London's NHS and Emergency Planners Must Learn from Mistakes
June 22, 2010
Posted by:Suzanne Trask
Last year, one in 50 Londoners received anti-viral medication. A recent report of the London Assembly highlights difficulties, with Londoners travelling for miles to get drugs, planners focused too much on the worst case scenario, leaving NHS trusts confused when the outbreak was found not to be as bad as expected. Doctors needed clearer information on mask use, testing suspect cases and the number of doses per patient. Some pharmacies didn't know the location of anti-viral collection points, and the opening times of collection points were variable, increasing demand in certain areas.
NHS London clearly needs to address these concerns to make its responses to future pandemics more effective. The potential for injury arising out of a delay in diagnosis, or mis-diagnosis in these cases is obvious, with potential fatal consequences. Such injuries are likely to lead to further clinical negligence claims.