EBME Forums Forums Management Professional Issues The Alliance for Patient Safety

No Jim, your posts have made no mention of Mid Staffs ... but perhaps it would have been helpful had they done so.

Is Mid Staffs not relevant to this discussion? I would suggest that what went on there is very relevant. In fact it is the outstanding example. Especially, as I have mentioned above, as the clinical staff there must have been Registered.

Meanwhile, I believe that I can safely claim to hold the record when it comes to the number of insults received on this website over the years, but I have also "swallowed" them as part of the "cut and thrust" involved (the risk you run) when publishing your thoughts in a public forum.

I'm not sure who I would apologise to, as my post was sort of aimed at the VRCT not any individual. Is the VRCT a democratic organisation or some sort of dictatorship? We only ever hear from one member of the management panel. Do these other people exist? Or are the annual subscriptions hived off to somewhere in Central Africa? I'm sure that's where I got my PhD from!
Bluster aside, the Alliance for Patient Safety may not mention the Francis report specifically but you can't deny that the timing of announcement would lead anyone reading it to link the two.
If I'm wrong then I apologise (not sure to whom) but you can see why I made the connection.

Being Registered, Dr. Shipman comes to mind!

I don't wish to sound unkind (or, at least, no more than usual) - but if the ideas behind the VRCT are so self-evident and wonderful, I'm wondering why horrible people such as myself aren't flamed into oblivion by loyal VRCT members when we have to temerity to question its value!

Do such folk (the loyal membership) actually exist? If so, where are you?

I must admit I do feel sorry for Jim, first he posts on here and gets a ear bashing then he posts on the medical physics engineering mailbase and gets a equal ear bashing.

Although with the current coalition government I don't think the Alliance for Patient Safety has a cat in hell's chance. Some sympathy may be gained from the lib dems but regulation is not really a Tory thing. If anything they see this sort of thing as bureaucracy and want to open things up to any tom dick or harry if their competent or not.

If anything I'd give the same advise to anybody who asks me to write a letter to my MP. Wait until the next general election and hope a more sympathetic government gets elected.

There are plenty of folks who have enrolled with the VRCT, but the answers I wish to hear should be from the VRCT hierarchy.
Perceived risk is one thing, but you must quantify the alledged risk to patient safety after your broad sweeping statements.
As has been mentioned, we deal in facts.
Proof please, of unregulated Biomeds compromising patient safety.
If you cannot back up your claims here, what chance have you of convincing MP's or the Dept of Health?
Time to put up, or refrain from attempting to garner support on a public forum, where your statements will be subject to scrutiny from the rank and file, who you purport to represent and ultimately regulate.

Cheers for the heads up Chris!
Original posters statement also slated on Medical Physics Engineering mailbase.
Interesting read, google then register

"I think we all support formal regulation for all Healthcare professions and it is long overdue.
However I do find that such statements as "....thousands of patients a year are being put at risk by being subjected to sensitive and potentially harmful procedures by unregulated professionals" is rather scaremongering, could easily be misinterpreted and is almost disrespectful to the highly professional colleagues we work with who through no fault of their own do not have state registration"
 

Sort of confirms some of the objections stated so eloquently here.
So its not just us Biomeds who question this then. Comforting indeed....

Which is, of course, exactly what it is!

If there was real leadership in the "biomed community", they would crack on and get it all sorted out, without sitting around, wringing their hands, waiting for Government to take care of everything.

Once again I make clear my own suggestion:- BMET Certification, on the American Model.

Are there any statistics to prove that a fully "registered" biomed workshop is more efficient, better run, has better overall statistics in terms of work achieved (job orders, ppm's etc.) quality of work, than a non registered workshop. I doubt it very much as it comes down to leadership, if you have a good leader, you will have a good workshop and this will entail that the work is always performed to the highest level. A decent software programme will ensure your statistics better than a piece of paper, I know of quite a few highly qualified 'engineers' that I would not let them anywhere near a piece of medical equipment.

Inaccurate or irrelevant comments have been posted by yourself on behalf of the VRCT, they are misleading, and are not factually based. Jim Methven, I believe that it is you who owe us Biomeds an apology.

Sean Fearon