.
© Clinical Marketing Designs, all rights reserved.
Friday August 13th, 2010, The Guardian
NHS fails to curb lethal painkiller errors.
Health workers made more than 1,300 mistakes involving the use of strong painkilling drugs in less than a year, resulting in at least three deaths
and severe harm to two other patients, the Guardian can reveal. Nearly one in five dosage errors involving morphine, diamorphine and similar
opiate drugs resulted in some harm to NHS patients.
Opiate painkillers – the treatment that can kill in the wrong hands.
Powerful painkillers such as morphine, diamorphine, (a pharmaceutical form of heroin), and methadone can be wonderful drugs. Diamorphine
can relieve the agony of those nearing the end of life, help cancer patients and alleviate pain. Their use is increasing throughout the health
service, including in community settings, rather than in hospitals or hospices. But used wrongly, they can be lethal. Indeed, diamorphine was the
weapon used by GP Harold Shipman who killed at least 15 patients and possibly 200. Last month, the official health watchdog, the Care Quality
Commission (CQC), urged doctors' professional bodies to draw up guidance on the appropriate prescribing of painkillers and also
amphetamines.
Tuesday January 19th, 2010, BBC News
Child drug errors 'too frequent'.
Mistakes are being made in a high number of drug treatments given to children in hospital, experts warn. A snap-shot study by the University of
London of five hospitals in the city found 13% of the 3,000 prescriptions they examined had an error. And a fifth of drugs given to children in
these hospitals during 2004 and 2005 were administered incorrectly. Most errors were harmless but a small number were potentially fatal,
Archives of Disease in Childhood reports. On five occasions, one of the investigators intervened to prevent the patient suffering the
consequences.
Thursday September 3rd 2009, The National Patient Safety Agency
Tackling medication incidents and increasing patient safety.
A review of medication incidents across the NHS in England and Wales has been published today that aims to help ensure that medicines are
used safely and prevent similar incidents from happening again. Safety in doses, published by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA),
identifies risks and areas for action based on a detailed analysis of 72,482 medication incidents.
Wednesday July 1st 2009, The Northern Echo
Doctor praised for painkilling 'wheel'.
A SENIOR doctor has received ministerial praise after inventing a device to help give children painkilling drugs.
Friday March 13th 2009, The Mail Online
Children 'left in agony' because two-thirds of hospitals do not give them proper pain relief, warns watchdog.
Children are being left in agony because two in three hospitals do not give them proper pain relief, a watchdog warned last night. The Healthcare
Commission said doctors and nurses without paediatric training often treated youngsters as 'mini adults'. Many children cannot describe their
pain, so NHS staff must learn to treat them differently.
© Clinical Marketing Designs, all rights reserved.
Friday August 13th, 2010, The Guardian
NHS fails to curb lethal painkiller errors.
Health workers made more than 1,300 mistakes involving the use of strong painkilling drugs in less than a year, resulting in at least three deaths
and severe harm to two other patients, the Guardian can reveal. Nearly one in five dosage errors involving morphine, diamorphine and similar
opiate drugs resulted in some harm to NHS patients.
Opiate painkillers – the treatment that can kill in the wrong hands.
Powerful painkillers such as morphine, diamorphine, (a pharmaceutical form of heroin), and methadone can be wonderful drugs. Diamorphine
can relieve the agony of those nearing the end of life, help cancer patients and alleviate pain. Their use is increasing throughout the health
service, including in community settings, rather than in hospitals or hospices. But used wrongly, they can be lethal. Indeed, diamorphine was the
weapon used by GP Harold Shipman who killed at least 15 patients and possibly 200. Last month, the official health watchdog, the Care Quality
Commission (CQC), urged doctors' professional bodies to draw up guidance on the appropriate prescribing of painkillers and also
amphetamines.
Tuesday January 19th, 2010, BBC News
Child drug errors 'too frequent'.
Mistakes are being made in a high number of drug treatments given to children in hospital, experts warn. A snap-shot study by the University of
London of five hospitals in the city found 13% of the 3,000 prescriptions they examined had an error. And a fifth of drugs given to children in
these hospitals during 2004 and 2005 were administered incorrectly. Most errors were harmless but a small number were potentially fatal,
Archives of Disease in Childhood reports. On five occasions, one of the investigators intervened to prevent the patient suffering the
consequences.
Thursday September 3rd 2009, The National Patient Safety Agency
Tackling medication incidents and increasing patient safety.
A review of medication incidents across the NHS in England and Wales has been published today that aims to help ensure that medicines are
used safely and prevent similar incidents from happening again. Safety in doses, published by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA),
identifies risks and areas for action based on a detailed analysis of 72,482 medication incidents.
Wednesday July 1st 2009, The Northern Echo
Doctor praised for painkilling 'wheel'.
A SENIOR doctor has received ministerial praise after inventing a device to help give children painkilling drugs.
Friday March 13th 2009, The Mail Online
Children 'left in agony' because two-thirds of hospitals do not give them proper pain relief, warns watchdog.
Children are being left in agony because two in three hospitals do not give them proper pain relief, a watchdog warned last night. The Healthcare
Commission said doctors and nurses without paediatric training often treated youngsters as 'mini adults'. Many children cannot describe their
pain, so NHS staff must learn to treat them differently.
