What makes a good hospital ward – in the eyes of patients and their families? Three key components of high-quality ward care are important to patients: communication, staff attitudes and hygiene. Communication Patients are dependent on staff to keep them abreast of investigations and treatments – both the results of previous ones, and information concerning […]
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Can I get a prescription without seeing my GP? Yes. You do not need to see a GP to order a repeat prescription. You can order them online, either via the NHS app or the GP surgery’s website. And you may be able to pick them up directly at the pharmacy you have nominated, if
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What is the friends and family test? The NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) enables people who use (or work in) NHS services to provide feedback on their experience of the care. Listening to the views of patients and staff helps identify what is working well, what can be improved and how. It asks for feedback on the overall
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What are 5 top tips to reduce medical mistakes? We all make mistakes. We all want to reduce our medical errors. But how? Well you are reading this. So that’s a start. In this article will well describe how to reduce medical errors. Most mistakes in medicine are due to poor communication, poor observation of the
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What is NHS choose and book advice and guidance (A&G)? Advice and Guidance (A&G) allows a GP in the NHS to seek email advice from a specialist hospital consultant. How does NHS A&G work? The GP is able to attach documents to the advice request, which may include diagnostic results, scanned images (e.g. ECGs) or
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What are 5 examples of bias in medicine? We all have biases. We all have weaknesses. We should not – but we do. But you can learn to recognise and reduce them. When you first start off as a doctor, the primary motive for taking a history is information gathering. But as you transition to
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Sick day rules: effective prescribing and therapeutics If frail elderly patients (including those with CKD) become sick and dehydrated (usually secondary to an infection, e.g. urine, chest or gastrointestinal), they should be advised to withhold the 7 groups of medications below. This is because these drugs can precipitate AKI during such illnesses. And if they
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What is a lasting power of attorney (LPA)? If you have difficulties with communication, mobility or forgetfulness, or anticipate that you might suffer from these in the future, it could be worthwhile setting up a registered Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). This is when you ask someone close to you (usually a family member) to look
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What is NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)? HS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is free social care available to everyone. It is a quite well kept secret. It can fully-fund the care costs of a range of frail patients including those with dementia or long-term complex health needs. It is just for adults. CHC can be provided in a variety of settings outside
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Wait to see a NHS consultant not registrar or junior doctor Hospital outpatient clinics are often very busy, with large numbers of patients waiting to see a variety of doctors. It can seem chaotic, and it often is. But sometimes it can be better to wait longer to see the consultant, rather than a registrar or junior doctor. It’s your
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