Shouldn’t This Be A Job For The Police?

A doctor accused of wrongly discharging a boy from hospital before he died from sepsis cannot be tracked down, health chiefs have admitted. Dylan Cope, nine, suffered a burst appendix which led to a sepsis infection spreading through his body - and a coroner later ruled that had he been kept in hospital to have his appendix removed, 'his death would have been avoided'.

But a mystery medic discharged him with an advice sheet for flu after failing to read the referral note from the doctor. An inquest ruled Dylan partly died from neglect and his parents have been trying to trace the doctor who assessed him.

Why? Shouldn't the police be doing this? Isn't it their job? 

Yet almost two years following the schoolboy's death, parents Corinne and Laurence Cope say they have been told the health board are unable to identify the clinician in question. They appealed to the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, south Wales. to hand out anonymised portraits of staff so his father - who had accompanied Dylan to hospital - could identify him, but have been told this is not an option.

Why not? It's almost like they don't want to find him, isn't it? 

Mrs Cope has now said: 'Losing Dylan is a life sentence of pain for us, and for all we know the person who was instrumental in reassuring Laurence is carrying on in his profession as usual.

'If they can't identify all staff involved, how can they ensure that this will not happen again 

'We are concerned for future patient's safety. If they don't identify people, then there is no accountability. Accountability is a key part of learning.'

There's never any accountability.  

Mr Cope said the doctor, who was in scrubs and a facemask, was in his 30s to 40s, slim to average build, tall and with a slight 'foreign' accent.

Probably of little help in a modern NHS hospital. 

Still Clapping, Are We?

Matthew Charnock, 35, was rushed to Whiston Hospital after being smashed over the head with an iron wheel brace by jealous Steven Cotterill. But despite Mr Charnock appearing extremely confused and bleeding heavily from a head wound, nurses failed to order a CT scan and instead patched up the cut and sent him home with painkillers.

Envy of the world, am I right?

Mr Charnock was found unresponsive the next day and taken back to hospital where medics discovered he had a serious skull fracture and was suffering from sepsis and meningitis. He underwent surgery but could not be saved. Last week Coroner Jacqueline Devonish ruled Mr Charnock was unlawfully killed and that his death was contributed to by neglect by triage nurse Stephanie Keelan and emergency nurse practitioner Paul O’Brien, who failed to order the scan which would have saved his life.

And the coroner was in no doubt about the potential outcome if the NHS 'workers' had done their job. But they weren't the only ones who's performance was less than it should have been. 

Following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court, Cotterill, then 39, was convicted of Mr Charnock’s manslaughter and jailed for seven years.

And his 'accomplices' in the ER? What about them? 

Nurse O’Brien was also investigated and interviewed by police, who found Mr Charnock’s treatment to be ‘sub-optimal.’ But the nurse was never charged after the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was no realistic prospect of convicting him of gross negligence manslaughter.

Some play the game. Some quit half way through. Some never even get off the bench at all. 

But If They Are Coming Here To Work...

NHS nurses from overseas are being “pushed into poverty” because of rules that deprive many people coming to work in the UK of welfare benefits for five years after they arrive.

...why would they need benefits?

They are being forced to borrow money, run up credit card debts and go without food because they are unable to make ends meet, according to a report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

Ah. Because the NHS is employing them on the cheap. Despite the billions poured into it and its sanctimonious pontificating about 'poverty'. 

The nurses are on temporary visas, which means they are subject to the “no recourse to public funds” rule that bars them from claiming child benefit, housing benefit and universal credit for at least five years before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain. The RCN is urging ministers to scrap the rule, which it says is unfair because foreign-trained nurses cannot obtain the benefits despite paying income tax and national insurance.

Well, pay them more, then. Or start training people already here, and let them nurse in their own countries, who probably need them more. 

Last Friday, the United Nations said that it too wanted the rule axed for migrants.

Of course it did. And it too can GTFO.

Convict In Haste...

...retrial at leisure? 

Former Cabinet Minister David Davis is to spearhead a Commons campaign raising questions about the conviction of nurse Lucy Letby as growing numbers of experts express concerns about the case. The ex-Brexit Secretary plans to table a series of questions under Parliamentary privilege amid disquiet within the NHS and the legal profession about the case.

Mail columnists Peter Hitchens and Nadine Dorries have highlighted that Letby was convicted of the murders of seven newborns and the attempted murders of six other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital, despite the fact that no one saw her kill, or attempt to kill, a baby and there is no forensic evidence to prove her guilt.

One of your other columnists disagrees, though (paywalled).   

Some members of the Royal Statistical Society have expressed concerns over the use of statistics to secure a conviction on the basis of probabilities. Its recommendations on using such data in the cases of medical serial killers were not followed here.

Recommendations are just that. They don't have to be followed. 

But why would the state and all its operatives conspire to convict a woman of such a heinous crime?

Mr Davis is understood to be concerned about the justice system's institutional reluctance to admit to its own failings, leading innocent people to languish in prison. He said: 'There is a mounting consensus among experts that Lucy Letby's guilt was not established beyond reasonable doubt. I will be using Parliamentary privilege to raise these arguments: we must exclude the possibility that she has effectively been scapegoated for the wider failings in the system.'

Ah! Some might call that 'motive' 

'At the very least, this appears to be a mistrial. But the justice system moves slowly when it comes to assessing its own failings, so if she is innocent it could be a decade before she is released. We must try to do much better than that.'

Regular readers will know I don't automatically disbelieve claims of miscarrtiage of justice - in fact there are at least two glaring examples where I believe the convictions to be unsafe. But I'm not convinced this is one to add.    

Their What? Are You Sure?

Doctors should use their status as a 'trusted member of the community' to warn patients about the dangers of climate change, health leaders say.

Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, wait, you're serious?

The Royal College of Physicians today issued new guidance that tells doctors to raise the topic during consultations and 'repeat it often'.

That's if you can actually get a consultation....

It calls on doctors to reduce carbon footprints by considering working from home - reducing their already-limited time with patients - and cutting back on prescriptions and tests.

They are also told to look out for people suffering 'eco-distress' - the name given to anxiety and depression caused by climate change.

One commenter, on a forum designed for GPs to share their views, described it as 'virtue signalling' with 'zero danger of any blame for the stuff that might be missed'. Another described the advice as 'no use to anyone and down right dangerous' warning it could possibly end the career of a doctor if they did not carry out a vital test or issue a prescription.

The document bills climate change as 'one of the biggest threats to human health' and stresses it will 'undoubtedly cause significant additional pressure for the NHS'. It warns that those working in the health service will be some of the first to see the health effects of climate change - 'if they have not done so already' - and calls on them to take action to reduce its impact.

Professor Ramesh Arasaradnam, academic vice president at the RCP, said: 'The need to act has never been more urgent and we hope that our Green Physician Toolkit will support the physician community with small steps that can make a difference.

'It can of course be challenging to prioritise sustainability at a time when there is very high demand for clinical care, but we have to keep in mind that reducing climate change and its health impacts is part of reduced pressure on the NHS in the long-term.'

And There Will Be No Consequences For The NHS...

...all the consequences are borne by the victims, as usual.

In 2021 Williams was admitted to the Coniston ward at Whiston Hospital near St Helens. However Dr Higgins stated in court: 'Despite noting multiple bizarre behaviours, and concerns raised by the family, no diagnosis is made, other than the diagnosis of autism being taken as fact, and no treatment is offered, although a recommendation is made that he be followed up by the Early Intervention Team.'

She added: 'They (the family) were mocked for trying to get him help. It was very poor clinical care indeed.'

Not content with incompetence, they threw in the usual lying too:

It was after that he spent a week in Whiston hospital but while staff assured the family that he was sleeping well, they knew he was posting on Facebook all through the night.

How did they know? Probably because that's what they were doing themselves... 

Imposing an indefinite hospital order Judge Andrew Menary, KC, the Recorder of Liverpool said that Williams was described as 'a delightful, loving, caring young man who in normal circumstances would never have done anything like this.'

He told the defendant, who appeared via video link: 'Whether the events of this night of May 10, 2022 could have been avoided by much earlier diagnosis and intervention he will never know for sure.

'But the views of the consultant psychiatrists in this case - that there has been a wholesale failure of mental health provision and numerous missed opportunities to identify and attempt to treat your serious and enduring chronic condition of paranoid schizophrenia.

'This includes what is described by Dr Higgins as a catastrophic misdiagnosis that you suffered from a neurological-diverse condition when it is her very firm view that you are not autistic.'

It doesn't matter what the judge says, the NHS will avoid any serious consequence for what, in any orther industry, would have the HSE crawling all over them... 

He continued: 'The previous responses of clinicians appear to have been pathetically inadequate and might be a reflection of the gaps in mental health provision currently available or might be the result of overworked or under-resourced practitioners.

'Sadly it is the experience of this court that this situation is not a rare occurrence and the consequence is utter devastation of yet another family.'

It's not a case of 'underresourcing', it's a failure to do the basic job they are paid to do because they know full well they are in no danger of facing consequences for failure. Until that stops, this will continue.

They Should Serve As A Reminder That You've Got The Wrong Priorities...

An NHS trust has marked Pride month with rainbow-coloured zebra crossings at one of its hospitals.

North West Anglia Foundation NHS Trust (NWAFT) said it wanted to help shape culture and policies for an inclusive environment.

A piity it doesn't want to ensure its building are safe and in good repair instead.  

In recognition of Peterborough Pride, two pedestrian crossings - one outside the car park and one opposite the main entrance - at Peterborough City Hospital have been given a rainbow makeover.

The initiative was funded by the North West Anglia Hospitals’ charity and similar pride initiatives are in the pipeline for the trust's other hospital sites including Stamford and Hinchingbrooke.

If you've donated money or run a fundraiser for this charity, congratulations! You've been taken for a right mug, haven't you?  

Jo Bennis, Chief Nurse at NWAFT, said: “As the executive link with our LGBTQIA+ staff network, I’m really proud that we continue to support our colleagues, patients and local community – not only during Pride, but always.

“We hope these rainbow crossings represent celebration, raise awareness, and serve as a reminder to our colleagues and visitors that we are an inclusive trust.”

That's not what they are representing, is it? 

The trust said the staff network also regularly delivered lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ colleagues to the executive board and was innovative in its approach to new working ways for staff.

I wonder just what that means... 

Well, Don't Buy It Then!

Menopause campaigner Kate Muir is upset at health food giant Holland & Barratt:

'Joking aside, we need to recognise this as a hormone deficiency which is very serious. There is a peak in suicide among women in perimenopause. Women need to know they can go to the NHS and get proper help, rather than relying on chocolate bars.'

Have you seen the state of the NHS love? The choccy bar is easier to obtain!  

The health food giant claims the sweet treat, which contains a woman's entire daily allowance of saturated fat, soothes menopause symptoms and provides 'mood support'. Instructions on the pack say each 75g bar contains 'one daily dose', adding: 'We suggest splitting it in two and having one half in the morning and one in the evening.

'They boast that it contains vitamin B6, which is naturally present in almonds, claiming it 'contributes to the regulation of hormonal activity'.

Menopause is a totally natural process. Why are so many women desperate to try to stop it?  

Social media users raged at Holland & Barrett. One person re-labelled the product as 'depression support almonds for men', writing: 'Do you think they'll be duped into buying it?'Another said the snack was 'insulting to the female race'.

Oh, good grief!  

Maybe You Shouldn't Be The Head Of Nursing Then, Nicola?

A great-grandmother bled to death after nurses failed to pass on worried relatives' concerns to doctors as her condition deteriorated over more than a week, an inquest heard. Hospital bosses accepted there had been a 'very serious error' in the treatment of retired weaver Margaret Clement, a mother of three, grandmother of six and great grandmother of nine, known by family and friends as Peggy.

You won't be suprised, Reader, to find it's a hospital that has form...

Concluding an inquest into Mrs Clement's death this week, Area Coroner Chris Long said he will be issuing a prevention of future deaths notice containing a series of recommendations.

It seems the hospital made the error of neglecting someone who was the relative of someone with a big pulpit. 

Mrs Clement's granddaughter, Rebecca Jane Sutton, a GB News broadcaster and former deputy leader of UKIP, said: 'The pain and distress my gran felt at this time is beyond immeasurable, but the undignified ending is something she would have been furious about.

'I think it's a culture within the trust. The culture of the ward she was on was basically to do nothing.

'Nobody with a serious medical condition should be safer at home than in a hospital.

'It's outrageous but there's been so many people I've spoken to with similar experiences. I'm concerned this may be happening in other trusts.

'We trusted in the hospital trust but we were gaslit.

'They told us she just needed fluids but she was dying.'

And how is the hospital going to assure the public they've 'learned lessons' and this won't happen again?  

During an inquest held this week at Preston Coroner's Court, Nicola Robinson, the head of nursing at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, conceded that it had been a 'very serious error' when nurses had failed to alert doctors when Mrs Clement became unwell.

Ms Robinson admitted to the coroner that she 'can't promise' the situation will not happen happen again.'.

Oh. 

You Can Bet His Name Isn't Fred Smith...

And should we ever get to know it, no-one will be surprised, I'm sure. 

Managers at a hospital where police are investigating dozens of deaths promoted a consultant surgeon months after they allegedly assaulted junior doctors during surgery, the Guardian can reveal. Two female registrars at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS trust in Brighton sent written statements to the trust’s chief medical officer in March 2022 detailing how they were allegedly assaulted by the surgeon in separate incidents as they helped to operate on patients, leaked documents reveal.

The consultant surgeon was alleged to have slapped one of the registrars across her face with the back of a hand. The other registrar claimed she was slapped on the hand and had surgical instruments snatched from her by the same person.

Yes, Reader, in surgery, when they should really be concentrating on the task in hand. You'll say there can be no excuse for behaviour like that, but you'll be wrong!  

The trust said its investigation found the surgeon’s actions were inappropriate but did not constitute assault and were taken in the interest of patient safety. The surgeon apologised to the registrars.The investigation concluded that, in the first incident, the registrar’s visor was blocking the consultant’s field of vision during surgery, causing them to instinctively push the visor away.

By actually touching the offending item rather than asking 'Nurse, please move'? Aren't they supposed to not touch anyone but the patient to avoid cross-contamination?  

In the second incident, it concluded that an instrument was taken from the registrar’s hand during a procedure for patient safety purposes.

Sound like patient safety would be better assured by making sure this chap never entered the operating theatre.  

"All the bazaar men by the Nile, they got the money on a bet..."

Dr Medhat Keshta, 66, had been struck off after he was accused of putting his own greed before patients when he forged a letter pretending to be from his former employers falsely claiming he had been paid better money when he worked there - before faking a back problem to take six weeks off and then moonlight for another NHS trust. When asked to explain his dishonesty, the father-of-two said he had 'misjudged the situation' cited his large ego and claimed he had 'followed the same procedures covered in Egypt'.

Well, better he goes home and tries it there, then. Once we deport him. We are deporting him? 

He said he had 'no choice' but to demand better money as his daughter Fatima was due to start university and added: 'Culturally, a husband and a father are the 'god' of the house. I did not want my family to find out that I lied and forged a letter. 'This is not how I want to set an example to my family and the wider public.'

Well, now you're in a national newspaper, so that didn't go well, did it?  

He added: 'Apologies are not something that are easily granted where I come from. My ego prevented me from reaching full insight into the case early enough and I regret this deeply. I have now reached a stage where I am openly admitting everything I did. I have not felt more at peace with myself as I feel now. I will never put myself in this place again. These mistakes will not be repeated.'

Because we're deporting you?  

Today, it emerged Keshta's name had been restored to the medical register after Fatima, now a pharmacist and nutritionist, agreed to represent him at a tribunal in Manchester to plead on his behalf. It was the third time he had pleaded for his job back.

*sighs* 

MPTS chairman Mrs Becky Miller said: 'Dr Keshta's journey of insight has been long, and he has had to overcome a lot of self-serving justification for his actions.

'The tribunal bore in mind the 2020 Tribunal's concern that he emphasised Egyptian practices which allow a doctor to take a leave of absence from one place in order to work in another and that he sought to minimise his behaviour.

All things that should show his current claims aren't true. 

'But it noted Dr Keshta has since addressed this issue and he admitted that 'self-justification was wrong.' He has since acknowledged the full extent of his dishonesty and has learnt to express his shame in a genuine manner.'

How do you get to be so gullible and hold such a high position? 

We Didn't See You As 'Trusted Messengers' Before Your Virtue Signalling Nonsense...

...so we aren't likely to do it after this:

Dr Sarah Benn has long been concerned about the climate crisis, diligently recycling until she was “blue in the face”. But the rise of the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion in 2019 inspired her and her husband to go further. “We thought: well, if we don’t do it then who else is going to?” While working as a GP near Birmingham, Benn became increasingly involved in direct action over the next few years, and once glued her hand to the door of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy in protest at the government’s inaction on the climate.

*sighs* If only they spent as much time seeing patients as they do virtue signalling, we'd respect them more... 

Benn now faces a professional tribunal by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), the disciplinary arm of the General Medical Council (GMC), to determine whether she can keep her licence to practise. She is one of three GPs who face being struck off for climate activism this year, and her case in April is the first that will be heard.

After her first four criminal convictions – two for obstructing a highway, one for stopping people engaged in a lawful activity and one for flying a drone in a restricted place – the GMC opened an investigation.

Yes, Reader, you read that right - it takes FOUR convictions to get them to come in off the golf course and take a good hard look... 

It was not until Benn was found guilty of contempt of court for breaching a civil injunction at Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire as part of a Just Stop Oil campaign that she was referred for a full tribunal. Benn spent a total of 31 days in prison for this action.

And she's far from the only one: 

Dr Patrick Hart, a GP from Bristol, also has a string of convictions for climate activism, one of which resulted in a suspended prison sentence. After he rejected a formal warning from the GMC, he was told he would face a tribunal in November.

“The lawyer I spoke to said it was unusually lenient but I didn’t take it. Partly because it would have been dishonest and partly because I’m angry with them for … failing to make any meaningful statement about any of this and enthusiastically investigating people for matters of conscience and patient care,” Hart said.

Where's the 'patient care' in all this grandstanding? 

Benn has now retired and is no longer practising as a GP. But she wants the GMC to recognise the importance of her actions, and said doctors should be seen as “trusted messengers”.

Not happening.  

Still Clapping, Are We?

This time of year is always difficult for those who have lost a loved one, but for Melissa Mead and her husband Paul it is agonisingly so. For it was in December 2014, with Christmas just days away, that their one-year-old son William – their firstborn and longed-for baby – died from sepsis after a catalogue of errors, misdiagnoses and missed opportunities to save him.

Yes, it's that sainted NHS again... 

With an instinct any mother would recognise, Melissa had known something was wrong for weeks, only for her concerns to be dismissed time and again by both doctors and 111 operators.

Well, of course! I mean, 'mum knows best' is just a slogan, isn't it? 

In 2016, an NHS England report into the circumstances of William's death concluded that there had been sixteen failings in his care and four missed opportunities to save his life. In the wake of this devastating verdict, Melissa and Paul, along with the UK Sepsis Trust, have campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of the life-threatening condition and the need to act quickly, particularly in children. Yet as the Mail reveals today, a report by the National Child Mortality Database reveals that of the 1,507 infection-related child deaths recorded over a three-year period to the end of March 2022, the clinical signs of sepsis were present in 701.

With the money that gets poured into the NHS, it should be a world leader. Yet so often, we learn it's not much better than a Third World health service.  

Headlines For Our Times...

Melissa Mathieson was strangled by Jason Conroy at Alexandra House, which provides residential care for adults with autism and Asperger's syndrome, in Bristol in 2014.

Yes, Reader, that's right. Nine years ago... 

Conroy, now aged 27, was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum term of 19 years for the killing. Bristol Crown Court heard that Alexandra Homes (Bristol) Ltd was charged with an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 last year following a lengthy investigation.

They aren't kidding with that 'lengthy'... 

Hours before her death, Miss Mathieson had complained to staff that Conroy was stalking her. Mr Sapiecha told the court that the company had failed in its duty to keep residents safe after being given information about the danger Conroy posed, including a report from psychiatrist Dr Hilary Grant. 'It cannot be said there was no warning at all,' he said.

In almost all of these cases, that's the case. There's plenty of warning, it hardly ever comes out of the blue. And yet, these supposed 'professionals' fail time after time.  

Andrew Langdon KC, defending, said the company had been trading for nearly 20 years and had an enviable reputation in the industry.

Yes, the key there is 'had'. 

I'm Fine With This...

...so long as it only applies to pregnant eco-lunatics.

Women in childbirth are being offered an injection of water instead of the traditional 'gas and air' – in a bid to make the NHS more environmentally friendly.

It's a brave nurse or midwife who's going to suggest that nonsense to a woman in labour! 

...the NHS has warned that using Entonox in Scotland is 'equivalent to 18,000 transatlantic flights'.

Scotland? Yes. You expect such insanity there. But you shouldn't expect it to stray this side of the border. surely? 

The Scottish Government previously wrote to all health boards with a plan suggesting women should be discouraged from using Entonox for the good of the planet.

And yet... 

Last week, watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) backed the use of sterile water in England.

*sighs* 

However, during a consultation on the treatment, the Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association wrote: 'What possible biological plausible explanation is there for benefit with intracutaneous or subcutaneous injections of water in volumes of 0.1 to 0.4mls?

'Because it is cheap and unlikely to cause harm is an inadequate justification for a recommendation, especially as NICE does not recommend other similar non-pharmacological therapies such as acupuncture and hypnosis.'

I fear you're fighting a losing battle. I don't think biology is uppermost in the NHS anymore... 

Don't Be So Quick To Blame GPs...

I know, I know, but hear me out....

Emergency departments, which are designed for serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies only, are seeing an increase in people attending with sore throats, insomnia, coughs and earache.

Well, why not? You have, after all, spent months, nay, years, convincing people these are signs of a deadly disease, haven't you? 

Cases where sore throat was the chief complaint rose by 77% between 2021-22 and 2022-23, from 191,900 cases to 340,441. Patients going to A&E with coughs rose by 47%, from 219,388 to 322,500, while attendances for nosebleeds rose by a fifth, from 47,285 cases to 56,546.

Of course, the blame must be shifted, so GPs are in the firing line: 

Miriam Deakin, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: “The rise in A&E admissions is piling even more pressure on to an already stretched NHS. Persistent strain on primary care services, including GPs and dentists, means patients often resort to A&E when they cannot access timely care elsewhere.

“Minor ailments such as coughs, earache, fever, nausea and hiccups can and should be managed through more appropriate services such as pharmacies and NHS 111 online. This could ease pressure on emergency departments, whose priority is to deliver urgent care for those most in need. Boosting capacity of staff, beds and equipment in these settings would also significantly help. However, this requires proper funding and support from the government.”

The NHS has funding enough - it's how it chooses to spend it that's the issue.  

A Locked Room, This Time..?

Ahsan Zia, 33, was suffering from delusions and hallucinations involving the late Queen and that there was a plot to rape and kill him, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

He launched a 28-second attack on Michael Matthews, 55, in his victim's room on the acute Fellside Wing of Newcastle's Hadrian Clinic in April last year.

If the races were reversed we'd be seeing this a bit further up the webpage, I suspect... 

Mr Dry said Zia had used cannabis the day before the attack, but there was no evidence that this had any influence on his behaviour when he lashed out.

No, just a stunning coincidence. Like all the other cases.  

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Pablo Vandenabeele, via videolink, told the court Zia suffered from a treatment-resistant form of paranoid schizophrenia.

We put down rabid dogs. We don't send them to an animal shelter.  

Zia will be treated at the maximum security Rampton Hospital, the judge said.

Another triumph for the mental health advocates, no doubt.  

You Know What, I'm Actually OK With This...

...just so long as it works the other way as well. And GPs and hospitals pay YOU every time an appointment is cancelled. It's only fair, right?

She told ITV's Good Morning Britain that the Government had 'no immediate plans' to impose fines but 'it is not ruled out for the future'.

Ms Caulfield, a former nurse, said there was a 'good argument for it and we are not ruling it out for the future but it is not something that we have got on the table right now'.

Asked if the policy could be in the next Tory manifesto, she replied: 'Potentially, yes.'

That's the strong, decisive Tory government we've come to know and love! 

...the idea triggered a backlash from the health sector.

Wait, what? Aren't they always complaining about no-shows? 

The British Medical Association said that fines for missed appointments would 'not only undermine the essential trust between doctor and patient (Ed: stop laughing at the back!), but ultimately threaten the fundamental principle that the NHS delivers free care at the point of need, for all'.

But no-shows don't generate any care, do they? And if they don't turn up, maybe they didn't need it...

The NHS Confederation said the bureaucratic costs of the plan 'could well far outweigh the money brought in by the fines'.

The NHS complaining about 'bureaucratic costs' would be laughable, if only I was capable of laughing anymore... 

'Something Must Be Done...' Pt78017895

A coroner has called for 'life-saving' health warnings to be added to supermarket bought protein shakes after a 16-year-old schoolboy suffered 'irreversible brain damage' triggered by a rare genetic disease after drinking one.

'...and this is something, so let's do it! Hang the cost!'

The disease is a type of urea cycle disorder - a group of genetic disorders caused by a deficiency of one of the six enzymes in the urea cycle, which is responsible for the removal of ammonia from the blood stream.The deficiency is extremely rare and is estimated to affect one in 50,000 to 80,000 people.

Speaking on Tuesday, Coroner Tom Osborne said: 'Concerning these protein drinks, my preliminary view about them is that I ought to write to one of the regulatory authorities that some sort of warning ought to be put on the packaging of these drinks because, although OTC is a rare condition, it can have harmful effects if someone drinks (one) and it causes a protein spike.'

Might as well demand the government buy metal head shields for us all in case of asteroid strike... 

Finbar O'Callaghan, professor of paediatric neurology at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, agreed intervention was needed, describing it as 'potentially life-saving'.

Of course he does. It's not his money, either, is it? But you know what else is 'life saving', prof? The NHS doing its job...

Professor O'Callaghan told the inquest on Tuesday that if an ammonia test had been carried out on the day Rohan was admitted to hospital, it was 'probable' he would have survived, agreeing with a suggestion by the family's lawyers that it was a 'missed opportunity'.

He was also critical of the decision by a specialist hospital - known as a tertiary centre - not to accept a referral for the 16-year-old to their paediatric neurological team because the West Middlesex Hospital had classified him as an adult patient.

Sadly, NHS red tape fuck ups aren't as rare as this deficiency. We'd all be better off if they were.  

Sums Up The NHS To A 'T', Doesn't It?

A woman who suffered a miscarriage has been fined by the NHS for claiming a free prescription during her pregnancy.

Wait, what? 

Sadie Hawkes lost her baby before she had received the maternity exemption certificate that entitled her to free prescriptions throughout her pregnancy and the first year after birth. She has now been sent a demand for £56.10 for medication issued the week before her miscarriage. She’s been told that she can’t apply for a certificate retrospectively as she is no longer pregnant.

/facepalm 

Hawkes is one of thousands of women in England to have fallen foul of NHS red tape which penalises patients who qualify for free prescriptions because of a medical condition or pregnancy, but who have not yet been registered for, or have failed to show, an exemption certificate.

And they will pursue them to the ends of the earth, unlike other debts... 

“The PCN [penalty charge notice] arrived on a day when I was feeling particularly ill and low [after] the miscarriage,” the 33-year-old veterinary nurse said. “It made me feel like a fraudster. I immediately called the NHSBSA and explained the circumstances to a robotic woman with zero compassion who said I was no longer eligible for a certificate because I was no longer pregnant. I was told the fine, but not the prescription charge, could only be waived if I got proof of pregnancy from my GP. That was really distressing to have to do, and made me feel I wasn’t being believed. It was the worst phone call of my life.”

Maybe move these robots onto the foreigner's debt department where they can perhaps do some good?