Read AvMA’s blog
The CQC – Losing and Hopefully Now Finding Its Way
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, February 2025
Following serious regulatory failures, the CQC is looking to co-design its future with stakeholders. But is this a step towards better regulation, or does it risk regulatory capture?
Paul explores the challenges the CQC faces, why real urgency and action are needed, and what must happen next.
Only 2 in 5 see the Duty of Candour as being clear – why?
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, December 2024
Paul takes findings from the call for evidence on the statutory duty of candour and applies a forensic analysis to explore what should be done to better support it.
Patient Safety Principles and their practical application
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, October 2024
Paul explores the newly introduced Patient Safety Principles, how AvMA’s/HPA proposed Harmed Patient Pathway aligns with these principles, and why your feedback on the pathway is essential.
Advocacy and Accountability: the need for manifest(o) change
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, June 2024
Paul writes about what his dream manifesto would include.
Endo-mysterious
by Kate Eastmond, Events & Webinar Co-ordinator, March 2024
Kate discusses the complexities of endometriosis and where to get support and help.
The Hughes Report: the hidden trade-offs in no-fault compensation schemes
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, February 2024
Paul discusses The Hughes Report and its analysis of no-fault compensation schemes, revealing the hidden trade-offs and impacts on patient redress in the NHS.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office – The wider message from the Postmaster scandal
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, January 2024
Paul looks at the similarity between the issues suffered by victims of the scandal with those affected by medical harm.
Reflecting on My First Year as CEO of AvMA
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, December 2023
In this blog, Paul reflects on his first year as AvMA CEO and the priorities ahead as we go into 2024.
Lucy Letby: Reflections one week on
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, August 2023
This week, Paul reflects on the wider issues arising from the Lucy Letby case.
Lucy Letby: Reflections and Reaction
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, August 2023
Read Paul’s reaction to the case and trial of Lucy Letby
Reading the signals – will it be different this time?
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, August 2023
This month I comment on the Government’s response to Dr Bill Kirkup’s report “Reading the signals: maternity and neonatal services in East Kent”.
Dear NHS, Happy Birthday!
We at AvMA write to wish you a happy birthday. Well done for making it to this grand age; what an achievement. We doubt that many alive in 1948, the year of your birth, will have believed for one moment that you would have survived so many ups and downs, funding squeezes and political interferences (not all helpful), and made it to 75.
What price justice?
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, June 2023
In my blog this month, I talk about AvMA’s vital work around securing access to justice for patients who are harmed and how proposals, in the form of a draft Statutory Instrument, could very well undermine that right to justice.
Black maternal mortality disparities: 50 years on, and we are still “counting”
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, April 2023
AvMA’s Chief Executive shares thoughts about the recently published House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee report on Black maternal health.
Optimism was in the wind at the AvMA Conference in Bournemouth
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, March 2023
AvMA’s Chief Executive shares some thoughts about what the 33rd Annual Clinical Negligence Conference in Bournemouth
Meet the #ACNC2023 AvMA Team
by Kate Eastmond, Events and Webinar Coordinator, February 2023
Is Patient Safety on Life Support?
by Paul Whiteing, AvMA Chief Executive, February 2023
Initial thoughts by our new CEO, Paul Whiteing
Is the Government trying to bury bad news?
by Peter Walsh, AvMA Chief Executive, September 2020
Is the Government oblivious to the avoidable harm caused to non-COVID patients as a result of disruption to health services during the pandemic? Or worse, is it trying to bury bad news?
Urgent action required to prevent avoidable harm and deaths amongst non COVID-19 patients
by Peter Walsh, AvMA Chief Executive, June 2020
The Government must urgently open up services for non-COVID patients or risk avoidable harm to thousands
Saving lives threatened by COVID19 is rightly a priority, but many more can be saved by improving patient safety
by Peter Walsh, AvMA Chief Executive, April 2020
AvMA’s Chief Executive shares some thoughts about what the COVID19 outbreak could mean for patient safety
When will we see a genuine step-change in patient safety?
by Simon Elliman, Royds Withy King, November 2019
When the Chief Inspector of Hospitals at the Care Quality Commission says there has been “little progress” in patient safety over the past 20 years, can anything be done which will make a real difference?
Clinical Negligence: Human cost of avoidable NHS errors outweighs financial cost
Reflecting on the human cost of medical negligence
by Potter Rees Dolan Solicitors, October 2019
A fresh approach to patient safety?
What AvMA is hoping for from the imminent new patient safety strategy for England from NHS Improvement.
by Peter Walsh, AvMA Chief Executive, June 2019
Mediating clinical claims: a mediator’s eye view
Tony Allen explains the added value that the mediation process can unexpectedly offer in clinical negligence claims.
by Tony Allen, Allen Mediates, May 2019
Cutting compensation for those maimed by the NHS would be ‘hideously unfair’
Without legal challenges the NHS would continue in the belief it had done nothing seriously wrong, and opportunities for learning and future prevention would be lost.
by Peter Walsh, AvMA Chief Executive, February 2018
What kind of workplace culture do we want?
How understanding the efficiency thoroughness trade-off can help to improve patient safety
By Dame Professor Donna Kinnair, Director of Nursing Policy and Practice at the Royal College of Nursing, August 2017
Two reports challenging failings in the current health safety management system
Two important reports have wide implications, showing how slow the learning is and related failure by oversight bodies
By Richard von Abendorff, Patient Safety Campaigner, September 2016
Better regulation is needed for duty of candour to fulfil its potential
AvMA’s report on how the CQC has so far regulated the duty of candour makes mostly for depressing reading
by Peter Walsh, AvMA Chief Executive, August 2016
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch: Glass half full or half empty?
We welcome the creation of the new body but raise some concerns
by Peter Walsh, AvMA Chief Executive, June 2016
Is criminal prosecution of doctors harming patient safety?
A look at the rising number of prosecutions of healthcare professionals
by Barbara Ross, AvMA trustee, former professional nurse and a member of NHS England’s primary care patient safety group, May 2016
The current legal duty of candour
The continuing campaign for ‘Robbie’s Law’
by Will Powell, Robbie’s Law Trust, April 2016
Recognising ‘what good looks like’
Thoughts on the implications of the Mazars Report into Southern Health
by Suzanne Shale, chair of AvMA, January 2016
Why does it always have to be such a battle?
Why AvMA had to threaten a judicial review to correct serious flaws in the Duty of Candour
by Peter Walsh, chief executive of AvMA, September 2015