One patient at the hospital, which houses the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, received £10,000 after he was given the wrong medication while another got £4,500 after suffering injuries when being restrained by nurses. The largest single payout, £40,000, was given to the family of murderer Richard Loudwell, who was killed himself, by another resident.

The information came to light after a Freedom of Information response from the West London Mental Health Trust which revealed that 17 patients have sued Broadmoor since 2006. A spokesman for the trust said that patients were entitled to claim damages for clinical and non-clinical negligence. That may be so, but it seems wrong to have some of the most dangerous criminals in the country, suing for what may appear to be relatively minor incidents. Have they “lost the right” to sue due to their often heinous crimes in the past? What are your thoughts on this?

She committed other errors such as leaving one patient in a chair with her breasts exposed and the curtain being left open. She should have realised, said the sister, that this was not an acceptable position for the patient to be left in. Other basic mistakes had been made including failing to notice when alarms were activated, not realising that pain relief was addictive and failing to carry out blood pressure tests before administering drugs.

The hearing continues but, without wanting to comment on this case, are standards slipping? This is perhaps an extreme example, but included are some basic errors that nurses should be noticing? Are basic mistakes as widespread as some of us fear?

The RCP’s working party on improving end of life care, says that doctors are too concerned about treating the patient on their current problem and not looking at the wider picture, which is leading to too many patients dying before suitable care arrangements in a hospice or at home can be made.

Only specialist cancer doctors go on mandatory training on end of life care and the RCP’s report, which questioned 2,000 physicians, found that only a third had received any such training in the last five years. Dr Fiona Hicks, chairman of the RCP’s working party, said that wherever possible doctors should be identifying those patients who are entering the last few weeks of their life and have discussions with them about any care they would want. She added, however, that shift patterns and the constant changing of medical staff on hospital wards does not help in this regard as, too often, the patient does not have the same doctor throughout their care and therefore any wishes they have may be getting lost in the system.

The Department of Health has said that it welcomes the new report which “presents practical resources and recommendations that complement the wide range of activity we are already delivering through our End of Life Care Strategy”. The department adds that it has commissioned an independent review into the funding of the palliative care system. So, is the RCP right and should GPs have more discussions with patients about their care in the last few days of their life? Let us know what you think.

An investigation by a Sunday newspaper revealed that 30,000 people in this country have had the implants which can cause problems when friction between the metal ball and cup leads to tiny fragments falling off which could seep into the bone. They can also potentially cause soft tissue reaction which can harm muscle and bone.

The MHRA, which is the watchdog responsible for making sure that medicines and medical devices work safely, warned healthcare professionals about the safety of metal implants in April 2010 following concerns that some patients were having soft tissue reactions to metal-on-metal hip replacements and it advised people in this position to have annual check-ups following surgery. It also said that these patients ought to have the levels of cobalt and chromium in their body checked.

Later the same year DePuy International Limited, who fitted about 10,000 Britons with metal hip replacements, announced that it was to recall two types of its implants after high failure rates were recorded for the ASR XL Acetabular system and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System.

The MHRA, speaking of the new inquiry, said that it was taking prompt action to allay fears though the majority were at a low risk of developing serious problems as a result of the implants. It said that it was continuing to monitor all the evidence available and had given advice on patient management to the relevant healthcare professionals.

It is not solely a factor relating to the elderly, it can also be seen in younger patients, in fact anyone who has relatively limited movement. So, what are bedsores and what can be done to prevent them?

They are also called pressure sores and, as the name indicates, are caused when a part of a person s skin is placed under too much pressure. This prevents blood getting to the affected area depriving it of oxygen and nutrients. So, anyone with limited movement, remaining in a bed or chair for long periods without moving will be at risk.

In terms of trying to prevent the problem occurring, those responsible for people with limited movement should try to regularly change that person s position in a bed or chair while there are special pressure relieving mattresses and cushions to help in this regard.

Hospitals now also use what is known as the Waterlow score card to assess the risk of a particular patient developing bedsores and to give advice on nursing care, preventative aids and other matters. Patients now have to have a Waterlow assessment upon admission to a hospital ward.

It s a significant problem and the onus is on those caring for the frail and the elderly, either in hospital, care home or in their own home, to make sure they are not laying or sitting in one position for long periods.

The health secretary Andrew Lansley says that there is an over-reliance on junior doctors on Saturdays and Sundays and says that supervision of them remains a big issue. Almost a third of hospitals have no consultants on duty on evenings and weekends, they are just on-call, but surely patients deserve the same standard of care whatever the time of day or day of the week?

It has long been the case that investigations and test results routinely get delayed until a Monday morning if a patient falls ill over a weekend, so surely there has to be a change and staffing levels improved on evenings and weekends. The controversial new health reforms, opposed by many within the health service, will not, at first sight, do anything to deal with this situation, so what can be done? Mr Lansley, over to you!

Mary Dacey, from Cornwall, had been transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth after her suspected subarachnoid haemorrhage has begun to worsen. Trainee surgeons there undertook a lumbar puncture on Ms Dacey which was unsuccessful and had been attempted despite her taking a type of medication at the time which was known to contribute to an increased risk of haemorrhaging.

From being fit and healthy before the incident, Ms Dacey is now confined to a wheelchair and is also now doubly incontinent. A spokesperson for the trust declined to comment but a writ has been filed in the High Court in London with a date yet to be set.

Documents received under the Freedom of Information act show that the government last year drew up a “business assessment” to look into an alternative to the current “service delivery model”. The Confederation of British Industry has suggested that the authority be joined with a venture partner, who could provide some new investment as well as increased access to markets.

However, the BMA says that privatisation would run the risk of masking the worst aspects of healthcare in the USA which has seen cases where surgeons do not take up jobs in some of the more risky areas such as obstetrics. Mark Porter, chair of the consultants committee at the BMA, said that it was important to keep in mind that medical procedures can include risks which can never be completely eradicated. He said that no individual doctor or single hospital should bear the cost of a tragedy and this was why there was the need for an NHS-wide insurance scheme for doctors and patients alike.