Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Shame on the MVNHS©!

It's been a while since we've mentioned the failing (failed?) Much Vaunted National Health System:

"Information released by the ­Department of Health after a freedom of information request showed that hospitals were not complying with safety alerts issued by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA)."

The problem is that, while the British health system may talk a good game, implementing even such basic level services as patient safety seems beyond their ken. In this case, over 100 hospitals and other health care providers have yet to show that they've complied with a 2007 alert mandating them to make sure that injectables would be used safely.

But that's not all: over two dozen providers haven't confirmed their compliance with a directive "designed to reduce the risk of patients ­falling out of bed." And over 80 hospitals and providers had failed to take "required actions" outlined in patient safety alerts covering opioid (painkilling) medicines."

And even that's not all: some 50 hospitals haven't even figured out that keeping providers' hands clean reduces the number of patient infections.

Louis Pasteur is whirling dervishly in his grave.
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