In 2013, a paramedic refused to attend a 999 call near the end of their shift, when no further resources were apparently available. It gained media attention, and following a 2-year suspension, the...
The legal requirements for writing a prescription are defined by regulation 217 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. For any prescription-only medicine to be sold or supplied, the prescription...
An ability to account for our actions with a clear evidence base is a crucial component of professional accountability (Gallagher and Hodge, 2012) and reflected in a healthcare professional's code of...
The HMR defines who can buy and possess medicines, and this is summarised in Appendix 1. There is an exemption for the purchase of general sales medicines; however, the supply chain for these...
‘Legal highs’ were highlighted by the media after suspected deaths across several countries were associated with the use of mephedrone (also known as ‘meow meow’ or M-CAT), with 70 in the UK. The...
According to SA Health (2015b), challenging behaviour with the potential to physically or psychologically harm another person can occur anywhere but tends to take place more commonly in cases where...
As part of their job, ambulance workers perform many tasks that expose them to musculoskeletal risks, including adopting awkward postures (Doormaal et al, 1995; Ferreira and Hignett, 2005); moving...
In September 2009, a young adult Ms Wooltorton drank antifreeze, dialled 999 and presented the attending ambulance staff with a letter dated 14 September saying she wanted no lifesaving treatment but...
‘Even though it is theoretically possible, to our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of a doctor ever being sued successfully for acting as a Good Samaritan in a medical emergency’ (Seddon,...
An ambulance vehicle with blue lights illuminated and with its siren sounding is generally permitted access to locations other traffic may be barred from, and using that access detonates at its...
‘You can never eliminate the risk of assault on staff. The risk of injury can, however, be minimised significantly by the provision of body armour for front-line ambulance personnel. Good radio...
Stimulants such as caffeine, dextromethorphan in cough remedies, cough and cold remedies containing stimulants or antihistamines are misused and abused for improving performance and for their...