High NHS satisfaction masks need for change
A SURVEY has found that one in three people in England are worried about basic levels of safety in healthcare with someone they know having experienced a serious mistake, abuse or preventable illness or death – despite 75 per cent saying they get good quality care out of the NHS.
Only five in 1,000 doctors referred over performance concerns
ONLY five in every 1,000 NHS doctors in England are referred for investigation over performance-related concerns, according to a new study.
Emergency care overstretched
NEARLY two out of three emergency medicine consultants (62 per cent) regard the job they are doing as unsustainable in its current form with 94 per cent saying they work beyond normal planned hours.
Dentists urged to take care when tweeting
Social media savvy dentists are urged to keep professional and personal relationships separate when using Twitter and Facebook, says UK-wide dental defence organisation MDDUS.
Axing the totem pole
Are you afraid to challenge decisions by senior colleagues – or to acknowledge challenges from juniors? Here Dr Michael Moneypenny asks doctors to consider the consequences of authority gradients
Best practice: A good death Part 2
In the second of a two-part series Euan Paterson, a Macmillan GP facilitator, discusses the challenges of providing high-quality palliative care in the community
Is sharing caring?
In April of this year the Caldicott2 review was published urging a new approach to sharing patient information. Here MDDUS medical adviser Richard Brittain highlights some of the key recommendations
Presume nothing?
Obtaining informed consent may seem painfully routine but dentists can still be caught out, says MDDUS dental adviser Doug Hamilton
Writing a complaint response
Some general tips on writing an effective response to a patient complaint