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Letters

“The lessons of hospital mistakes”

Catherine E Storey
MJA 2008; 188 (2): 128

To the Editor: After the recent New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into Royal North Shore Hospital, one might ask whether the deliberations will deliver real change to the hospital system.

An article in the Lancet draws attention to some adverse outcomes in London hospitals.1 One such case is reported from the evidence and conclusions of the Islington Coroners’ Court into the death of a man as a result of his outpatient management. The report states:

The jurors have . . . taken into consideration the large number of patients attending Guy’s Hospital as casual patients, [and] are of the opinion that the skilled supervision is insufficient, and should be increased; but they . . . believe the deceased received all the care and attention which the present arrangement of the hospital affords.

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©The Medical Journal of Australia 2008 www.mja.com.au PRINT ISSN: 0025-729X ONLINE ISSN: 1326-5377