Dear Neil & HIFA colleagues,
I am sure the following news story reported by the BBC has caught the attention of many UK HIFA members, but I'm sharing it here as no doubt there are problems/issues highlighted that also affect other countries. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qrn3y72dxo
A few quotes that caught my attention:
"…..outsourcing patient appointments had created financial incentives which were potentially "a risk to clinical standards"."
“Concerns were also raised last year … that breast cancer cases had not been discussed properly in multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDTs).”
“… decisions about patients' cases were being made based on the unchallenged opinion of individual surgeons…”
“…patients were potentially treated by locum consultants who were not competent…”
”… repeatedly raised concerns about trust delays in obtaining vital diagnostic equipment.”
And from the patient’s perspective:
“…the apology was "all good and well" but will not bring her breast back.”
Best wishes
Julie
HIFA profile: Julie N Reza is a UK-based specialist in communications for biosciences, global health & international development (www.globalbiomedia.co.uk). She predominantly works with NGOs and not-for-profit organisations. Previously she was the senior science editor at TDR, based at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva; prior to this she worked at the Wellcome Trust, UK, leading educational projects on international health topics including trypanosomiasis and trachoma. She has a PhD in immunology and a specialist degree in science communication. She also has several years research and postgraduate teaching experience. She is a member of the HIFA Steering Group and HIFA Social Media Working Group. www.hifa.org/people/steering-group
www.hifa.org/people/social-media naimareza AT hotmail.com