News and Knowledge

English maternity units fail safety standards

The BBC reported yesterday that more than half of English maternity units fail consistently to meet safety standards.   The Care Quality Commission notes that 7% of these units are posing a high risk of avoidable harm with a further 48% requiring improvement. Equally the CQC has found that no units were outstanding. This is…

Are the effects of lockdowns causing more deaths that COVID-19?

Since the start of June, nearly 10,000 more deaths unrelated to Covid have been recorded than the five-year average, making up around 1,089 per week.   This figure is over three times the number of people who died from Covid, 2,811, over the same period. Office for National Statistics found over 1,000 more people are…

Unprecedented difficulties with dental treatment in the UK 

Research has found that 9 in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK are not accepting new adult patients for treatment under the health service. 8 in 10 dental practices are not taking on children.   The British Dental Association has said that NHS dentistry was at a ‘tipping point’ after a decade of under-investment.…

Wrong use of inhalers placing asthma suffers at risk

Research by charity, Asthma + Lung UK[1], has found that as many as one in five people with Asthma may be unknowingly using the wrong inhaler.   There are two types of inhaler: A reliever inhaler, which reduces symptoms, and: A preventer inhaler, which should be used on a daily basis to keep down inflammation and swelling in…

Sepsis: Cwm Taf Morgannwg failures ‘led to woman’s death’

The Ombudsman has found that Princess of Wales Hospital failed to diagnose a patient (Mrs F) with appendicitis twice, leading to the appendix rupturing and Mrs F sadly contracting sepsis and passing away the following month.   During investigations, Ms F attended the hospitals emergency department on 17 July 2020 and was discharged negligently without…

Empowerment Care Ltd Failures

Empowerment Care Ltd, based in Cannock, has been rated as “requires improvement” after its first Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.   This rating is the second-lowest possible rating. The CQC on inspection noticed many failures including the following: A patient who needed two doses of medication a day was given three doses for 24 days.…

Findings of inadequate care – Further maternity failings in the NHS

Mothers are left distraught after significant findings of inadequate care resulting in injuries and  numerous stillbirths at Nottingham University Hospital Trust.   The Trust has now been issued a safety warning. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have informed the trust they must make “immediate improvements” to maternity services, specifically referencing Nottingham City Hospital and Queen’s…

Manor Farm Medical Centre – Recent CQC report finds this healthcare provider to be “Inadequate”

A GP practice in West Norfolk has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and placed in special measures following an inspection in March.   The inspection also contributed to CQC’s wider review of emergency care in the surrounding areas.     The ratings following the CQC inspection were inadequate overall and are…

Fungal infections kill more people that breast cancer

It has been reported that there are more than 150 million cases of severe fungal infections worldwide with over one and a half million deaths.   The reasons that fungal infections are not considered at the outset is because they are commonly are a complication of another condition, in particular persons with immunosuppressive conditions. The…

Rugby player Kris Kirk and Testicular Cancer

Recently, rugby player Kris Kirk discovered that he had testicular cancer at 23 years old, after a discussion with a colleague who had booked to have a suspicious lump on his testicle examined by his GP.   This prompted Kris to perform an examination himself and he found a ‘hard lump’. His colleague’s diagnosis was…