The Care Quality Commission has announced that it is to conduct an enquiry into the out-of-hours services provided by a private company, Take Care Now. The company has four contracts with the NHS to provide cover for GP surgeries in Cambridge, Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveny, and Worcester.
This investigation follows the death of a patient, Mr David Gray who tragically died following the accidental administration of 10 times the recommended dose of Diamorphine by a locum GP. Dr Urbani was from Germany and supplied by Take Care Now. He has since pleaded guilty to a charge of negligence in a German Court and has been banned by the GMC from practising in the UK.
In a letter of apology to Mr Gray’s widow, Dr Urbani admitted that he had travelled from Germany to the UK the night before the appointment and had started his shift with only three hours sleep. He stated that he was ‘too tired and lacked concentration’ and that this played a major role in his making the fatal error.
It is clear that human error played a major part in this tragedy. What is not clear is whether Take Care Now or Cambridge NHS (which oversees primary care in the county) could have done more to ensure patient safety.
Clinical negligence firm Leigh Day awaits the Care Quality Commission’s announcement as to the scope of this inquiry with interest. Some 90% of patient contact in the UK is at primary care level and out-of-hours services are now predominantly contracted out to private companies. It will be difficult for the CQC to avoid examining issues of basic risk management in employing locum doctors from private companies.
However, in the experience of Leigh Day & Co clinical negligence solicitors, such instances are not confined to GP surgeries. Similar circumstances can trigger the investigations of claims across NHS departments. Russell Levy, Head of the Clinical Negligence Department comments on his personal experience:
“This isn’t an issue of the doctor being a locum or being foreign. It can happen to any doctor who is overworked, tired and not supported within the structure in which he or she operates. My youngest son, when 10 years old, was admitted to a leading teaching hospital in London in extreme pain. An extremely tired junior doctor was thankfully prevented by a very vigilant A&E nurse from administering 10 times the recommended dose of diamorphine. These instances are completely avoidable and such serious risk can be eliminated through implementing basic patient safety procedures.”
If you have been injured in similar circumstances when receiving medical treatment as an NHS patient or as a private patient please contact one of our in-house nurses
Anne McCrea or
Denise McAneny on 020 7650 1200.
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