Bullying is a patient safety issue and often a signal of wider cultural issues within an organisation. Compassionate leadership can change culture, empower staff to speak up, and address bullying […]
NHS
David Oliver: A matter of trust—doctors, the NHS, patients, and the public
The public still have high levels of trust in doctors as a profession, but we must not take that trust for granted […]
John Brennan: What can the QI movement learn from evidence based medicine?
As a recently trained GP, I am well versed in the ways of evidence-based medicine. It is the bedrock upon which my medical training was based, and one of the […]
Kamal R Mahtani on telephone triage: The scale-up of innovations must have a robust evidence base
Telephone triage has been hailed as a way to let GPs work smarter, not harder, but is its widespread diffusion justified? […]
Laurie Tomlinson: From patient to data and back again—how anonymised patient records can improve prescribing guidance
We often hear about the importance of “bench to bedside” medicine, how basic science research is translated into novel treatments. But this paper demonstrates an equally important concept: how anonymised […]
NEWS 2: An opportunity to standardise the management of deterioration and sepsis
For too long, we have allowed unnecessary variation to occur in critical processes across the NHS. This is particularly evident in the assessment of patients admitted with emergency conditions, and […]
Nishma Manek: The real gatekeepers of general practice
New to a GP practice, I was recently asked to spend an afternoon with our practice receptionists. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But that day gave me a […]
Lucy Hanington: Is a doctor convicted of gross negligence manslaughter always an unsafe doctor?
Is a doctor convicted of gross negligence manslaughter always an unsafe doctor? Who should decide—the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, or the Courts? Recent high profile cases, not least the appeal […]
Stephen Bradley: Is medical culture complicit in covering up the reality of NHS care?
The Bawa-Garba case shows how outdated medical culture is in a society that won’t face up to the crisis in healthcare […]
Jan Filochowski: Should hospitals return charitable donations from the Presidents’ Club?
Poor old Great Ormond Street Hospital! The hospital, along with several other hospitals and charities, recently found itself prominently highlighted in a rather tawdry debate about the events at the […]