Such a case occurred at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital when Cynthia Shearer, aged 68, fractured her hip in a fall. She went to the hospital for treatment but naturally assumed she would soon be back amongst her family. However, she was given a massive overdose of the painkiller paracetamol, 85% more than a safe dose, which caused multi-organ failure and she died three weeks later.

An inquest into her death found that, as she only weighed five and a half stone due to a gastric condition, she should only have been given a child’s dose of the painkiller and the coroner, John Ellery, said there had been a lethal lack of awareness about the guidelines concerning the drug which extended beyond nurses to senior doctors and pharmacists.

Dr Ashley Fraser, medical director of the NHS trust responsible, said that the tragic event highlighted the importance of taking into account body weight when giving paracetamol. Does the tragic case hint at a lack of understanding across the board, not just about paracetamol but about drugs generally? To have senior doctors accused as well as pharmacists and other health professionals can only cause concern amongst those of us who place our trust in the hands of others, especially where health is concerned.

It appears, judging by the report, that the hospital’s chief executive, Christine Green, has not actually made a stand against this practice, saying merely that 99% of staff at the hospital feel demoralised by the low standards practiced there by the minority. The hospital perhaps has reason to feel guilty about poor treatment given to patients. It was told to improve its patient care by independent health watchdog the Local Involvement Network and was also told to improve its staffing, leadership and communication with patients.

However, surely patients should not be encouraged at any hospital, whatever its reputation, to have cameras or camera phones at the ready in case their treatment goes wrong. It immediately puts the patient and surgeon on the wrong footing, the relationship between the two will inevitably be a cautious one with little trust on either side. It certainly would not be conducive to creating the right atmosphere between the two and encouraging the medical staff to do their utmost for that particular patient.

Surely the hospital should be condemning this type of practice. Do you agree? Let me know.

Figures from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show that the procedure, termed “chinplants” was carried out on 20,000 people in the country last year making it the fastest growing trend in cosmetic surgery in the USA. Experts say that the explosion in this type of procedure is related to the increased use of video conferencing in the workplace which focuses people’s minds on their facial appearance.

This could perhaps be reflected in the age range of the people having the treatment; the largest rise was in people aged in their forties, but there was also a significant rise in the procedure amongst people in their twenties.

A spokesman from the UK cosmetic surgery provider Transform said that, though “chinplants” are still quite rare in the UK, they have been increasing in number in the last couple of years and, because of the fact we are usually two or three years behind the USA, it may well be that we will witness a more spectacular rise in the next year or so.

New figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) have shown that last year continued to show a rise in the number of people in the country deciding to have cosmetic surgery.

The 2011 figures show a rise of 6%, which is similar to the increases recorded in the previous two years and meant that over 43,000 people had cosmetic operations with male tummy tucks, called an abdominoplasty, showing the biggest rise in demand, up 15% on 2010. There were similar rises in procedures for both men and women with male surgery still accounting for approximately 10% of all cosmetic surgery.

The top five procedures were unchanged from the previous year; namely breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, breast reduction, face or neck lifts and nose jobs, which were the most common procedure for men.

Of course the figures do not take into account the recent PIP scandal which has rocked the whole industry and which has affected about 40,000 UK women. UK authorities have said that, while there is no need for routine removal of the controversial implants, women should be able to have them taken out and replaced by either the NHS or the private clinic responsible.

Nigel Mercer, former president of BAAPS, said that while he did not expect to see a large drop in the number of people having cosmetic surgery this year, the recent scandal is likely to have made some impact. However, he added: If it makes people think more carefully about what they re doing and the risks and benefits, that s a benefit for the public.

Have you or are you considering having cosmetic surgery done and would the recent scandal affect your thinking? We d love to get feedback from anyone interested in this issue.

A recent case saw compensation paid out by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust to the family of William Scotton, now aged four, who suffered severe brain damage following complications at birth.

The trust admitted liability when it emerged that William s mother, Tracy should have been referred to an obstetrician for specialist care once it became apparent that William s estimated weight was 8Ibs at a 34-week check. There were also other errors made during the delivery which meant that Mrs Scotton had to have an emergency Caesarean section.

Due to the trauma suffered at birth, William is severely brain damaged and is quadriplegic, blind and has epilepsy and will need 24-hour care for the rest of his life.

The trust has agreed to pay a lump sum of 2.6m along with annual payments of between 89,000 and 212,500 to fund his care, while it will also pay up to 600,000 for specialist education for William. It is estimated that the total payout over his lifetime could reach 10m.

A tragic case and surely few could begrudge the family substantial compensation in the light of the serious mistakes made by the trust both before and during William s birth.

Medical negligence is a reality, whatever the feelings we may have about the NHS and it can devastate the victim s life. In these circumstances a claim for compensation is the only option available to that individual.

It is a hard process to go down and though the news is that the NHS is paying out more in negligence cases than ever before, the reality is that if someone is to make a claim for medical negligence, they must have a strong case. They should also make an official complaint about the breach of duty before filing a claim.

Many solicitors will fight a case for you on a no win, no fee basis so the individual will only need to pay out once they have received compensation, so it is not necessarily an expensive process if following this route.

A good, established no win, no fee firm will help you get the compensation you deserve.

He says that governments are too interested in sounding “tough” on the problem rather than focusing on reforms such as decriminalising drug use and treating it as a health issue as opposed to a crime which would have the effect of reducing violence and organised crime and would also dramatically cut down on theft.

Will today’s leaders have the courage to say that the global policies on drugs have failed as he claims? It’s not likely but it’s unarguable that Branson has some clout and he obviously speaks with passion on this subject, arguing that, while it isn’t yet clear how a new approach would look in practice, what can be said is that future policies should focus on the rights of citizens and on protecting public health. He also says that measuring arrests, prosecutions and drug seizures have very little impact on the actual levels of drug use.

Branson does at least admit that drugs are dangerous and need to be regulated, but his views on drugs are certainly controversial. However, if nothing else, they encourage debate and that’s what we want you to do! Is current policy, not just from this government, but throughout the world, coming from an angle that is completely wrong and which will do nothing to really strike at the heart of the problem? If so how would you tackle it, would you approach it the way Branson does or by some other route? Let us know what you think.