Patients Association Report Raises Concerns Over Standards

A new Patients Association report which sheds light on hugely worrying instances of poor care in the NHS needs to be used to make significant improvements to standards, according to medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.

The ‘Stories from the Present, Lessons for the Future’ report features 13 case studies in which patients or relatives outline the poor care and treatment that they have seen in hospitals and care homes, with each issue highlighting a need for change at a local and government level.

Case studies include that of Ronald Bowman, an Alzheimer’s Disease sufferer who was admitted to hospital with meningitis. Despite concerns from his family and promises from staff that he would be checked regularly, he went missing.  Tragically he was subsequently found drowned several miles from the hospital.

Irwin Mitchell’s Medical Law and Patients’ Rights team represent patients and the families of those who have suffered as a result of substandard care, failings and errors in treatment.

Lisa Jordan, a Partner and clinical negligence specialist at the national law firm’s Birmingham office, said: “This new report from the Patients Association is a shocking reminder of the huge consequences that failings in care can have on both patients and their families.

“Sadly such stories are familiar to us, as our teams across the UK are contacted regularly by people who have suffered serious injury or illness as a result of problems while in hospital, as well as the families of those who have passed away due to such issues.

“We battle for justice on behalf of such people in order to not only gain answers for them, but to also ensure that awareness is raised about their problems and NHS trusts can learn lessons which will ultimately improve patient safety.

“It is absolutely vital that the NHS as a whole examines this latest report. We would also urge the Government to  examine whether any changes at a top level could have an impact on improving standards.

“Our health services on the whole do some excellent work, but it is vital that every effort is made to learn from the mistakes and problems like those flagged in this study.”