Duty of Care

 Care Quality Omission -the cartoon in today’s Times – NHS scandal watchdogs ‘should face prosecution’ shouts the front page headline - NHS patients need to be given more power states the leader column.

Adroit-e has been arguing for some years that patients’ insights should be given increased prominence in policy making – but why restrict things to NHS patients?

Many people go to the dentist privately – some practices operate a 2 tier NHS/Private system. Adroit-e has approached dental groups with a plan to operate a rigorous feed back system.

The culture in London NHS hospitals has been described to Adroit-e by leading NHS managers as one where bullying consultants run departments as personal fiefdoms. We responded by developing a plan to train student doctors in conducting feedback research with patients – a small step in improving the role of patients in identifying  an antipathetic culture.

We have consulted with doctors’ surgeries to produce a less anodyne and uneven feedback structure for their patients, than the ones currently in place.

Similarly, we have constructed rigorous feedback systems for those concerned with the care of the elderly, a related structure to the one in today’s headlines but no stranger to recent charges  of systemic malfunction.

None of these feedback programmes is currently in operation – in the hands of managers of these services they have either withered on the grapevine or failed to see the light of day.

It’s part of the same set of circumstances – the truth is something to be avoided at all costs in case it interferes with the smooth running of the business.

Come on guys – you can do better than this!

DIY - at your peril

DIY – at your peril

‘A fine example of 21^st Century Windbaggery’ ‘Merely a stable which will accept any hobbyhorse’ Very well known for not knowing what it does’

These are just some examples from a squabble this week in a Royal Society and Charity about direction, a breakdown between members and staff and oh yes, the value of Research.

This Society protested it had consulted members through an annual survey, but they committed the venal sin of doing it themselves – the Research was not conducted independently and thereby raised as many problems as it had planned to settle. There have been allegations of suppressed data, poor expression and particular analysis aimed to give prominence to convenient viewpoints.

I know, I know, that Research tools available on the internet can give the illusion of power and impartiality and appear to ‘magic up’ sound quantitative methods.

But don’t do it yourself – if it were a house you might trust yourself with shelves but you’d be a fool to go down the DIY route with complex electrics or  an extension – and even then, your work would be independently assessed to ensure compliance.

So whatever Research you are contemplating, outsource to a Research Agency you can trust - don’t do it yourself.

Jonathan Brill