The mother, the C-section baby and ‘secret British court’: a secrecy scandal – or the birth of a scare story? – The Independent

‘The first grim details published about Alessandra Pacchieri’s brief stay in Britain were, as one commentator put it, “the stuff of nightmares”.
Over the past few days, however, a different story has emerged. Transcripts of judgments relating to the case have now been made public and they reveal the nuances behind the apparently callous decisions of judges.’

Full story

The Independent, 6th December 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘Disturbingly poor care is too common in NHS’, says chairman of Mid-Staffs inquiry – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 28th, 2013 in care homes, health, hospitals, inquiries, news, reports by tracey

‘Reports of “disturbing, poor and unsafe care” in the NHS have become too   common, the chairman of the inquiry into Mid-Staffs has said, as he called   on hospitals to learn from the mistakes of previous scandals. Robert Francis QC, newly appointed as president of the Patients Association,   spoke as the charity exposed a catalogue of hospital and care home failings.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 28th November 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

FGM – No More Excuses – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted November 26th, 2013 in female genital mutilation, health, news, prosecutions, reports, select committees by tracey

‘There is no topic more appropriate to write about on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women than that of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). FGM involves the partial or total removal of a girl’s genitalia for non-medical reasons. The potential health risks resulting from the FGM procedure are numerous and severe: in extreme cases it can lead to sterility, infection, haemorrhaging and death. The risks associated with FGM are exacerbated by the fact that it is usually performed by people with no formal medical training in unsanitary conditions. Many statements from girls who were mutilated describe being physically held down on tables in make-shift theatres, and having their genitalia cut with sharp implements. Anaesthetic is rarely used.’

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 25th November 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

CQC report says hospital care has not improved since Mid Staffs scandal – The Guardian

Posted November 22nd, 2013 in elderly, health, hospitals, news, quality assurance, reports by tracey

‘Hospitals have made no improvement in patient safety or treating the ill with dignity and respect despite the concerns triggered by the Mid Staffordshire scandal, according to the independent healthcare regulator. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) also found no improvement in hospitals monitoring and assessment of the quality of care they are providing.’

Full story

The Guardian, 21st November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Clarifying entitlement to community care and health services – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted November 19th, 2013 in health, immigration, local government, news, residential care, social services by sally

“Community care services are generally provided to those with relevant assessed needs by the authority of ‘ordinary residence’. So, ordinary residence has tended to be a question for local authorities considering the entitlement to community care services. This includes accommodation and domiciliary services under the National Assistance Act 1948 (NAA 1948) and accommodation under the Children Act 1989. Ordinary residence is also relevant for identifying which local authority is the supervisory body for the purposes of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (and, conveniently some of the deeming provisions from the NAA apply to the MCA 2005, para 183 Sched A1).”

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 7th November 2013

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

Scandal cancer trust placed in special measures – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 15th, 2013 in cancer, health, hospitals, inquests, news by tracey

“An inquest heard how a policewoman died at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, just hours after childbirth, after staff failed to replace lost blood, which triggered a cardiac arrest. The case of Diane Patt, 34, follows an inquest earlier this year into the death of a baby, whose skull was crushed by excessive use of forceps. Yesterday regulators placed the trust in special measures, after inspectors found that staff were put under pressure to falsify data, leaving some patients waiting months for urgent cancer treatment.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 14th December 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust v James and others (Intensive Care Society and another intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted November 7th, 2013 in appeals, health, hospitals, law reports, medical treatment, mental health, Supreme Court by tracey

Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust v James and others (Intensive Care Society and another intervening): [2013] UKSC 67;   [2013] WLR (D)  421

“When an application was made for an order that it would be lawful, as being in the patient’s best interests pursuant to section 1(5) of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, for life sustaining medical treatment to be withheld, the focus had to be on whether it would be in the patient’s best interests to give the treatment, rather than on whether it would be in his best interests to withhold or withdraw it.”

WLR Daily, 30th October 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

 

Therapeutic Provision for Parents in Care Proceedings – who should be footing the bill? – Family Law Week

Posted November 1st, 2013 in care orders, families, health, local government, mental health, news by sally

“Matthew Burman, barrister of St Albans Chambers explores the respective legal duties of the NHS and local authorities in securing the provision of psychotherapy for parents in care proceedings.”

Full story

Family Law Week, 31st October 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

NHS complaints procedure needs radical overhaul, report finds – The Guardian

Posted October 29th, 2013 in complaints, health, hospitals, news, reports by sally

“A revolution in the handling of NHS complaints has been proposed in a report co-authored by the MP Ann Clwyd, who has told how her own husband was treated with ‘coldness, resentment, indifference and contempt’ on his hospital deathbed.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th October 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Woman who ‘cannot work because of a shoe allergy’ sees benefits stopped – Daily Telegraph

“A woman who claimed £100,000 in disability benefits because of a shoe allergy must return to work, officials say.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 24th October 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

May: Living in UK to get tougher for illegal immigrants – BBC News

Posted October 10th, 2013 in banking, bills, health, housing, immigration, news by tracey

“Home Secretary Theresa May says illegal immigrants will find it much harder to set up home in the UK under new laws. The Immigration Bill will require banks to check the immigration status of people applying to open accounts, and private landlords to make similar checks on their tenants.”

Full story

BBC News, 10th October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

CQC official Anna Jefferson cleared over ‘cover-up’ – BBC News

Posted October 4th, 2013 in health, hospitals, news, quality assurance, reports by sally

“One of the officials at England’s health regulator accused of a cover-up has been cleared of wrong-doing in an internal inquiry.”

Full story

BBC News, 3rd October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Smoking ban in prisons: it’s right but is it sensible? – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted September 26th, 2013 in health, human rights, news, prisons, smoking by sally

“According to reports this week, the Prison Service is making preparations to prohibit smoking in prisons. They are doing more than “considering” it, it seems, as they have identified probable pilot sites and seem to have a roll-out plan in readiness if the pilot should be successful. But it is a little less than a final decision; so “making preparations” will have to do.”

Full story

Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 25th September 2013

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Army could have done more to stop soldier dying from heat, says coroner – The Guardian

Posted September 24th, 2013 in armed forces, health, health & safety, inquests, Iraq, news by sally

“Army chiefs could have done more to make sure soldiers were protected against the effects of soaring temperatures, a coroner has concluded after hearing the case of a reservist who died after suffering heat stroke in Iraq.”

Full story

The Guardian, 23rd September 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

GMC probe into Mid-Staffs slammed as “whitewash” as cases abandoned – Daily Telegraph

“The investigation into the Mid-Staffs scandal was branded a ‘whitewash’ after regulators abandoned efforts to pursue the last of 44 doctors accused of failing patients.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 23rd September 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Minister orders review of guidelines for health workers wearing full-face veils – The Guardian

Posted September 19th, 2013 in doctors, employment, freedom of expression, health, Islam, news, nurses, women by sally

“A review is being launched into health service guidelines on full-face veils to ensure that patients always have ‘appropriate face-to-face contact’, it has emerged.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th September 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Mid Staffs trust to be prosecuted over death of diabetic patient – The Guardian

Posted August 30th, 2013 in duty of care, health, health & safety, hospitals, inquests, news, prosecutions, reports by sally

“The Mid Staffs NHS foundation trust, castigated for providing appalling care for years to patients, is to be prosecuted over a diabetic patient who died after falling into a diabetic coma – an unprecedented change in criminal accountability in the health service.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th August 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Exclusive: UN ruling puts future of UK wind farms in jeopardy – The Independent

“Plans for future wind farms in Britain could be in jeopardy after a United Nations legal tribunal ruled that the UK Government acted illegally by denying the public decision-making powers over their approval and the ‘necessary information’ over their benefits or adverse effects.”

Full story

The Independent, 27th August 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

High Court upholds autonomy over fatherhood for learning disabled man – UK Human Rights Blog

“For the first time a UK court has permitted non therapeutic sterilisation of a male individual who, through learning disabilities, was unable to consent to such a procedure.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 20th August 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Cancer patient wins battle for payout after failing to declare headache – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 20th, 2013 in cancer, health, insurance, news by tracey

“A dying woman whose life insurance claim was refused because she failed to disclose unrelated GP visits several years earlier has won her battle with an insurance company.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 20th August 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk