Durka Dougall

By Durka Dougall | 14 February 2024 When you look at the health and care landscape in England, what do you see? You may see a fairly bleak picture if you read the State of Care and other reports. You may see, if you consider the policy landscape, a system recognising the challenges it faces and trying to emerge into something more effective, but still at the foothills. Receive The MJ magazine each week and gain access to all the content on this website with a subscription.

This year marked the 10-year anniversary of the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry. As others have pointed out, including Judith Smith, Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Birmingham, there have been dozens of inquiries into the NHS, including the Francis Report into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which have found an over-reliance on regulation and inspection to be a ‘cure’ for patient safety failings.

As one doctor became a consultant, her child was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. The doctor managed to juggle work and hospital appointments using her annual leave. During Covid-19 she was put on the surgical rota for Covid-positive patients. As her child was identified as clinically extremely vulnerable, the doctor arranged for the child to live away from home, so that she could carry on with her vital NHS duties. During this time, her child also needed monthly admissions for treatment.