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Alarm at failure to inspect 60% of England homecare providers in four years or longer

Care leaders have warned of a serious safety risk as research revealed 60% of homecare providers had not been inspected for at least four years, or ever.

As the government prepares to receive a report on profound failings at its Care Quality Commission (CQC) that triggered the chief executive’s removal this summer and a public apology, the Homecare Association warned 37% of providers of domiciliary care services had not been rated for at least four years and 23% had never been rated.

Inspectors are supposed to check staff are caring, properly trained and not harming the vulnerable people they look after.

Dr Jane Townson, the chief executive of the Homecare Association, whose members look after about 800,000 people in England in their own homes, said: “Insufficient inspections are jeopardising service quality, safety and public confidence.

“The state of homecare regulation in England is like a ship taking on water, with a crew using buckets instead of pumps to bail it out. People relying on care services are at risk of being left adrift.”

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Source: The Guardian, 30 August 2024

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CCTV uncovers alleged child abuse at NHS funded private mental health hospital in Coventry

Children at an NHS funded private hospital allegedly suffered physical abuse at the hands of staff who were found on CCTV dragging patients around corridors, The Independent can reveal.

Joyce Parker Hospital in Coventry, run by Cygnet Health Care, has been sent an official warning by the Care Quality Commission after inspectors found CCTV evidence young patients had suffered physical abuse by staff.

The hospital, which has 22 mental health beds, has been told it failed to protect patients from “abuse and improper treatment”, in an official warning this month. Nine NHS patients are left in the unit although it is not clear how many the provider had at the time.

The West Midlands Police is currently investigating a number of allegations made about the hosptial, officials confirmed.

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Source: The Independent, 29 August 2024

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'Bionic' peer calls for better care for amputees

Former MP Craig Mackinlay, who lost his hands and feet after a life-threatening episode of sepsis, has urged the government to end what he says is a "postcode lottery" for amputee care.

Speaking as the Paralympics gets under way in Paris, Lord Mackinlay said he wanted to use the focus on the games to push the government to do more for people who lose limbs.

The former MP for South Thanet warned that NHS prosthetics currently on offer could leave people “in a pit of despair” while the ones he paid for privately made him "feel whole again”.

The Department of Health & Social Care has been approached for a comment.

The newly-appointed peer, who will be sworn into the Lords in October, said: “We need to do better. It’s 2024.

"We put a man on the moon 55 years ago. I can’t believe we still can’t get people the right prosthetic if they want it.”

In a direct message for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Lord Mackinlay said: “if you are going to keep people alive at great expense, then please spend that final bit of money to make whatever life you have after worth living.”

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Source: BBC News, 30 August 2024

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Trust investigating offensive comments by senior manager

A trust is investigating after videos emerged showing one of its senior managers making apparently racist and sexist remarks with colleagues on a work call

The recordings of the meeting of a team of Medway Foundation Trust staff have been seen by HSJ and discussed among campaigners on social media.

They show the senior manager, who is a director but not on the trust’s board, chatting with colleagues while waiting to begin a meeting, which they appear to be leading.

In one video, the participants are waiting to hear from a new colleague, and one of them says she has just eaten a KitKat chocolate bar.

As the senior manager introduces the new colleague – who appears to have a south Asian heritage – they say: “While we are all talking chocolate, can we just introduce…” then names the new colleague and their role. The colleague responds briefly to introduce themselves, and adds: “I’m also chocolate, apparently.”

While the remarks have been interpreted by campaigners as racist, HSJ has been unable to contact the individual concerned and it is unclear whether the remark was intended as a reference to the colleague’s ethnicity.

Professor Partha Kar, a leading campaigner against racism in the NHS, who was sent the videos, said on X, formerly Twitter, that they were “astonishing examples of sexism and racism”. He had been told staff felt concerns could not be raised internally “due to fear of reprisals”, he said.

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Source: HSJ, 29 August 2024

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NHS warns of continued short supply of blood

England's blood donor service has warned blood stocks are still in short supply as it launches a fresh appeal for donors, external.

Supplies of blood have improved since an "amber alert" in July but there is still a risk that the care of hospital patients could be impacted, officials said.

The number of people booking appointments to donate is dropping off over the coming months, said the service.

Young donors are urged to come forward, especially those with O negative blood type, and more donors of black heritage are also being sought to help treat patients with sickle cell disease.

In July, for only the second time in its history, the NHS warned hospitals that stocks of O-type blood - which can be given to the vast majority of patients - were running low enough to have an impact on patient treatment. This is known as an amber alert.

The NHS said it was due to a "perfect storm" of unfilled appointments at donor centres and increased demand following a cyber-attack, which affected services in London.

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Source: BBC News, 28 August 2024

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US hospital uses 3D holograms for doctor-patient consultations

A hospital in the US had introduced a lifesize hologram device to replace in-person visits and reduce patient wait times.

Patients at a Texas hospital who expect to see doctors in person now encounter doctors via 3D holograms.

The Holobox is a two-metre-plus device that projects a hologram of a doctor to conduct real-time consultations.

It was designed by Netherlands-based next-gen hologram company Holoconnects.

It is set to revolutionise patient care while reducing wait times and accommodating non-hands-on visits, such as consults or pre- and post-operative appointments.

Crescent Regional Hospital’s CEO Raji Kumar reports it is ‘much more engaging, interactive, and realistic than a Zoom or telehealth call’.

Collaborating with Holoconnects, the hospital sees itself as pioneering the future of healthcare with this innovation.

‘Now, you’re seeing the person as a whole. I’m able to see you as a whole. I can see you walk and talk; I can make you do certain tests, which I cannot do with a smaller screen,’ Kumar said.

Kumar reported that about 10 doctors have tested the device with around 15 patients, and despite its early stages, it has received positive feedback.

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Source: Surgery, 21 August 2024

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Ambulances ‘waste vital time’ on prison call-outs

Ambulance crews are wasting “significant” amounts of time being called out unnecessarily to prisons across England, the health safety watchdog has said.

One NHS trust told investigators it dealt with 5,000 calls to 999 from prison staff across its region in 2023.

Overall the research found that almost three in four calls from prisons did not need an ambulance response, compared with one in eight calls from the general population.

On one occasion, several crews, including an air ambulance, were dispatched to an “unresponsive” inmate who was thought to be unconscious, the watchdog said.

On arrival they found the patient was simply refusing to answer questions.

One anonymous paramedic told investigators that “we waste vital time driving to a prison for a call which then gets cancelled, and we’ve just added that time on to the response to someone who [really] needs us”.

The report by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), external found that prisons often encouraged a “low-risk response” when inmates were injured or fell ill.

Some prison control rooms were told to call 999 immediately and then wait for an on-site nurse to examine the patient, and then stand down the ambulance if it was not needed.

“You end up with a system that doesn't work for anybody,” said the HSSIB’s senior investigator Dave Fassam.

"It's putting pressure on prison staff who are very busy... and paramedics who don't want to be called to a scenario that doesn't warrant them being there."

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Source: BBC News, 29 August 2024

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‘I have had to wait over four years and counting to rid myself of excruciating vaginal mesh’

June Dunne used to love walking but she is now plagued by such excruciating pain that she can no longer manage a 20-minute stroll to her local supermarket.

“I am on morphine patches every day,” the 64-year-old, who is from Liverpool, tells The Independent. “It stops me from going on nice walks. I used to walk everywhere, but now I just potter around the house. I no longer walk to the shops. The supermarket is about a 20-minute walk - my son takes me in the car.”

Ms Dunne explains she got vaginal mesh implanted 14 years ago but the mesh did not work and has instead left her in agony - adding that she has been on a waiting list to have the mesh removed since 2019.

She is not alone; earlier in the month it emerged 140 women who experienced distressing side effects after getting vaginal mesh implants have won payouts expected to stretch into millions of pounds in England.

The women, whose case is the first successful group claim in England, have come to a settlement with the manufacturers Johnson & Johnson, Bard, and Boston Scientific but the exact amount of the payments is yet to be revealed. 

They claimed the implants, which are for stress urinary incontinence and prolapse, caused infection, bleeding, chronic pain, bladder and bowel perforations, and problems urinating, among other complications.

Many of the women were forced to have surgery to get the mesh removed and some still have ongoing issues as a result of the implants.

Lisa Lunt, partner at Pogust Goodhead, the law firm representing the women over the vaginal mesh claims, told The Independent: “Women implanted with transvaginal mesh have experienced years of chronic pain and suffering.

“Hundreds of women were prevented from making a claim due to strict 10-year time limits that are in force from the date that the product was manufactured. It’s about time that the government took action to increase the time limits."

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Source: The Independent, 28 August 2024

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Food allergy diagnoses in England doubled in a decade, say researchers

The number of people diagnosed with food allergies in England has more than doubled in a decade and a third of those with life-threatening reactions are not carrying adrenaline pens, research has revealed.

Experts at Imperial College London analysed GP records for 7 million people. The number of new food allergy cases increased from 76 per 100,000 people in 2008 to 160 per 100,000 people in 2018, they found. 

The highest food allergy prevalence was seen in children under the age of five, 4% of whom were affected. 

They also found that one in three patients who had previously experienced anaphylaxis – a life-threatening allergic reaction – did not have their own adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs).

The lead researcher, Dr Paul Turner, a professor of paediatric allergy at Imperial’s national heart and lung institute, said the results showed there was an “urgent need” to “better support GPs and primary care staff” to care for patients with food allergies.

“Food allergy can have a huge impact on people’s lives, and in some tragic cases, can cut lives short,” he said.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 August 2024

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Dissatisfaction with EHR increases nurses’ burnout risk

One long-term frustration for clinicians is the amount of time and effort it takes to document care or perform other administrative work in EHRs, which can contribute to burnout.

Thirty-three percent of nurses reported symptoms of burnout in the Klas survey, which included feedback from roughly 75,000 respondents. 

For example, nurses argue they face technological challenges, like slow loading times or unplanned system downtime. Forty percent of nurses reported their EHR doesn’t have the expected response time, while nearly a quarter said the record isn’t reliable. 

Even though nurse satisfaction with their health records has increased over the past three years, they still report insufficient training and system reliability problems that could contribute to burnout, according to the Klas report.

Training is also key to nurse satisfaction with their EHRs, but many nurses say their education was lacking —  nearly 40% reported their ongoing EHR education wasn’t sufficient, according to Klas.

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Source: Healthcare Dive, 22 August 2024

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NHS community diagnostic centres speeding up access to tests, survey finds

Patients are having important tests such as X-rays and scans more quickly thanks to the NHS’s rollout of a network of community diagnostic centres (CDCs), the health service’s patient champion has found.

The 160 CDCs now in operation across England have been opened over recent years to help patients get tested and diagnosed faster than by going to their GP or local hospital.

Louise Ansari, the chief executive of Healthwatch England, which surveyed patients’ experiences of using a CDC, said: “Our research shows that patients have had positive experiences of using community diagnostic centres, with timely, more personal and convenient care. Most of them received quicker tests and so had clarity on their diagnosis sooner.”

The survey found that most people appreciated the speed with which they were seen, the locations that are easy to reach and the service they received, and 87% said they had a positive experience.

Dr Bernie Croal, the president of the Royal College of Pathologists, said CDCs could save lives. He said they brought “real benefits to patients with quicker, easier access through a one-stop shop, leading to earlier diagnoses, better outcomes and lives saved”.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 August 2024

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Lucy Letby’s conviction leaves nurses ‘terrified’ to continue working for NHS

Ae group of registered and retired nurses, plus other healthcare and medical professionals have written an open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, warning that the Lucy Letby case has left them “terrified” to continue working in the NHS in case they are wrongly blamed for deaths in their care.

The group of 19 nurses argued that the recent convictions of Letby had “implications” for the nursing profession.

They have called for the Government to establish a royal commission to conduct a forensic examination of the evidence presented in the case.

In August last year, Letby was convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital. A retrial in July found her guilty of the attempted murder of another child.

But several scientists and doctors have since questioned the evidence, and there are concerns that not enough weight was given in the trial to levels of understaffing, poor practice and cramped conditions in the baby unit.

The letter says: “All of us are worried that this conviction is unsafe, and as a result we and many of our colleagues are now terrified to continue working in the NHS as we believe that next time it could be one of us who blamed for a failing system.

“We believe that flawed and unreliable scientific evidence was used to convict Ms Letby, and this is having a huge impact on the nursing profession.”

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Source: The Telegraph, 26 August 2024

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The impact of the North Bristol model across 40 trusts

Trusts which have adopted controversial “North Bristol-style” continuous flow models have seen mixed results, with the approach contributing to worsening performance in some places, research by HSJ suggests.

HSJ found that at least 41 trusts have adopted the North Bristol model, or similar approaches, and has analysed their ambulance handover and long accident and emergency waits performance – the key areas the model is designed to improve.

One leading A&E performance expert Steve Black, who helped develop HSJ’s methodology for the analysis, said the findings underlined that “the evidence we have seen so far that the North Bristol model has worked is not enormously strong”.

The analysis shows 19 of the trusts adopting versions of the model had fewer ambulance handover delays over 60 minutes in winter 2023-24 than in 2022-23 – but at 22 of the trusts there were more of these delays last winter.

This comes despite ambulance handover delays improving slightly in this period at a national level.

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Source: HSJ, 28 August 2024

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Regular inspections to be introduced at maternity wards in Scotland

Maternity units in Scotland will undergo unannounced inspections from the start of next year, it has been announced.

The move was recommended by experts after a number of spikes in the deaths of newborn babies in Scotland in recent years.

Routine inspections by Healthcare Improvement Scotland will begin in January, with the first report being published in April.

Families will be able to review the reports about the maternity wards which they are due to attend.

There have not been routine inspections of maternity units in Scotland until now, although they have been included in wider hospital inspections or been subject to specific assessments.

The introduction of routine, unannounced inspections in Scotland was one of the key recommendations of an independent review published in February.

It was carried out by retired consultant neonatologist Dr Helen Mactier, and looked at two spikes in the deaths of newborn babies over a six-month period in 2021/22.

The review estimated there had been 30 additional deaths of babies within 28 days of birth in 2021/22, compared to the previous four years.

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Source: BBC News, 26 August 2024

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Warnings AI tools used by government on UK public are ‘racist and biased’

Artificial intelligence and algorithmic tools used by central government are to be published on a public register after warnings they can contain “entrenched” racism and bias.

Officials confirmed this weekend that tools challenged by campaigners over alleged secrecy and a risk of bias will be named shortly. The technology has been used for a range of purposes, from trying to detect sham marriages to rooting out fraud and error in benefit claims.

The move is a victory for campaigners who have been challenging the deployment of AI in central government in advance of what is likely to be a rapid rollout of the technology in the public sector.

Caroline Selman, a senior research fellow at the Public Law Project (PLP), an access-to-justice charity, said there had been a lack of transparency on the existence, details and deployment of the systems. “We need to make sure public bodies are publishing the information about these tools, which are being rapidly rolled out. It is in everyone’s interest that the technology which is adopted is lawful, fair and non-discriminatory.”

The last government said in a consultation response on AI regulation in February that departments would be mandated to comply with the reporting standard. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) confirmed that departments would now report on use of the technology under the standard.

A DSIT spokesperson said: “Technology has huge potential to improve public services, but we know it’s important to maintain the right safeguards including, where appropriate, human oversight and other forms of governance.

“The algorithmic transparency recording standard is now mandatory for all departments, with a number of records due to be published shortly. We continue to explore how it can be expanded across the public sector. We encourage all organisations to use AI and data in a way that builds public trust through tools, guidance and standards.”

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Source: The Guardian, 25 August 2024

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Patients treating own wounds to avoid long A&E waits

Patients are treating their own wounds and making their own slings rather than face hours waiting at A&E, a survey suggests.

One in four adults said they needed to visit A&E in the past two years but decided not to go because it would take too long to be treated. Of these, more than half said they had suffered as a result, and one in three said they had treated a cut or wound themselves.

One in ten said they had put their arm or leg in a homemade sling, and one in five needed time off work to get better instead of getting treatment. The poll of 2,213 adults was commissioned by the Lib Dems, who said there was an “epidemic of DIY A&E”.

Waiting times to get seen in A&E have deteriorated significantly in recent years, with more than 120,000 a month having to wait at least 4 hours to be seen.

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Source: The Times, 26 August 2024

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NHS 111 offers new mental health service

People in crisis with mental health problems can now access services through NHS 111, giving them another way to get urgent help.

It makes the NHS in England one of the first countries to offer such a support service for mental health issues, as well as for physical problems.

The number connects to a local team of call handlers with mental health training, alongside nurses and clinicians who are available around the clock.

The team can organise a mental health assessment, send out a crisis team and flag up help available in the local area.

Demand for help with conditions such as depression and anxiety has been growing since the Covid pandemic.

Latest NHS figures show mental health services have treated an extra one million people a year compared with six years ago.

And the charity Mind estimates there are just under two million people on waiting lists for NHS mental health services.

The new integrated service can give patients of all ages, including children, the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place, says NHS director for mental health Claire Murdoch.

"So, if you or someone you know needs urgent mental health support, please call 111, and select the mental health option."

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Source: BBC News, 27 August 2024

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CQC to scrap ‘generic’ inspector model to fix ‘trust breakdown’

The Care Quality Commission is scrapping its “generic” inspection team model, which is unpopular with trust leaders, as it bids to recover credibility in the wake of a highly critical report on the organisation.

CQC interim CEO Kate Terroni told HSJ the new inspection team model would revert to giving trust CEOs one named inspector to raise concerns to, which has been the case in the past, in a bid to “build back trust”.

During an exclusive interview with HSJ, Ms Terroni also spoke up in support of the CQC’s controversial single-word ratings, which she said the public valued, and said she and her board colleagues must “fully own” past failures.

In a boost for the embattled regulator, Sir Jim Mackey has backed the change to the inspector team, adding the move would be a “helpful first step to rebuilding trust” with NHS leaders.

The CQC will also reverse its unpopular decision to split its inspector and assessor roles and return to having a single inspector completing “end-to-end” assessments.

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Source: HSJ, 27 August 2024

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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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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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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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© 2026 Patient Safety Learning. All rights reserved.

Patient Safety Learning is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission Registration number 1180689.

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