The NHS crisis worsens, according to the latest information from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), which is a huge worry for increasing medical negligence claims. It’s thought that more than two-thirds of staff believe patient safety has declined over the past year since the last time key questions about the state of the NHS were asked.
Around 1,500 NHS employees were asked the same questions they’d been questioned about last year on the conditions they’re working in and the quality of care available, and some 80% are reportedly worried about the ability to keep patients safe, with 84% citing demoralised staff as a result of increased pressure on the NHS.
With NHS staff on the ground worried that patient safety is a worsening issue, as lawyers, we would rather see an improved NHS service where claims are at an absolute minimum because patient safety is high.
We face a potential cycle of funding cuts that ultimately risk more claims, and therefore more expenses on dealing with claims for the NHS.
Higher quality care will obviously keep negligence cases down to a minimum, and reduce the burden of legal costs for the NHS.
Victims of medical negligence can suffer with lifelong complications and they have an absolute need to claim what they are owed when their lives are turned upside down. But staff shortages are said to be hampering the standard of care, and moral is so low for some that staff are reportedly reduced to tears at the thought of how they can cope, and how they can deliver care to keep patients safe.
The information from the RCP indicates that there has been an increase of 10% in terms of lower quality care. On that basis, things are getting worse, and patient safety is a real problem that needs to be addressed.
