Challenging NHS hierarchy can save patients’ lives—I’ve seen how it saved my son (15 November 2023)

Summary

NHS hierarchies and paternalistic cultures can mean patients’ and families’ concerns are dismissed or undermined—but challenging them can be lifesaving. In this opinion piece for the BMJ, Zosia Kmietowicz shares the story of her son's experience at A&E, when a nurse intervened to question a doctor's treatment plan to ensure he received antibiotics for meningitis. She highlights the need for a system that allows staff to intervene when they are concerned, regardless of their status or position in the system.