According to a highly critical report by the Care Quality Commission, the UK’s biggest mental health NHS trust, which consists of units that care for the most vulnerable female patients is in turmoil following major allegations of bullying. This announcement was accompanied with the sudden resignation of its chairman. Nigel McCorkell, chairman of West London … [Read more…]
Can an open complaints culture be achieved within the NHS? Campaigners are still striving for a more open whistleblowing culture for NHS staff, as employees wishing to raise complaints are continually coming up against problems, such as bullying. Despite public inquiries recommending the promotion of whistleblowing, campaigning group Patients’ First believe that a ‘culture of fear’ … [Read more…]
Doctors who make mistakes could face tougher penalties The General Medical Council (GMC) is considering imposing harsher sanctions against doctors who make mistakes when treating their patients. New plans could even force medics to apologise if they have previously refused to do so, with the medical regulator also wanting to be able to restrict the … [Read more…]
CQC labels hospitals who have been non-compliant for extended periods of time The Care Quality Commission have discovered more than 10 NHS hospital trusts who have fallen short of quality standards for over two years, potentially putting patients in the firing line for unsafe care. The health watchdog pointed the finger at 32 hospital locations, … [Read more…]
A lack of funding is not an excuse for poor care, says the health secretary Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has declared that a lack of money is no excuse to deliver poor care, after the trusts placed in special measures estimate a collective deficit of almost £140 million this year. Five of the 11 trusts … [Read more…]
Acute NHS providers fall short on registered nursing levels More than three quarters of acute NHS trusts have missed their own targets for the number of hours worked by registered nurses at their hospitals. Of 139 trusts, 105 failed to meet targets for the total nursing hours worked during both the day and night on … [Read more…]
The use of old data causes outrage A new patient safety website has already come under fire from trusts, criticising that the data advertised is out of date and doesn’t reflect their practices. The government site, part of the Sign up to Safety Campaign, aims to showcase whether trusts have an open and honest reporting … [Read more…]
One fifth of hospitals could be covering up their mistakes A government review has suggested that one fifth of NHS hospital trusts in England may be covering up mistakes, threatening patient safety. The review worryingly indicated a “poor” safety culture, as analysis of reporting incidents revealed that 29 out of 141 trusts were not registering the expected … [Read more…]