NICE Raises Concerns Over Care Standards

A specialist at Irwin Mitchell has called for a fresh look to be taken at how care for hip fracture patients can be improved, following the release of concerning new figures.

According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, waiting times for surgery on such problems are currently below recommended standards with half of patients having to wait 36 hours before having surgery.

The organisation has stated that a concerted effort has to be made to ensure surgery takes place around a day after admission to hospital, while better coordination between medical staff would help people get back on their feet quicker and also reduce the potential for problems in treatment.

Irwin Mitchell’s medical negligence team represent a number of clients who have suffered illness and injury as a result of preventable errors in care and treatment for all kinds of conditions.

Mandy Luckman, a Partner who specialises in the area at the law firm’s Birmingham office, said: “The safety of patients should always be a priority for the NHS, so the suggestion that long waits for hip fracture surgery could be increasing risks and pain for those with such problems is a major concern.

“Every effort should be made to ensure that people are able to access the best possible treatment for the problems they face and it is clear that a more coordinated approach to care would be a particularly positive step in this respect.

“Through so many of our cases we have called for the NHS to make improvements and recognise trends which show how errors can be reduced.

“I hope that the NHS can learn lessons from these recommendations and take vital steps forward to get patients a better standard of care when it comes to hip fractures.”