Doctors failing to catch blood clots. Cancer being missed. Medicine given to patients who are allergic to it. Surgical equipment left inside patients.

We trust our lives to medical professionals to find out what’s wrong with us and help us get better, but sometimes the mistakes of medical staff can lead to dire consequences.

Thankfully, processes are in place to hold doctors, nurses and other staff accountable when things go wrong, and hopefully prevent mistakes from happening again.

We’re aware of many of these stories thanks to the Open Justice project which has been reporting on decisions made by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and the Health and Disability Commissioner.

Open Justice deputy editor Natalie Akoorie discusses what those organisations do, and how they can help you if your medical treatment causes you more harm than good.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Damien Venuto
Producers: Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

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When healthcare goes wrong: What you can do when medical staff make mistakes