Christopher Frankling

North Bristol NHS Trust have concluded that around 40% of patients who underwent innovative mesh operations to resolve bowel problems should have been offered alternative forms of treatment first.

NHS England recently reported plans to recruit an ‘army of advisors’ to support GPs, following evidence that approximately half of all appointments were not related to medical conditions.

Although there may be some wear and tear showing, the overwhelmingly fantastic work carried out all over the country, every day, represents what can usually be expected.

Necrotising Fasciitis, more commonly known as the ‘flesh-eating disease’, is a significant medical condition that requires urgent treatment.

Recent research by the BBC found that 1 in 8 patients experience delays in handover by ambulance crews on arrival to hospital, with many patients then waiting in corridors or in extreme cases being turned away.

Whilst a patient may be offered an appointment with either a ‘Consultant Podiatric Surgeon’ or a ‘Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon’, the meaning behind a title can be misleading.

As a patient, you might be sympathetic of those working in understaffed hospitals. However, delays in admission or assessment at the hospital can be significant if the severity of your condition is not recognised by reception or nursing staff.

Experts suggest that the majority of patients with sepsis initially present with a respiratory infection, although abdominal or urinary-tract infections can also be primary causes of sepsis.