Double Whammy
August 16, 2010
Posted by:Jo Chapman
Department of Health figures, obtained by the charity Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA), show that two thirds of NHS trusts are failing to comply with safety alerts aimed at reducing the risk of death or injury.
The figures show that one in 14 trusts had failed to comply with 10 or more National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) alerts while 116 trusts had missed a compliance deadline for an NPSA "rapid response" alert on oxygen safety. This is despite a reminder sent by the Department of Health to all trusts that it is compulsory to do so.
This alone is not good news but taken with the story published the same week in the Journal, Lancet Infectious Diseases, of the potentially major global health problem, from Enterobacteriaceae that are highly resistant to all antibiotics except to tigecycline and colistin, it adds up to a bit of a worry.