NHS complaints system is letting patients down

NHS received almost 4000 written complaints every week last year.

Complaints to the NHS in England seem to be rising and reached almost 4000 every week of last year (2014-15), new data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre have shown. The annual report is a count of written complaints made by or on behalf of patients and received from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. The centre’s statistics showed that 205 289 written complaints were made to the NH...

A good complaints system.

Healthcare professionals should accept that mis­ takes are an inevitable part of clinical practice. Despite what patients may think – and many expect doctors to be infallible, and the healthcare system to be flawless – medicine by its very nature is risky. Accepting that things will not always go to plan, and that patients will complain, should make doctors think about developing their own syst...

Letting patients die: legal and moral reflections.

Is the system dumbing down research?

As biologists, we are all familiar with the feedback mechanisms that control gene expression, enzyme activity and other biological processes. The cell detects a deficit in a certain protein or compound and switches on gene expression or activates the enzymes that metabolize the required compound. As soon as supply meets demand, the product itself then serves as a signal to stop gene expression ...

How the NCT will bring down the NHS.

Being a recent new mum I can see this argument from both perspectives,1 and I think it’s unfair to blame organisations such as the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) for new mother neurosis. I was fortunate that I could attend my antenatal classes at my local GP practice, however, I did feel that all of the emphasis was placed on the ‘birthplan’ (which rarely happens) and how ‘easy’ breastfeeding ...