Assessing the State of the National Health Service in 2024
At the request of the government, Lord Darzi recently carried out a rapid assessment of the state of the National Health Service, reporting in a letter to the secretary of state for health and social care in September of this year.
What are the findings?
The findings are frank, balanced and relatively wide-ranging in what is essentially an overview.
The report identifies fundamental problems of access and waiting times for patients to a variety of services, whether in primary or secondary care, whether in community services or mental health services. The decreasing efficiency of Accident and Emergency over the last decade was noted as was the variability in the quality of care.
Varying factors are considered in terms of causes of what is described as a decline in the service including a decade of austerity and lack of capital funding, the misallocation of budget spending, destructive management restructuring and the impact of the Covid pandemic.
It is perhaps not surprising that some staff are described as 'disengaged' and patient satisfaction has declined.
However, the report also recognises the wealth of talent and dedication within this crucial public service and, despite noting that recovery will take time, offers numerous routes to improvement.
A duty of care
The NHS is a public service and has a duty of care to those who come to it for help. Within such a huge organisation, of course, under so many and increasing daily pressures, errors and failings occur, despite the best intentions of the vast majority of those working within the system.
When this occurs, the patient may be entitled to make a claim for compensation for the consequences of the negligence. This is true whether referring to primary or secondary care. It is true whether the negligence occurred in Accident and Emergency or on the operating table. It is true whether the negligence relates to diagnosis, medication prescription, the reporting of scans or the execution of surgical procedures. If substandard care has caused a patient to suffer a significantly worse outcome than should have been the case with an acceptable level of care, they are legally entitled to claim compensation.
A successful claim may include a loss of earnings where this has been a consequence, or the costs of care where this has become necessary due to the impact of the negligence.
Speak to a legal specialist
If you think that you have been the victim of negligent medical care, contact Glynns Solicitors, specialists in medical negligence law, to talk to a solicitor about the possibility of making a claim.
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