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According to the findings of an independent report, more than 450 Gosport Hospital deaths were caused by an opioid policy where patients received unnecessary medication.

Dr Jane Barton, a GP who worked at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital for more than 12 years, has been linked to the 456 deaths that took place in the 1990s as a result of life-shortening diamorphine; otherwise known as heroine.

Despite warnings from nurses working at the hospital, the dangerous opioid-use policy was reportedly in place for years. Consultants and other healthcare professionals are also being blamed for failing to speak out when there was clear evidence of malpractice; including pharmacists who would have known by the levels and nature of the drugs being used that something wasn’t right.

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According to a recent study, millions of people are at risk of dementia from drugs used to treat conditions like depression, incontinence and Parkinson’s disease.

The study findings indicate that the risk of developing dementia could be increased by a third later on in life when patients are taking certain types of medications.

Millions may be affected by prescriptions of anticholinergic medications that are used to control muscle contractions or help with mental health condition that are thought to potentially increase the risk of impaired memory functions later on in life.

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A statement with a breast cancer screening scandal update has been sent to parliament by Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, last week.

It’s understood that some 450,000 women never received their appointment, and in the latest update, Mr Hunt confirms that almost 270,000 women have now received appointments.

Mr Hunt also suggests that the NHS is on track to have the full schedule of screening completed by the end of October this year.

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Recent reports have found that thousands of elderly patients are waiting in A & E for more than a day. According to data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), almost 15,000 patients aged 75 and over are reportedly waiting in Accident and Emergency for longer than 24 hours, which is totally unacceptable in our view.

Whilst we appreciate that the NHS is stretched in terms of funding and resources, we cannot allow elderly and vulnerable patients to not be receiving the care they desperately need in time.

A few hours could be the difference between life and death; a whole day to be waiting for care is simply too long.

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No, medical negligence victims should not have to settle for an apology. Unbelievably, this idea was recently floated around, and we are speechless that such a notion has been suggested.

With many medical negligence victims having to endure tough legal battles for justice, all the while suffering with injuries and complications that have been caused by medical negligence itself, the idea that they should settle for an apology is nonsense.

Medical negligence victims must never lose their right to justice.

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The almost continual cases of a hospital bed crisis is a ticking time-bomb in terms of medical negligence compensation claims.

Although we can all appreciate the struggles that our hard-working NHS is facing in light of underfunding and a lack of resources, when we face preventable issues like an almost cyclical hospital bed crisis, patients can suffer. When patients do suffer, they may have no alternative but to pursue a claim for personal injury compensation to get their life back on track.

The need to claim when it’s a preventable issue that has caused suffering and / or complications means that any hospital bed crisis is a ticking time-bomb, and given they are regular in winter months, something needs to give.

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An inquiry has been called for over-prescribing drugs which is said to be a growing problem here in the UK where we may be at risk of following in the footsteps of our American cousins who are said to be in somewhat of an “epidemic” for certain prescription drugs like opioids.

Experts are reportedly calling for a “Chilcot style” enquiry off the back of doctors apparently issuing too many prescription drugs that are leading to deaths.

Tens of thousands of people are thought to die each year as a result of an over-prescription of drugs as doctors may be relying too heavily on their use to treat patients.

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