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Posted by Mark Cunningham

Consumer complaints against the NHS could climb as a result of the introduction of agency nurses in hospitals.

This is according to Rebecca Smith, medical editor of the Daily Telegraph, who made such an assertion in the wake of the Violeta Aylward case, which saw the nurse accidentally switch off the life support machine of a man left paralysed following a car accident in 2002.

Some of the problems identified by Ms Smith in hiring such members of staff include the fact that they are working in unfamiliar circumstances and have little to no connection with the patients they are caring for.

"There is often scant ongoing training, no ethos of working in a team nor of striving for excellence," she remarked, adding that resorting to agencies in healthcare can be a "bad sign".

With regards to Ms Aylward, however, it has since transpired that she will not face criminal charges, although sister of the patient concerned Karren Reynolds is now considering legal action, the BBC reports.

26/10/2010 11:16