The aim should be a healthy mother and a healthy baby! Almost everyday of my professional life, I see the very challenging consequences of mistakes made during childbirth and the consequences for the child, the mother, their family and for the health professionals involved. And so two stories that have broken in the news in…
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You might think that 18th Century British politics is not an obvious starting point for an analysis of the current Tory Government’s Trade Union Bill. Here’s why I think it is. David Cameron and George Osborne have taken inspiration from the Whig Supremacy the period 1715 – 1760 when the Whigs took total control of…
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In 2015, Jeremy Hunt said that there were probably about 1,000 “avoidable” deaths in the NHS every month. So there are about 12,000 deaths every year and this figure does not begin to include serious injuries to patients that fall short of being fatal! There is a clear public interest in maintaining high standards of…
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I read Lord Justice Jackson’s Lecture note from 28th January hoping to find the voice of an independent judiciary dispassionately appraising the case for and against fixed costs and making recommendations. I was however disappointed. Not just because I disagree with him, but also because he has not employed the measured reasoning and discipline of…
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Accountability for mistakes and the government proposals for fixed costs for civil claims. I read about the collapse of the criminal case against a NHS Trust involving the tragic death of teacher Frances Cappuccini last week with great sadness for her partner and family. However there is another aspect to consider, namely whether criminal prosecution…
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