Compensation reform will lead to significant legal cost rise in England
THE Lord Chancellor, Liz Truss, has today announced a cut to the discount rate applied to personal injury claims from 2.5 per cent to minus 0.75 per cent. The effect will be an increase in the size of compensation payments, leading to significant new costs for the NHS and medical defence organisations (MDOs), such as MDDUS.
Discount rate announcement threatens higher cost to doctors and dentists
MDDUS vows to explore all options to help members
Protecting electronic patient data
DATA extraction software for patient records can speed up information requests both for insurance companies and under-pressure GPs - but practices need to ensure essential data protection standards are met.
Transgender records
...The practice is advised to explain that the patient may not be contacted for current or future screening programmes associated with the sex at birth and explain the implications of this...
Referrals
Delays in referring patients for further tests or specialist opinion can lead to delayed diagnosis and potential patient harm.
Prescribing
A significant percentage of negligence claims arise from prescribing system errors , making this an important risk area for practices to consider.
Handling results
The results management chain is an area where we regularly see things going wrong. Significant patient harm can occur, often due to a failure to manage test requests effectively leading to delayed or missed diagnosis and treatment.
Chaperones
Intimate examinations can be an uncomfortable experience for patients, but the presence of a chaperone can help put them at ease.
Record keeping
Good medical records can ensure that patients receive continuity of care
Confidentiality
Maintaining confidentiality is essential in providing safe patient care.