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Deaths in England and Wales to be reviewed by senior doctor if not referred to coroner

The death certification system in England and Wales will get its biggest overhaul in decades next month, with a change designed to improve public protection.

Every death that has not been referred to a coroner will have to be referred to a medical examiner from 9 September, under regulations laid before parliament in April.

The new system will provide independent scrutiny and an opportunity for the bereaved to speak about care and treatment in the lead-up to a death. It is intended that the overhaul will give assurance to relatives and reduce the risk of NHS scandals or malicious action by medical practitioners.

Dr Alan Fletcher, the national medical examiner for England and Wales, said: “I am delighted that medical examiners will soon review every death in England and Wales not investigated by a coroner. The death certification reforms are a significant step towards ensuring serious issues are identified quickly and passed on for action.”

Medical examiners will be part of a national network of trained independent senior doctors, scrutinising all deaths that do not fall under a coroner’s jurisdiction. They will ensure the accuracy of the death certificate, establish whether the death should be referred to a coroner and whether there are any clinical governance concerns.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 August 2024

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UK patients going private to escape referrals ‘black hole’, say GPs

Patients are increasingly turning to private healthcare to escape a referrals “black hole”, GPs have warned, as the NHS struggles with a shortfall of available appointments.

The most recent figures show GP practices make about 400,000 referrals a month to outpatient clinics that are fully booked. Some patients will be able to choose an alternative provider, some will be booked at a later date, but many end up being bounced back to their local surgery.

GPs typically refer patients to ­outpatient clinics using the NHS e-referral service, which can also be used by the patient to book a suitable appointment. The most recent figures, for July, show there were more than one million appointments booked in England, but 407,173 cases in which no slots were available.

The number of unavailable slots has risen by 78% since July 2018, when the comparable figure was 227,937. There were severe shortages of appointments in orthopaedics, cardiology and diagnostic imaging.

Quoted in this article, Helen Hughes, Chief Executive of Patient Safety Learning, said there were concerns about the safety of patients unable to get timely specialist care. She said: “Patients waiting for care need to be monitored and reprioritised as their level of need is likely to change as they wait.”

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Source: The Observer, 25 August 2024

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Fifth of patients at two north of England surgeries have long Covid, study finds

One in five patients registered to a pair of GP surgeries in the north of England have Long Covid, according to a report that lays bare stark regional inequalities.

The north-west of England had higher than average numbers of people reporting Long Covid symptoms, with just over one in 20 people (5.5%), followed by the north-east and Yorkshire (5.1%).

According to the analysis, a fifth of patients at Parklands medical practice in Bradford and Margaret Thompson medical centre in Liverpool are living with Long Covid, and the 10 GP surgeries with the highest prevalence of Long Covid are in the north of England.

The report also found the prevalence of Long Covid among the most deprived areas of England was 6.3%, almost double the rate in the least deprived areas.

Dr Stephanie Scott, the lead author of the report and senior lecturer in public health at Newcastle University, said: “Long Covid is a complex condition that goes beyond physical and mental symptoms, affecting other parts of people’s lives including their sense of self and professional identity. This can then lead to experiences of social isolation.

“Currently, there is little evidence-based treatment for Long Covid and the health system focuses on symptom management. This needs to change. Our research has offered a glimpse into the reality of what it is like to live with this often-debilitating condition and the knock-on effects it has on people’s personal and professional lives."

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Source: The Guardian, 23 August 2024

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NHSE warns service will have to cut activity unless it gets more funding

NHS England has told the government that the service will have to “slow down” efforts to cut waiting lists without a fresh funding injection, HSJ has learned.

The warning comes with health service officials locked in discussions with ministers about their budget settlement, amid a deteriorating financial picture at local NHS bodies.

One source close to the negotiations said the NHS was overspending significantly and could not afford to keep on doing the same levels of elective activity. They said if the government could not find more money, “the reality is we will have to slow down”.

On top of this, NHSE and the government are currently determining how to deliver Labour’s manifesto commitment to deliver 40,000 extra appointments and procedures a week.

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Source: HSJ, 23 August 2024

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Whistleblowing nurse no longer trusts the NHS

A trust must pay a whistleblowing nurse £14,000 in damages and lost earnings, a judge has ordered. 

Mark Temperton won his whistleblowing case at an employment tribunal in May, but the full judgement has just been published.

Mr Temperon worked as a band five agency nurse for Blackstone Recruitment. He was booked to work a night shift in the Priesters psychiatric intensive care unit at Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust’s Atherleigh Park Hospital.

During the shift, a patient was brought in by the police and “immediately” put into seclusion because of staff shortages. Mr Temperton subsequently raised this as a concern with the nurse in charge and a locum consultant psychiatrist. However, the patient was kept in seclusion.

According to the Mental Health Act’s code of practice, seclusion “should not be used as a punishment or a threat, or because of a shortage of staff”. Serious concerns were also raised about the trust’s Edenfield Centre in September 2022 by BBC Panorama, one of these was the use of inappropriate seclusion.

After blowing the whistle, Mr Temperton was told he would be offered no more shifts at the hospital.

The tribunal heard that losing the shifts caused the claimant to ask himself “what have I done?” and to “question himself over whether he should have ever raised any concerns”.

Employment judge Holmes said: “The experience has left him nervous and too vulnerable to work as a nurse on any agency basis. He felt anxiety, a feeling of nervousness, fear for the future and dread.

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Source: HSJ, 23 August 2024

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CEO expresses ‘extreme concern’ about trust performance

An acute trust chief executive has warned that his organisation will struggle to “provide high-quality, timely, and financially affordable care” over the winter.

The alert was contained in a message from University Hospitals of Leicester Trust CEO Richard Mitchell to the trust’s system partners.

The large trust is among the worst performers against the four-hour accident and emergency target in England, and its emergency care pathway costs are already driving a deterioration in its financial deficit before the winter period.

He wrote: “I am extremely concerned about our ability to provide high-quality, timely, and financially affordable care to patients this year.” Stressing the urgency of the issue, Mr Mitchell added: “There are 48 days until the start of the NHS winter (1 October) and 145 days until Monday 6 January 2025, which is likely to be the most difficult day of the period.”

Speaking to HSJ, the UHL CEO said: “The UEC pathway is our greatest financial risk at UHL and any growth in demand has a negative impact on our financial position. Providing safe and effective patient care is our priority, and we were stretched to the limit in delivering that last winter. While the industrial action context has changed, and we have plans in place to improve flow and capacity, the overall picture is not different enough to alter our assessment that this year will be incredibly tough again. We need to be honest with our stakeholders and communities about that challenge.”

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Source: HSJ, 22 August 2024

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AI could help cut waiting times for joint replacements, research suggests

Artificial intelligence (AI) designed to identify patients needing joint replacement surgery could “significantly” cut waiting times, research suggests.

The study found AI can lower costs and improve surgical efficiency, which the lead researcher said could change the lives of those who have been stuck on waiting lists for years.

Luke Farrow, clinical research fellow from the University of Aberdeen who led the study, said: “We identified that the radiologist’s summary of X-ray findings can be successfully used to help predict which patients referred for consideration of hip replacement will go on to have surgery.

“This is the first comprehensive study to confirm the potential of artificial intelligence in this field.

“Using this AI tool in clinical practice would allow for rapid automated review of many patients which would likely significantly improve efficiency and reduce associated costs.

“This could change the lives of thousands of patients who have been waiting for years to reach the top of surgical lists.”

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Source: The Independent, 22 August 2024

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Suicide risk for female doctors 76% higher than general population

Suicide risk is significantly higher for female doctors compared with the general population, according to an analysis of evidence from 20 countries.

The researchers said that while suicide rates among doctors have declined over time, and risk varied across different countries and regions, the results highlighted a need for continued research and prevention efforts.

According to previous estimates, one doctor dies by suicide every day in the US, and about one every 10 days in the UK, but evidence on suicide rates for physicians is inconsistent across countries.

To address this, researchers led by the University of Vienna in Austria analysed the results of observational studies published between 1960 and 2024 that compared suicides rates among doctors with the general population.

The researchers found no overall increase in suicide risk for male doctors compared with the general population. For female doctors, however, suicide risk was significantly higher (76%) than the general population, the BMJ reported.

While there was no overall increase found among male physicians when compared with the general public, a separate analysis of the data revealed male doctors did have a higher risk of suicide compared with other professional groups with “similar socioeconomic status”.

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Source: The Guardian, 21 August 2024

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GP practice staff 'faced Islamophobic death threat' during riots

A GP practice was forced to shut its doors after a man threatened to kill a member of staff at the height of Islamophobic and racist rioting earlier this month, GPonline has learned.

The incident took place during the week beginning 5 August, according to British Islamic Medical Association president Dr Salman Waqar. He said he had heard from a fellow GP - who did not want to be named - that a man entered a practice, saw two members of staff, who are from ethnic minorities, and said: ‘I want to kill that Muslim man’. Police were called, the practice closed its doors for the day and staff worked from home. 

Dr Waqar, who is also a GP, told GPonline that "this kind of incident is obviously racist and it is very clear that it is Islamophobic". He warned that people working in general practice who are Muslim and from ethnic minorities - who may not have been personally on the receiving end of verbal and physical abuse during the riots - are still suffering from the psychological after-effects.

He said that most people were 'appalled and horrified' by the rioting seen in parts of the UK - but warned that there was a need to talk about the fact that these events had left people who are Muslim and from ethnic minorities second-guessing whether they were safe.

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Source: GPonline, 19 August 2024

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‘Patient safety must be central to design, development and rollout of EPR systems’

When safely implemented, electronic patient record (EPR) systems can help to support and improve care and treatment.

However, in recent years there has been growing awareness of the significant patient safety risks also associated with their implementation and use.

In a new report recently published, Patient Safety Learning makes the case that patient safety can, and must, be put firmly at the heart of the design, development and rollout of EPR systems.

Drawing on examples from the NHS and the findings of an expert roundtable, the report sets out the key patient safety risks associated with choosing and introducing new EPR systems.

Commenting on the report, Patient Safety Learning chief executive Helen Hughes said: “EPR systems have significant potential to improve patient care and treatment.

“However, we are increasingly seeing cases where poor implementation of these new systems results in direct and indirect harm to patients.

“If we are to fully realise their benefits, patient safety must be at the heart of their design, development and rollout.

“To ensure the safety of EPR systems, it is vital that patient safety incidents associated with them are reported and acted upon.

“We need more transparency in reporting and sharing knowledge, of both errors and examples of good practice.

“We hope that this report can kick off an informed and transparent debate about these issues, leading to action that supports the safer implementation of EPR systems and reduces avoidable harm.”

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Source: Health Tech World, 21 August 2024

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Indian medics step up strike in protest at doctor’s rape and murder

All hospital services in India except for emergency care will shut down on Saturday as doctors escalate their protest over the rape and murder of a colleague by calling for a nationwide strike.

A strike that doctors started on Monday was more limited, affecting only government hospitals and elective surgeries. The one on Saturday, called by the Indian Medical Association, will cause massive disruption for 24 hours. All outpatient services and treatment in government and private hospitals will be cancelled.

Dr Johnrose Jayalal, the president of the association, said public anger was so high that the association felt compelled to intensify the strike – thought to be the biggest in a decade – to force the government to act. “Look, 50% of doctors are women, 90% of nursing staff are women. We want the government to take responsibility for ensuring their safety by declaring hospitals as protection zones [with security measures], just like airports and the courts,” he said.

Jayalal added that doctors were deeply concerned over the safety of female doctors and rising levels of violence generally against all doctors by patients’ families. There have been cases of doctors being beaten up when a patient has died.

A 31-year-old doctor was raped and murdered last week in a seminar room at RG Kar hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, when she went to rest at night during a long shift. A man who worked informally at the hospital has been arrested and charged with the crime.

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Source: The Guardian, 16 August 2024

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Data on weight loss jab link to suicidal thoughts needs ‘urgent clarification’

Data that suggests a weight loss jab may be linked to people having suicidal thoughts needs urgent clarification, experts have said.

According to a new study, figures from a World Health Organization (WHO) database suggest a bigger proportion of reports about the drug semaglutide (Wegovy) mentioned suicidal thoughts.

This is when compared to liraglutide (another weight loss drug, also known as Saxenda).

This study using the WHO database found a signal of semaglutide-associated suicidal ideation, which warrants urgent clarification

This was particularly the case among patients who also reported taking antidepressants, the study found.

The researchers of the study, published in Jama Network Open, say the findings warrant “urgent clarification”.

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Source: The Independent, 20 August 2024

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Trust to review year-long waiters after woman’s death

A mental health trust will review patients not seen by its services for more than a year after a woman died having waited 13 months for a follow-up appointment. 

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust is set to scrutinise patient records of all those who have not been seen by trust staff in more than 12 months, according to a coroner’s report.

Assistant coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, Adam Hodson, said the review was taking place in a prevention of future deaths report issued after the death of Juliette Sewell.

Ms Sewell was reported missing on Valentine’s Day this year and was found dead two days later.

The 36-year-old had a history of mental illness since 2010 and had been under the care of BSMHFT and her GP.

At the time of her death on 16 February, Ms Sewell had been awaiting a follow-up appointment with BSMHFT’s mental health team since January 2023, which had been delayed due to staffing shortages.

Although the coroner said it was unlikely her death could have been prevented, he felt there was a risk of future deaths and said an incident review carried out by the trust after Ms Sewell’s death had mentioned a wider investigation.

He said the trust had “confirmed that a review of Rio records was being undertaken of those who have not been seen in more than 12 months, with actions to be identified”.

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Source: HSJ, 21 August 2024

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Clapping NHS like a ‘national religion’ is dangerous, health watchdog warns

Clapping the NHS during the pandemic may have had “dangerous” consequences by insulating it from criticism, the health ombudsman has suggested.

Rebecca Hilsenrath warned against treating the health service as a “national religion” as she called on its leaders to radically overhaul the culture and listen to those it fails.

She also accused the NHS of “doubly traumatising” those who had lost loved ones by refusing to even acknowledge the harm caused.

Ms Hilsenrath’s office has submitted evidence to an investigation of the NHS, led by Prof Lord Darzi, which is due to be published next month.

It shows a near 50 per cent rise in complaints about the NHS to the ombudsman – the highest authority for unresolved grievances – since 2020/21.

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Source: Telegraph, 17 August 2024

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140 women in England receive payout for vaginal mesh implant complications

More than 100 women who suffered traumatic complications after having vaginal mesh implants have received payouts in the first successful group claim in England.

The Guardian understands that 140 women have reached an undisclosed settlement with the manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Bard and Boston Scientific. The total sum is expected to run into millions of pounds, although the size of the total and individual payments has not been shared.

The women claimed that the implants, used to treat stress urinary incontinence and prolapse, caused complications including chronic pain, bladder and bowel perforations, bleeding and mesh eroding through the vaginal wall. Many of the women underwent subsequent revision surgeries to remove the mesh and some continue to struggle with pain and other problems.

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Source: Guardian, 19 August 2024

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Government announces lifetime support for infected blood scandal victims


Victims of the infected blood scandal can receive support for life, while those who were subjected to “unethical” research will get up to £15,000 extra, under changes to a multibillion-pound compensation plan.

Payouts under the scheme will start by the end of the year for survivors, and by next year for affected people such as family members under a second set of regulations. Claims for those who have already died – of which there are more than 3,000 – because of the disaster can be made through their estate.

Support scheme payments – including for bereaved partners – will continue for life as part of the plan, the Government said, as it announced it had accepted the “majority” of recommendations from an independent review.

Victims who were used for research without their knowledge will also be eligible for an extra £10,000, with a higher award of £15,000 for those who underwent treatment as children in a notorious case at Lord Mayor’s Treloar’s College.

Infected people – both living and dead – will start receiving payments through the new framework by the end of this year, while for others affected by the scandal, payments will begin in 2025, the Cabinet Office said on Friday.

It comes after senior barrister and interim chairman of the compensation authority Sir Robert Francis KC made 74 proposals to address concerns with the current compensation plans.

These included an enhanced award for those involved in a “particularly egregious” case of unethical testing at the Treloar school and an increase in the “social impact” payment for some of those affected. Pupils at the college were treated for haemophilia using plasma blood products infected with HIV and hepatitis, and NHS clinicians continued with treatments to further their medical research despite knowing the dangers, the Infected Blood Inquiry found.

Jason Evans, who set up the Factor 8 campaign group after losing his father to the scandal aged four, said: “Compensation for those impacted by the infected blood scandal has taken far too long and too many have died waiting.

“Today, the picture of what compensation might look like has become clearer, and now it must be delivered.”

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Source: Medscape, 16 August 2024

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New covid vaccines for summer variants slated for approval late next week

Federal authorities are preparing to approve updated coronavirus vaccines targeting the latest virus variants late next week, a move that could make shots available before Labor Day, according to a federal health official and a person familiar with the plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential process.

The mRNA shots manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna designed to target the KP.2 variant can hit the market within days of approval by the Food and Drug Administration. A third protein-based vaccine made by Novavax, preferred by people who are cautious about mRNA vaccines or who have had bad reactions to them, will probably take longer to be approved and will be distributed in subsequent weeks, according to the federal health official.

The arrival of new vaccines comes three months after the start of a summer covid wave that is receding in some places.

The timing of the release is too late for Americans who were looking to shore up their immunity before summer travel and the return of the school year, or for those who face heightened risk because of their age or underlying conditions. In recent weeks, some people weighed whether to get an outdated vaccine for partial protection more quickly or to hang on for the updated version. And those who didn’t want to wait discovered existing shots were no longer easy to find.

“That’s simply unfortunate timing, given the high levels of covid-19 circulating now and the large number of vulnerable people due for vaccination who didn’t get it months ago and are now motivated and anxious,” said Kelly Moore, president and CEO of Immunize.org, an organization that educates clinicians about vaccines.

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Source: Washington Post, 16 August 2024

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Targets ‘too constrictive’ as health expectancy gap widens

System leaders have warned that too many nationally set targets focusing on acute trusts are “constricting” efforts to tackle widening gaps in healthy life expectancy.

An NHS Confederation and Institute for Public Policy Research report published today  shows the gap in health life expectancy – the number of years a person can expect to live in full health – has now grown to more than 20 years between local authorities across the UK.

System leaders told the report, which has been shared with HSJ, that national targets for ICSs too focused on acute rather than preventive outcomes are “constricting change” around improving health expectancy.

The report adds that a “smaller set of targets may be beneficial” to tackle the widening health expectancy gap between local areas. 

It says: “Despite rhetoric on subsidiarity, local systems are still subject to a proliferation of targets. In turn, those targets tend to be focused on acute rather than preventative outcomes, constricting change.”

The report engaged with four integrated care systems – West Yorkshire, North East London, Sussex and Coventry and Warwickshire – and the Hywel Dda University Health Board in Wales. It found that health inequalities are “highly localised” meaning that systems are key to progress. 

However, it argued that ICS long-term working can be “blown off course by what politicians see as burning priorities”. This is usually waiting lists and emergency department performance “rather than population health outcomes that take time to change and deliver prosperity. High turnover of health secretaries, short-termism in Treasury and the politicisation of the NHS are all challenges here. Providing long-term funding, space to experiment and political acknowledgement that real change takes time would be useful,” the report continued.

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Source: HSJ, 16 August 2024

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Mpox: People urged to get vaccine before travelling to impacted areas of Africa

People travelling to areas affected by the recent mpox outbreak in Africa have been urged to get vaccinated by the EU’s public health body.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) updated its advice to people going to “epidemic areas” to “consult their healthcare provider or travel health clinic regarding eligibility for vaccination against mpox”.

The alert comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency as cases of the disease surge. This week WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the emergence and spread of a new variant of mpox as “very worrying”.

More than 17,000 mpox cases and at least 571 deaths have been confirmed in Africa this year alone, and at least two cases have now been confirmed outside of the continent.

A new strain, named clade 1, has been identified and is spreading through physical contact. WHO says it has been identified in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – all countries that have never reported cases of mpox before.

One case of this new strain has now been detected in Sweden, the country’s public health agency has confirmed. They say the person, who is now in isolation, had contracted it during a stay in an African country where other cases have been reported.

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches. People with more serious cases can develop characteristic lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

Pamela Rendi-Wagner, director of ECDC, said: “As a result of the rapid spread of this outbreak in Africa, ECDC has increased the level of risk for the general population in the EU/EEA and travellers to affected areas. Due to the close links between Europe and Africa, we must be prepared for more imported clade I cases.”

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Source: Independent, 19 August 2024

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Eating disorders in children double in eight years

The number of children being treated for an eating disorder has doubled over the past eight years, with some waiting more than a year for treatment, NHS data has revealed.

In the past school year there were 10,606 children beginning treatment for an eating disorder, compared with 5,240 patients in 2016-17.

Waiting times for treatment are rising, with 12 per cent waiting more than three months for an appointment, compared with 1 per cent three years ago, according to information disclosed by the House of Commons Library. It is three times longer than the NHS waiting times standard, which states that children should wait no longer than four weeks for treatment to commence and no longer than one week following an urgent referral.

However, some are waiting for more than a year. The longest time that a patient spent on the waiting list to receive treatment for their eating disorder was 378 days at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, according to data uncovered by Freedom of Information requests submitted by the Liberal Democrats.

The Lib Dems are pushing to establish walk-in mental health hubs for young people in every community and mental health professionals in every primary and secondary school.

Hope Virgo, a mental health campaigner who survived anorexia and founded the DumpTheScales campaign, said many medical professionals do not believe children when they come for help. “Through my campaigning every day I hear more and more stories of young people and adults being diagnosed with eating disorders and unable to get support,” she said. “People with eating disorders are often being told they are not sick enough for treatment and by the time they come back for support, they are told they are too sick.”

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Source: The Times, 19 August 2024

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In conversation with Hope Virgo: “The withdrawal of treatment from people with eating disorders is a national crisis that’s being ignored.”

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GPs at 'breaking point' say they must cap appointments - but could it harm patients?

GPs in England have launched a work-to-rule action in a dispute with the government over what they say is a lack of funding. It threatens to bring chaos to the system.

The British Medical Association (BMA) announced the action earlier this month, and surgeries are now taking a variety of steps, with some limiting the number of patients each GP can see to 25 per day. That could reduce the number of available appointments by a third.

But with many patients already finding it difficult to get to see a doctor, there's increasing concern it could put patients at risk.

Dr Tom Gorman says taking part in the work-to-rule is a last resort, but he feels compelled to do it to protect his patients. The 41-year-old has been a GP for eight years and says the system is at “breaking point”. He said, “We can't deliver for our patients. They’re struggling to get appointments. We don't want to take action but we’re being forced to protect our patients and staff.”

As a partner in a practice in Newcastle, Dr Gorman is in charge of deciding what action to take next. That is because GPs are effectively independent businesses – so this is not a strike or campaign of industrial action in the traditional sense.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has suggested GPs can pick-and-choose from a range of options. These include capping the number of patients that are seen each day, not doing tests and check-ups for hospitals, ignoring rationing guidelines which could result in a deluge of referrals for hospital care, and refusing data-sharing requests.

NHS England has warned this work-to-rule action could push more people into seeking help from A&Es as well as having a wider impact on the system, such as delaying discharges from hospital.

And patient watchdog Healthwatch England believes this could ultimately harm patients. “GP access is the most common issue we hear about," says chief executive Louise Ansari. “We’re worried the work-to-rule could make problems worse or even deter people from seeking help altogether. Any delay to care can have a huge impact on people’s physical and mental health.”

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Source: BBC News, 19 August 2024

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NHS commits to ending deadly delays in Parkinson medication

The NHS has committed to ending deadly delays in giving “time critical” medication to Parkinson’s patients in hospital, The Telegraph can reveal.

The health service announced a three-year “medicines safety improvement programme” to improve how prescribed drugs for hospital inpatients with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy are managed.

It comes after The Telegraph exposed that tens of thousands of patients with Parkinson’s were being put at risk of “irreversible harm” because NHS staff were not giving them critical medication on time.

Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, has intervened and the health service will incorporate the issue into its patient safety strategy, in a move backed across the sector.

“People who need time critical medicines should be able to receive them on time and safely when in hospital,” Sir Stephen said.

“We have included time critical medicines as part of the national patient safety strategy and we are very committed to this work.”

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Source: The Telegraph, 15 September 2024

Further reading on the hub:

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Inquiry into Welsh healthcare-acquired Covid cases concludes

Investigations into the unusually high number of healthcare-acquired COVID-19 incidents recorded during the pandemic's onset have concluded, says NHS Wales.

Between March 2020 and April 2022, there were 18,360 suspected cases of healthcare-acquired COVID-19 in Wales. Despite being in healthcare settings, patients in hospitals and other in-patient environments faced an increased risk of hospital-acquired COVID-19. 

In response to this, the National Nosocomial COVID-19 Programme was set up in April 2022 as a collective membership of health boards and trusts in Wales, supported by the NHS Wales Executive. Following the review process, a new report from NHS Wales has identified a number of 'national learning themes' which include the benefits of bereavement support, and the importance of clear family communication in times of restricted visits.

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Source: South Wales Argus, 15 August 2024

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ICB pauses ADHD referrals to service for many adults as expansion is ‘unaffordable’

A mental health trust has stopped accepting ADHD referrals for many adults, after integrated care board chiefs warned it was “unaffordable” to expand the service due to financial pressures, HSJ understands.

Adults referred in Hertfordshire will now only be taken on by Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust’s ADHD service if their case is considered complex, despite soaring demand. 

The move comes as Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, which commissions services in Hertfordshire, told HSJ that the scale of increased commissioning required to cope with “unprecedented demand” in the adult ADHD service was “unaffordable”, given its deficit position. 

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Source: HSJ News, 15 August 2024

Related reading

Long waits for ADHD diagnosis and treatment are a patient safety issue (Patient Safety Learning, 15 May 2023)

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NHS plans review of adult gender services following Cass criticisms

The NHS has set out plans for a review into the safety of adult gender services, in response to detailed concerns raised by the author of the Cass Report on gender care for children and young people.

Dr Hilary Cass, the leading consultant paediatrician, listed 16 separate points of concern about the quality of treatment being offered to adults with gender dysphoria in a strongly worded letter to NHS England.

In response, NHS officials have committed to expediting a review of these services, and announced that clinic inspections would begin in September.

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Source: The Guardian, 15 August 2024

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