Negligence specialist Calls For Action Following New Research

A medical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell has called for a prompt response following new research which criticises standards of care for patients needing care for neurological conditions.

Research by the Royal College of Physicians and the Association of British Neurologists has claimed that current services are poorly organised and do not meet the needs of patients.

It states that while world-class research and new treatments for patients have emerged in the UK, a lack of local neurologists has led to a drop in quality which has been worsened by an increase in outpatient demand, inadequate resources and poorly structured services.

The report has suggested that local services need to be expanded and improved, while care needs to be organised and managed by medical staff who specialise in the area.

Lisa Jordan, a medical law expert at Irwin Mitchell who specialises in helping patients who have suffered as a result of poor standards of care, said: “This report highlights clear issues which need to be addressed by the NHS and other healthcare authorities.

“All patients, regardless of the conditions they suffer from, deserve access to the best possible treatment and it is a worry to see concerns raised that this is not the case for people who need neurology care.

“We have seen on too many occasions the often terrible consequences that failings in patient safety and care can have, so it is vital that this report leads to a strong response and an improvement in the quality of services available.”