Ethics: On broken teapots and “holding” to account
Professor Deborah Bowman considers the case of a broken teapot and what it means to be accountable for one’s mistakes.
Legal: Being a competent expert witness
A recent county court case highlighted the risks that expert legal witnesses face if commenting on clinical matters beyond their expertise.
Dilemma: Covert recording made public
A patient covertly records a medical consultation and posts it on social media. Is this within their rights?
Antibiotic cover
...It is alleged that had Ms G's concerns been properly heeded and antibiotic cover provided, she would have avoided unnecessary surgery and a hospital stay...
Missed meningitis
...The letter of claim states that that the baby was exhibiting a considerable number of symptoms associated with meningitis and was discharged with a “dangerously high” heart rate...
Disclosure of patient records
Knowing how to respond appropriately to different types of access requests poses an ongoing challenge for busy practices.
Hospital bed shortages reflect "deepening social care crisis"
NEARLY a third of patients in hospital for 21 days or more were fit for discharge as of the week 10-16 January 2022, according to figures from NHS England.
Survey suggests quarter of dental nurses unvaccinated
JUST over a quarter of dental nurses have not yet received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccination according to a survey conducted by the British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN).
“Bleak” figures highlight access gap in NHS dentistry
JUST over half of registered patients (52.6 per cent) in Scotland had seen an NHS dentist within the last two years as of 30 September 2021, according to statistics highlighted by the Scottish BDA.
Funding boost for dental appointments
DENTAL practices in England are being given a £50 million funding boost in a bid to increase the number of appointments.