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| The lovely Andrew |
A previous list of eight never events has recently been increased to twenty-five and details can be found here. There are one or two detailed there that I have great concerns with - with regard to inappropriate use and one of them reminds me very much of Dr Jane Barton. We have a guidance plastered on the clinic wall at work re the opioid naive patient and as said, whenever I read it - I think of her; but that is another matter.
I do not think that any surgeon, nurse or technician deliberately leaves instruments. etc in operation sites, nor do I think that a doctor or nurse deliberately overdoses a patient - forget nutters like Beverly Allitt for this is not about them. Errors should never occur - but they will.
Now the list of never events is greater - it stands to reason that the number of actual events per year will increase.
I have given the wrong medicine to residents twice - perhaps more than this and I am unaware of it? It wasn't a deliberate action, but caused by a moments distraction.
Health Secretary (the lovely) Andrew Lansley has declared that understaffing is not an excuse for 'never events'. What's that you say "Understaffing?" So he finally admits that wards are understaffed! This issue of course does not limit itself to nursing and includes doctors and midwifes. The more doctors and nurses are made redundant or not replaced (despite election promises to protect front-line staff) - the more never events will occur.
However, this post is based on an interview with dear Andrew in the Nursing Times (which occasionally rises above the banal) in which he declared he would not tolerate excuses from nurses who blamed life-threatening mistakes on understaffing and being over-stretched.
A wag left this brilliant comment: "Presumably if staffing levels have nothing to do with safety, one nurse could run the entire NHS?????"
Beware doctors and nurses - the shit won't hit the fan - it will hit you!
Anna :o]
