CQC cuts back on inspections in response to “winter pressures”
THE Care Quality Commission has announced details of how it will adjust its regulatory activity in England for the rest of winter to help increase capacity in both adult social care and the NHS.
Good medical record keeping essential as NHS under pressure
Doctors across the UK are being reminded to practise good record keeping to prevent professional difficulties whilst working under extraordinary circumstances.
Best practice: Altering clinical records – do’s and don'ts
Clinical records should be made contemporaneously - but there are occasions when it's reasonable to alter an existing record.
Ethics: Hard choices – on difficult decisions
Professor Deborah Bowman reflects on the complexities of making difficult decisions.
Viewpoint: A place of acceptance
Medico-legal adviser Dr Gordon McDavid offers a personal perspective on the workplace challenges facing LGBTQ+ healthcare professionals.
Case file: Post-incident meeting
...Dr N should be allowed to review the patient records before providing responses to questions relating to her involvement in the care provided...
Case file: Gut pain
...it is claimed that Dr C neglected to adequately examine Ms R and failed to diagnose her appendicitis...
Innovation: Virtual wards in action
One initiative to ease pressure on overstretched hospital services.
Feature: The surprising history of medical defence
Allan Gaw recounts how increasing litigation in the late Victorian era led to the establishment of mutual medical defence.
Case file: Wrong email attachment
...Ms J sends a formal letter of complaint expressing her distress at having personal and private information mistakenly disclosed...