Patient organisation raises concerns over care

I have been reading in the news today that the National Patient Safety Agency has raised concerns over the standard of care afforded to patients in administering oxygen. The organisation says it has been highlighted to 300 complaints from patients and their families, including 44 deaths, where defective equipment has apparently lead to patients receiving substandard care. In addition, complaints have been raised against NHS staff for poor monitoring of oxygen levels, resulting in either too much or too little oxygen being administered, the consequences of which can be grave.

Frequently, certain sections of the press and indeed the National Health Service Litigation Authority, criticise Claimant solicitors for bringing cases against NHS Trusts in the first place, but these such incidents and others recently reported (see my previous blog entries), do nothing to dissuade those who have been injured unnecessarily from considering legal action. Indeed, what other recourse do they have?

As I have always said, the majority of the services and care provided through the NHS is of enviable quality, but ultimately, these occurrences need to be eradicated, whether that be through better training or the provision of suitable equipment.