By Dean Eastmond

Bournemouth University’s Professor Edwin van Teijlingen featured on BBC Radio Solent, explaining his views on a new report looking at the NHS and patient safety.

The major report by Professor Don Berwick into the NHS suggested the introduction of a lawful offence if a nurse, doctor or medical worker is found to willfully neglect a patient.

Professor van Teijlingen, who researches public health, was interviewed on the BBC Radio Solent Drivetime show about the report.

“Lots of the mistakes the NHS makes that have been in the news in the past ten years or so are mistakes of the system not an individual,” he told presenter Steve Harris.

“They are not bad nurses or doctors or healthcare professionals doing things wrong. They are problems in the system.”

He continued: “I would agree that we need a minimum of nurses on a particular kind of ward for the staff to be available for proper care,”

But he added that, just as important as the number of staff were the jobs that they were having to fulfil, saying: “more and more of the staff time is spent on filling in forms and bureaucracy.”

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.