Advice centre

One of the greatest challenges a doctor will face during their career is in ensuring they respond well when things go wrong. Even the most experienced doctors make mistakes but it can be particularly difficult to deal with when you are one of the more junior members of the team.

With the introduction of the new criminal offence of wilful neglect, there are now more criminal sanctions for doctors than ever before. There also seems to be more coverage of cases involving doctors which in my experience has all created a much greater awareness of, and fear about, the potential to end up in front of a judge.

The BMA has announced further industrial action in its ongoing dispute with the Department of Health over the proposed junior doctor contracts. The first ‘emergency care only’ action is to take place 6 – 8 April, with full withdrawal of labour on 26 and 27 April.

It is a legal requirement for practising nurses to have an appropriate insurance or indemnity arrangement in place in order to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Nurses will be asked to provide evidence of this as part of the revalidation process, which is being introduced from April 2016.

Risk is part of everyday life – there’s no escaping it. Creating a safe environment for your patients and staff is of paramount importance and practices need to implement risk management systems. Kirsty Plowman reports.