NHS Resolution figures have revealed that NHS hospitals have paid £583 million in compensation to patients in the past three years after doctors failed to diagnose correctly.
The NHS organisation, which handles claims of medical negligence against hospitals, says that there were 4,097 payouts due to failure or a delay in a vital diagnosis.
The NHS said it carried out 33 million diagnostic tests in the three years, meaning incidents like this are extremely rare.
Peter Walsh, chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, said: “The causes of misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis are many and varied but it is clear that shortages of appropriate staff and also the need to update and make better use of technology to aid diagnosis would help enormously. Many GP practices do not make use of available software for example and many scanners need updating in hospitals. These are some of the reasons why the UK lags behind many other developed countries in diagnosisng and treating cancer successfully for instance. Major investment in staff and technology is needed.”
Planned healthcare that was delayed due to coronavirus will now be carried out at the NHS Louisa Jordan to help NHS Scotland recover.
Sir Simon Stevens has revealed that plans to adequately fund the social care sector need to be in place within a year.
Delays to cancer diagnosis and treatment due to coronavirus could cause up to 35,000 excess deaths in the UK within a year.
Tens of thousands of people who are suffering long-term effects of coronavirus will benefit from a new on-demand recovery service.
The NHS and St John Ambulance are to collaborate for the NHS’ anniversary to recruit and train thousands of ‘NHS cadets’.
Following the 2017 Naylor Report into NHS estates, it has been estimated that estate upkeep costs have reached approximately £10bn in annual funding for 2019/2020.
More recently, ERIC (Estates Returns Information Collection) data collection has contained some deeply alarming news about the condition of NHS buildings and equipment.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has presented even the most developed and efficient healthcare systems with unprecedented challenges.
Barbara Harpham looks at how technology holds the key to a new, more efficient, post-pandemic healthcare system
Paul Dodds discusses how leveraging technology within healthcare facilities to deal with the current pandemic doesn’t need to invade privacy
