IT’S HUMAN TO ERR

WHEN I heard Jeremy Hunt’s announcement this week that doctors and nurses who make ‘honest mistakes’ while treating patients should not face prosecution, I sighed with relief.

The very idea of making any kind of slip-up, big or small, has caused virtually everyone in the medical profession sleepless nights from time to time.

But the thing is, no matter how fastidious and how detailed their checklists, medical staff are humans, not machines and are therefore not infallible.

With this rule they can now be honest when mistakes happen and, while never diminishing the personal cost to those affected, we will learn from their mistakes, which is better for staff and patients alike.