PATIENTS and their families are being advised by a Dorset law firm to keep their own written records of what goes on in hospital.

Coles Miller partner David Simpson spoke out following the publication of the Berwick Report into standards of care.

Its author Professor Don Berwick, a former health advisor to US President Barack Obama, says the NHS must work with patients, stop blaming staff and use targets with caution. Mr Simpson urged patients and carers: “Find out more information and also keep a diary of what happens to you in hospital.

“Families need to keep a record of the number of nurses on duty. The issue is if something goes wrong and there are not enough staff to deal with emergencies. There must be guaranteed number of nurses and safe levels of staff on duty at any one time.”

While applauding the aims of the Berwick Report, he warned: “Implementing the recommendations is going to take a huge amount of finance, resources and retraining.”

Coles Miller solicitors in Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset handle claims for clinical negligence from all over the UK, and recovered almost £204,000 in compensation for medical negligence clients in June and July. The number of cases it handles more than doubled in the last year.