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19
Jan 2021
Covid – hospital watchdog calls for honesty over pandemic’s impact on patient care
Professor Ted Baker, chief inspector of hospitals, has called for honesty regarding the impact of the Covid pandemic on patients, warning that poor care could become normalised, adding that it was vital staff continued to report incidents.
Professor Baker also revealed that the Care Quality Commission had seen a 60 per cent increase in whistleblowing incidents during the last national lockdown in November.
He said staff must continue to report incidents and feel free to speak up about any concerns and to be transparent with families when things have gone wrong.
He added that where a patient was unable to receive the care they clinically needed due to the demand on services, this would amount to a notifiable patient safety incident.
The comments come following multiple anonymous leaks from NHS staff in recent weeks, indicating how severe the situation has become in some hospitals. Many staff have only voiced concerns on the condition that they remain anonymous.
Professor Baker went on to say “We all need to be honest about the impact of this, both on staff and on patients, and acknowledge that the pandemic has affected and continues to affect quality of care.
“I know that staff are doing their utmost to deliver the best quality of care they can, but the challenges they face are enormous and the burden the are carrying is heavy.
“The danger is that poor care becomes normalised due to Covid – and when incidents where staff haven’t been able to deliver good care aren’t reported, this normalisation moves closer.”
Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events. Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Freephone : 0800 304 7382
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