+E Department (11 July 2017)
Weston General is the fourth hospital in England to close its overnight A+E services, citing an inability to staff the hospital safely as the reason for closure Read more...
Patient safety at serious risk due to NHS document errors (11 July 2017)
It has been found that at least 1,700 patients could have been harmed by a “colossal” blunder in which thousands of patient records and letters were left in a warehouse. Furthermore, officials have said that only two thirds of the 700,000 documents found have been checked, meaning the number at risk is likely to rise. Amongst the documents that were missing in England were cancer test results and child protection notes Read more...
Inquiry publishes findings on how to prevent neonatal deaths and injuries on maternity wards (28 June 2017)
The Each Baby Counts inquiry, led by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), has published findings regarding neonatal deaths and injuries, having investigated over 700 recent instances Read more...
Barnet Council raises awareness of diabetes among residents for Diabetes Week (21 June 2017)
Barnet Council in Greater London has helped to raise awareness of diabetes risks as part of Diabetes Week in June Read more...
A&E departments gear up for winter with £20.74 million extra funding (16 June 2017)
A&E departments across England are to benefit from more funding this winter, after £20.74 million extra funding was awarded to hospitals in England Read more...
Hospital admits negligence after staff mistakenly monitored a mother’s heart rate rather than the baby’s (14 June 2017)
The Royal Bolton Hospital has admitted negligence following the death of a baby whose heart was not monitored correctly during labour Read more...
Royal College of Surgeons has expressed concern about the “grim reality” of NHS waiting times for surgery (14 June 2017)
The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has said that the number of patients who are facing waits of six months or more for surgery has tripled over the last four years Read more...
Long hospital waits for routine treatments are at their highest in almost 10 years (14 June 2017)
NHS England figures recently revealed that the number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for routine treatment is the largest since September 2008 Read more...
GP issued a formal warning after advising a patient she needed a “spa day” three weeks before her death caused by the contraceptive pill (14 June 2017)
An inquest has heard that a young graduate who died of a blood clot caused by her contraceptive pill was not taken seriously by her GP who advised she go for a “spa day” Read more...
Bath and North East Somerset Council pilots rapid response service for over-65s (14 June 2017)
Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES) has announced a new pilot involving a community-based, rapid-response service for people over the age of 65 who fall at home Read more...
Slough Borough Council launches mobile breast screening to detect cancer earlier (14 June 2017)
Slough Borough Council has announced that a mobile breast screening unit has been launched in Slough with Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust Read more...
Northamptonshire care home “humiliated” a deafblind resident with dementia (12 June 2017)
The daughter of an 84-year-old care home resident has claimed that he was “utterly humiliated” and mistreated by staff Read more...
Terminally ill man receives almost £180,000 in damages after his GP misdiagnosed his cancer for a fungal nail infection (12 June 2017)
A musician with terminal skin cancer has won £178,845 in damages after his GP misdiagnosed his condition as a fungal nail infection, London’s High Court has heard Read more...
Welsh government Concordat offers integrated approach to healthcare and social care (9 June 2017)
The Welsh Assembly has said that a new commitment from key partners to put those needing social care puts people at the heart of health and social care commissioning Read more...
A London cancer patient was denied a move in hospital because not enough beds were available. He later passed away (6 June 2017)
Michael Brannan required emergency surgery to address his deteriorating condition after being diagnosed with lung cancer. He was at Whittington Hospital in north London, but doctors requested he be sent to specialists at Westmoreland Street Hospital, which was not made possible because no beds were available. He died days later Read more...
Gene mapping diabetes study may also have implications for Diabetes research (6 June 2017)
Scientists at University College London (UCL) say they are closer to understanding the genetic causes of Type 2 diabetes by identifying 111 new chromosome locations (“loci”) on the human genome that indicate susceptibility to the disease Read more...
Hospital staff failing to respond to hospital call bells (6 June 2017)
It has been reported that patients are left hungry, thirsty and desperate to use the toilet as a result of hospital staff failing to respond to call bells Read more...
Victims speak out about mastectomy surgeon jailed for 15 years (6 June 2017)
Surgeon Ian Stuart Paterson, who performed a series of unnecessary procedures, has been jailed for 15 years Read more...
A Hove nursing home has been rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission following 2 deaths during the course of the inspection (2 June 2017)
Two residents are reported to have died between the beginning and the end of a 10-day long inspection of a care home in Hove. Bon Accord nursing home in Hove was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February 2017, and following the inspection the home was rated inadequate and placed in “special measures.” Read more...
London doctors may face prosecution for negligent ‘designer vagina’ surgery (1 June 2017)
Two London doctors have been threatened with prosecution for negligent surgery on a woman’s genitals. The Metropolitan Police Service is questioning the two doctors, who have not been named, following a complaint from a female patient who attended a private clinic for a labia reduction procedure Read more...
Victims speak out about mastectomy surgeon jailed for 15 years (1 June 2017)
Surgeon Ian Stuart Paterson, who performed a series of unnecessary procedures, has been jailed for 15 years Read more...
A man who was left disabled as a result of negligence during his birth receives almost £8m compensation (31 May 2017)
A man who suffered negligence during his birth is set to receive nearly £8 million from the NHS in compensation Read more...
Kettering General Hospital manipulated waiting time records to avoid missed targets (31 May 2017)
It has been reported that Kettering General Hospital tampered with their patient waiting time records Read more...
Number of GPs has decreased despite NHS’ five-year plan (25 May 2017)
New figures published by NHS Digital have revealed that the number of GPs has fallen since NHS launched their 5-year rescue plan Read more...
NHS Wales continues to hit targets “despite the increasing demand for health and social care services” (22 May 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has welcomed new statistics that show improved NHS Wales performance across a range of measures, despite increasing demand for services across Wales Read more...
Medical device alert issued over defibrillator model LIFEPAK 1000 AED (22 May 2017)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is asking organisations to check public access defibrillators for a technical fault Read more...
Cheshire Police investigating several unexplained baby deaths (22 May 2017)
Cheshire Police are investigating a number of baby deaths at Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and July 2016 Read more...
Southern Health to be prosecuted over preventable death of teenager (17 May 2017)
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust faces prosecution over the death of an 18-year-old patient at one of its facilities in Oxford. Southern Health provides mental health and disability services across Hampshire, Dorset, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Read more...
Is the NHS pay cap contributing to staff shortages and increased risks to patient safety? (15 May 2017)
It has been reported that NHS staff are quitting due to low salary, with some opting to work in supermarkets due to the “uncompetitive” salary offered by the NHS for high-pressure jobs Read more...
Thousands of adverse incidents recorded in two thirds of England’s NHS Maternity Units (11 May 2017)
A freedom of information request made by the BBC has revealed that 305,019 adverse incidents were recorded in 81 of England’s NHS maternity units between 2013 and 2016 Read more...
NHS pays millions in compensation for failing to identify broken bones (10 May 2017)
A recent report has revealed that the NHS pays millions of pounds of compensation a year for failing to identify fractures Read more...
Sheffield hospital director has apologised for two “never events” (9 May 2017)
Never events are medical errors that are “entirely preventable”, according to NHS Improvement, because guidance or safety recommendations are available nationwide. It was recently reported that two never events had taken place at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Read more...
New model of clinical supervision for midwives in Wales (9 May 2017)
The Welsh Assembly’s Chief Nursing Officer Professor Jean Willis has launched a new model of clinical supervision for midwives in Wales Read more...
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue service in trial to improve access to patients in medical emergencies (8 May 2017)
Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service has joined its emergency service partners in the Thames Valley for a six-month trial which aims to improve access to patients who are experiencing certain medical emergencies Read more...
Removal of NHS 18-week treatment target said to be illegal (5 May 2017)
Barrister James Goudie QC has said that Jeremy Hunt broke the law by not instructing the NHS to ensure they meet a 92% target of patients who receive treatment within 18 weeks, as was instructed in previous mandates Read more...
Surgeon convicted for exaggerating or fabricating patients’ risk of cancer resulting in hundreds of unnecessary mastectomies (5 May 2017)
Consultant surgeon Ian Stuart Paterson has been convicted of almost 20 counts of wounding with intent and unlawful wounding against nine women and one man treated in the private sector Read more...
Welsh Assembly report highlights improved care in Wales for children with diabetes (4 May 2017)
A new report by the Welsh Assembly shows that diabetes care for children and young people in Wales is improving Read more...
Convicted breast cancer surgeon told patient she would “be unable to breastfeed” (3 May 2017)
The victims of a breast surgeon convicted of wounding patients by carrying out unnecessary surgery included one woman who was told that she would be unable to breastfeed any children she had Read more...
Staff shortages putting care for children at risk (28 April 2017)
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published a report expressing concerns that a lack of paediatric doctors and nurses across the UK means that care for children is at risk Read more...
New study suggests that GPs are failing to diagnose cancer (28 April 2017)
A study funded by Cancer Research UK has revealed that 71% of cancer patients in the UK are diagnosed in A&E, despite having visited their GP at least once to discuss their symptoms. The research, which has been described as the most comprehensive to date, was recently published in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) Read more...
£100m compensation pay outs from the NHS in the North East (27 April 2017)
NHS trusts in the North East paid out over £100m on clinical negligence claims between 2014 and 2016, official data has revealed Read more...
Patient has been waiting almost four years to leave hospital amid “delayed discharge” scandal (27 April 2017)
It has been reported that a hospital patient has been waiting almost four years to be released from hospital, despite being declared “fit for discharge” Read more...
British Medical Association urges politicians to focus on NHS in snap election (27 April 2017)
The British Medical Association (BMA) is urging politicians to adopt the NHS crisis into their pre-general election manifestos Read more...
Extra A&E funding will help to ease pressure on departments “in time for next winter” (26 April 2017)
The government has said that the additional £55.98 million in funding for A&E departments announced on Friday (21/04/17) will help to ease pressure on emergency departments in time for next winter Read more...
Children and vulnerable patients missing out on dental treatment because NHS charge exemptions are “poorly signposted” (25 April 2017)
The British Dental Association (BDA) has said that children and vulnerable patients risk losing out on access to free NHS dental treatment because of poor promotion and signposting of NHS charge exemptions Read more...
CQC inspections find four out of 32 dental practices in England “not meeting standards” (25 April 2017)
Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors have published reports on 32 dental practices in England, including practices in central London and across the whole country Read more...
CQC places Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust into special measures (19 April 2017)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has announced that the Chief Inspector of Hospitals has recommended Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Northamptonshire be placed into special measures Read more...
Investigation into avoidable deaths of 7 babies at negligent NHS trust (18 April 2017)
The Health Secretary has launched an investigation into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS trust after it has been found that a series of new-born deaths could have been avoided Read more...
Increasing number of ambulances turned away by A&E (18 April 2017)
It has been reported that over the winter several hospitals in England had to close their doors to ambulances. As a result, ambulances were diverted to different hospitals, causing delays for urgent treatments Read more...
Social care issues are contributing to bed delay transfer figures (13 April 2017)
Figures have revealed that over 2,500 hospital beds per day are occupied by patients who are fit for release. Delayed transfers occur when a patient is deemed to be medically well enough to be discharged from hospital, but their discharge is held up by another factor. Although most of the responsibility for delayed transfers and bed-blocking falls on the NHS, the number of delays attributed to social care is increasing Read more...
Record-breaking number of GP closures (13 April 2017)
A Freedom of Information Request from Pulse Magazine revealed that the closure of a record-breaking number of GPs last year forced over a quarter of a million patients to find a new doctor Read more...
Telford & Wrekin Council fights closure of overnight A&E unit (12 April 2017)
Telford & Wrekin Council has called Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust’s (SaTH) recommendation involving overnight closure of the Princess Royal Hospital’s A&E service as early as September 2017 “the effective downgrading of the hospital via the backdoor” Read more...
Patients with learning difficulties struggling to get access to appropriate healthcare (12 April 2017)
NHS data has found that patients with learning disabilities are missing out on important health checks, including blood pressure checks, mental health assessments and cancer screening Read more...
Sefton Council hosts first health and wellbeing event for cancer patients and their families (11 April 2017)
Sefton Council on Merseyside is hosting its first ever health and wellbeing event for those affected by cancer Read more...
Brent Council and Diabetes UK train Diabetes Community Champions to help local community (10 April 2017)
Brent Council has trained 25 local residents as Diabetes Community Champions in a bid to help the increasing number of people suffering from diabetes in Brent Read more...
Debate over whether NHS should have its own tax (5 April 2017)
There is an intensifying debate over whether the NHS needs additional funding, and, if so, how this could be attained. Among the options being considered is a dedicated tax for the health service – an idea that has been considered by economists for many years Read more...
Urgent investigation into NHS 111 is being launched following allegations made by an undercover reporter (5 April 2017)
An undercover reporter was placed at the NHS 111 call centre at St Charles Hospital in Ladbroke Grove by The Sun newspaper; the reporter claims that whilst working in the call centre, he witnessed call handlers asleep at their desks or marking themselves as ‘busy’ on the computer system to avoid any incoming calls Read more...
Waiting times for NHS operations to increase in a “trade off” for other services (4 April 2017)
Growing pressures in the NHS mean that there can no longer be an 18-week guarantee for operations considered to be of “low clinical value” Read more...
Liverpool chosen as latest site for cancer centre offering proton beam therapy (30 March 2017)
Liverpool has been chosen as the site of a new £35 million cancer treatment centre to be built by Proton Partners International Read more...
Family receive £100,000 following their son’s death due to clinical negligence (27 March 2017)
Seven year old Luke Jenkins, from Cardiff, died following heart surgery at Bristol Children’s Hospital in March 2012. Luke’s family have now been awarded £100,000 compensation for their son’s death Read more...
Hospital staff must treat sepsis symptoms within one hour (27 March 2017)
The National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) has urged hospital staff to ensure that people with life-threatening sepsis symptoms are treated within one hour. NICE state that anybody showing signs of sepsis must be checked carefully, and if found to be high-risk, must be seen by senior staff and given correct treatment within an hour Read more...
Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day – 25th March 2017 (24 March 2017)
Cerebral palsy affects approximately 1 in every 400 babies born in the UK. Cerebral Palsy can be caused by a brain injury which can occur in the womb or during delivery. The symptoms of cerebral palsy will range from mild to severe and life-changing and children with severe cerebral palsy often have complex care needs Read more...
NHS spending cap feared to affect cancer and dementia patients (24 March 2017)
Health chiefs have announced that the NHS in England will be introducing a £20m a year cap on the cost of new drugs in an attempt to save money. The cap is aimed at giving NHS chiefs the opportunity to re-negotiate the prices of drugs with pharmaceutical companies. However, this new measure could lead to delays of up to three years before new drugs are made available. It is reported that the changes could affect one in five new treatments Read more...
NHS England investigating patient harm after medical documents were misplaced (16 March 2017)
NHS England is currently investigating whether any patients have suffered harm as a result of an administrative mix up in which half a million patient documents were misplaced Read more...
Chief Inspector of Hospitals describes NHS as standing on a “burning platform” (14 March 2017)
Chief Inspector of Hospitals Professor Sir Mike Richards has warned that safety is not good enough at four out of five hospital trusts in England. He described the NHS as standing on a “burning platform” following a review carried out by The Care Quality Commission (CQC) Read more...
Hospital cuts being planned across England (13 March 2017)
A recent BBC analysis of local plans has found that nearly two thirds of hospital services in England could be cut or scaled back. The NHS proposals, which are sustainability and transformation plans, have been made as part of a national programme to transform the health services and cut costs in 44 areas Read more...
Family taking legal action after a woman died as the result of an error during routine heart surgery (10 March 2017)
It is reported that Sheila Hynes, a 71 year old grandmother and great-grandmother, died as the result of massive internal bleeding during what should have been a routine operation at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne Read more...
Surgeon facing charges for wounding with intent (10 March 2017)
It is alleged that Judith Conduit, 47, was falsely diagnosed with Dercum’s disease in 2001 and told she would have to have a bilateral mastectomy. She subsequently had to return to hospital 94 times over the course of a year due to post-operative complications Read more...
Understaffing in care homes leading to patient negligence (10 March 2017)
A care home in Leeds was forced to close its nursing wing last month due to a shortage of staff, and last August, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reported that a care home in Derbyshire was so short-staffed that residents resorted to caring for each other Read more...
Chancellor increases social care and NHS funding with more GPs in A&E departments (9 March 2017)
The government’s Spring Budget 2017 has announced more funding for social care and to ease pressures in A&E departments in the Spring Budget 2017 Read more...
More GP surgeries in Wales offering extended hours appointments on weekdays (2 March 2017)
The Welsh government has announced that new figures show that more GP practices in Wales are open between 8am and 6.30pm during the week and more early morning and evening appointments are being made available. Read more...
British Medical Association Report shows fall in overnight hospital beds may be harming patient safety (27 February 2017)
The British Medical Association (BMA) has said that a ten-year fall in the number of overnight hospital beds available has created a “mismatch” in supply and demand in the NHS Read more...
£5.3 million Better Care Fund fails to ease pressure on NHS (24 February 2017)
The influx of £5.3 million to the NHS in the form of a Better Care Fund has done little to ease the pressure, or save money, on the overrun Healthcare system according to the National Audit Office. Read more...
Welsh Assembly invests £95m in training healthcare professionals (24 February 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething, has announced a £95 million package to support a range of education and training programmes for healthcare professionals in Wales Read more...
18-month suspended sentence for nurse who gave patient the wrong blood in transfusion (14 February 2017)
Southwark Crown Court has handed down a suspended sentence to a nurse who caused the death of a 76-year-old patient by giving him the wrong blood group during a blood transfusion Read more...
NHS Wales “Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan” to be published in spring (9 February 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has confirmed his commitment to publishing an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan for NHS Wales. Read more...
Act FAST stroke awareness campaign launched (6 February 2017)
Public Health England (PHE) has launched its Act FAST stroke awareness campaign, to remind people of the main symptoms of stroke and the importance of calling 999 immediately Read more...
UK watchdogs have warned that current protocol regarding migrant nurses is putting the public at risk as sufficient checks are not being carried out to ensure medical competence and thus protect patient safety (2 February 2017)
The number of nurses coming into Britain has nearly tripled since 2011, however due to an EU directive to support freedom of movement only nurses coming to the UK from outside the EU are required to complete competency-based tests. Currently, nurses and midwives from Europe are being automatically registered as safe to work without any checks, even in cases where they have not practised in years. Clare Marx, president of the Royal College of Surgeons stated that “EU rules forced the health service to accept lower standards”. Ministers are being urged by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to use the Brexit process to readdress the safety risks and propose ways of testing nurses’ skills, regardless of where they are coming from. This comes ahead of a Parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday during which Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will be questioned about the impact of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. Read more...
NHS “pressures” resulting in cancer operation cancellations (19 January 2017)
Doctors in the NHS are concerned about the number of cancelled operations for cancer patients amid “tremendous pressure” facing the NHS this winter. Read more...
Jeremy Hunt’s weak proposals on the 4-Hour Rule in A&E will not eliminate the problem, but will lower the standard of the NHS (18 January 2017)
Currently, the NHS works under what is known as “the 4-hour rule”. This states that, when you arrive at A&E, whether you have a life threatening emergency or a minor ailment, it is a key NHS commitment to see the you within 4 hours. However, hospitals have been struggling to maintain this standard since the summer of 2015. Read more...
Inquest held into the death of a patient after delays in contacting an anaesthetist during a c-section (13 January 2017)
Francis Cappuccini, 30, died at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in October 2012 during an emergency caesarean section after staff failed to contact an anaesthetic consultant for three hours. Read more...
What does 2017 hold for public healthcare? (12 January 2017)
Despite the government’s claims that the NHS is performing well, the ever increasing pressure on the NHS is no secret. Despite record levels of investment the UK’s Public Healthcare system still does not have the money it needs to look after those who need it most. Read more...
Welsh government’s new treatment fund will speed up access to new medicines by up to eight weeks (12 January 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has announced a new treatment fund, which will speed up access to the latest medicines for NHS Wales patients. Read more...
Three patients die at Worcestershire Hospital, as A&E struggles with pressures of winter period (11 January 2017)
Although Worcestershire Royal Hospital had a ‘robust plan’ to deal with an extremely busy period in its Accident and Emergency Department, three patients have reportedly died. This includes one woman, who died of a heart attack after waiting approximately 35 hours in the hospital corridor, and a man, who suffered an aneurysm. Read more...
£4.48m computer dispatch system to improve Welsh Ambulance Service response times (3 January 2017)
Welsh Assembly Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has agreed funding of £4.48 million for a new computer dispatch system for ambulances in Wales. Read more...