News and Knowledge

NHS sets aside £1.3billion for Covid compensation pay-outs

NHS Resolution, the organisation that handles negligence disputes, expects an increase in claims for delays, cancellations, misdiagnosis and avoidable deaths as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.   NHS Resolution said the pot was for ‘new Covid risks and potential claims’.     The £1.3billion figure has been allocated with £470million expected to be spent…

Patients dying as English ambulances face crippling delays

The NHS ambulance service is currently gridlocked, with 29% of around 80,000 ambulances stuck outside of hospitals in queues over the past 7 days. This is almost double the pre-pandemic levels.   The Association of Ambulance chief executives stated that in October alone, due to the delays of ambulances, 44,000 patients may have come to…

Cambridgeshire care home to close following CQC findings

HC-One: Britain’s largest came home operator is set to close one of its care homes in Cambridgeshire later this month after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found the home to be ‘inadequate’.   The CQC investigation came following concerns from three residents’ family members after they sadly passed away whilst under the care of…

GP Appointments: man dies after NHS Rules he should have been seen in person

BBC News have released the story of a patient who sadly passed away due to the failure by his GP to provide him an in person appointment.   The patient contacted his GP four times over a period of three weeks initially reporting a lump in his neck, followed by ear pain 9 days later…

Women misdiagnosed – Campaigners consider that women’s symptoms are being ignored by GPs

The Women’s Health Wales coalition have stated that women are often misdiagnosed or have to push for a diagnosis.   The BBC has reported women often feel ‘dismissed’ and ‘fobbed off’ whether this be in relation to a heart attack, UTI, strokes and tumors.     The coalition have called for: Greater focus on women’s…

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust recalling hundreds of shoulder surgery patients

National press releases have reported that up to 600 patients are to be recalled by a Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust after concerns were raised about shoulder operations performed by Mr Shah.   Following surgery at Walsall Manor Hospital by Mian Munawar Shah, some patients have lost use of their arms. Shah has been suspended and a…

GP Appointments: New health secretary makes same-day pledge to increase available appointments

Following the appointment of the new Health Secretary Thérèse Coffey, she has made the pledge to improve access to GPs, including same day appointments where there is need for them.   Studies from both 2020 and 2021 have shown that the estimated number of appointments by month has continued to decrease, which is the likely…

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.…