The National Patient Safety Association has encouraged NHS Trusts to apologise to patients once errors have been made, which they say may reduce the number of complaints and indeed litigation.

Clearly, if someone has been injured due to negligent care, it is only right that they are compensated for their injuries. However, the vast majority of clients I speak to all have one thing in common: they are motivated to bring a claim, not through a desire for compensation, but because they want answers as to what went wrong, and a recognition of this from the healthcare provider. More recently, in cases I have been dealing with, the Trusts do seem willing to offer an apology where liability has been admitted. This can frequently be of some comfort for a patient; it’s as if their concerns have been vindicated, the Trust has recognised that errors were made, and it has been taken on board that lessons can be learned.

The Crown Prosecution Service has summonsed a Hospital Trust to Magistrates Court after the death of Mayra Cabrera.

Mayra, a 30 year old Theatre Nurse originally from the Philippines died on 11 May 2004 shortly after giving birth to her son Zac at the Great Western Hospistal in Swindon.

The Coroner, Mr David Masters deemed Mayra’s death to be unlawful. The Coroner also made a number of recommendations including improving the appraisals system for Midwifes as well as better drug labelling.

It was found that Mayra died of a heart attack when a drug, Bupivacaine which should have been administered through epidural but was in fact injected into her arm.

The Trust claims that they have made a significant number of improvements since the incident in the maternity department.

It is unusual for the Crown Prosecution Service to take such serious measures against a Primary Care Trust but the Health and Safety Executive who are assisting in the prosecution now seem to be more willing to bring criminal prosecutions as I have previously blogged.

I read in the news today that the Department of Health has announced plans to revise the entry requirements for nurses entering the profession. From 2013, it is anticipated that nurses will have had to undergo three years training to a degree level. The plans have been announced to cope with the increasing complex demands of patients, say the Government.

The proposals have found wide-ranging support, not least from the Royal College of Nursing.

This has to be a welcome move. Better training equates to more experienced staff, which in turn has to be better for risk management. As medicine develops and our knowledge grows, so do of course a patient’s expectations and with sub-specialties evolving and developing, it seems only fitting that the nursing profession (which is of course of paramount importance to the NHS), is equipped to develop with it.

I was discussing a case recently with a Colorectal Surgeon, who indicated to me that about 20 years ago that title didn’t exist in the capacity as it does now; you were simply a General Surgeon, but obviously as individuals become more skilled, due to advances in knowledge, these niche areas arise. It seems only right that the nursing profession is not left behind.

As I have previously blogged the Government will today allow patients to opt to switch to private health care if the NHS cannot provide them with treatment within 18 weeks of referral (and two weeks in cancer cases).  It is expected that the Health Secretary will today announce plans to introduce a legal right that will empower patients to enforce rights which in theory they have had since 1997 when waiting list targets were introduced.

The British Medical Association has voices its concerns about the new legal rights saying that it is concerned that more NHS work going to private providers will have a destabilising effect on NHS services.

The Tories have also expressed concern over the new announcement saying that they would scrap the 18 week target referring to concentrate on outcomes rather than the processes.  It is also note worthy that the new regime is unlikely to come into place before the next general election.