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Physician associate law may confuse patients, says BMA

The House of Lords is being urged to throw out plans for non-doctor associate roles to be licensed by the same body as doctors.

Under a planned new law, physician associates (PAs) will be regulated by the General Medical Council (GMC).

The British Medical Association (BMA) believes this could lead to patients confusing the different roles, which it says could have "tragic consequences".

There are about 3,200 PAs working in GP surgeries and hospitals in England, with 10,000 more planned in the next decade or so.

They were introduced to help doctors with their work - examining and diagnosing patients and discussing treatments with them - although PAs are currently unregulated.

Unlike doctors, they do not have to hold a medical degree, but they usually have a degree in a life science and have to undertake a two-year training course.

The BMA, the union representing doctors in the UK, believes that regulation by the GMC could lead to a "blurring of the lines" between PAs and doctors.

In an open letter to the House of Lords ahead of a debate on Monday, the BMA's chairman Prof Phil Banfield said: "PAs are not doctors. They do not hold a medical degree and are not medically trained, despite misleading statements made by some.

"We know that patients are already confused about telling the difference between PAs and doctors, and this legislation will make this problem worse.

"Keeping the GMC as the regulator exclusively of doctors would mean we retain the clear distinction between doctors and PAs."

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Source: BBC News, 25 February 2024

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Hospital IT system warning after 'preventable' death

A coroner has issued a warning over a hospital’s new computer system after the death of a 31-year-old woman.

Emily Harkleroad collapsed on 18 December 2022 and was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, where she died the next morning from a pulmonary embolism – a clot on the lung.

The assistant coroner for County Durham and Darlington concluded, on balance, that Ms Harkleroad’s death could have been prevented, external. She also noted computer system concerns had been raised by a number of clinicians.

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Source: BBC News, 24 February 2024

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Seeing same GP ‘improves patient health and cuts workload of doctors’

Seeing the same GP improves patients’ health, reduces doctors’ workloads and could free up millions of appointments, according to the largest study of its kind.

Research has previously suggested there may be benefits to seeing the same family doctor. But studies have mostly been small or covered a short period of time. Now University of Cambridge and Insead business school researchers have analysed data from 10m consultations over more than a decade in the most authoritative study on the issue yet.

They found that if all GP practices moved to a model where patients saw the same doctor at each visit, it would significantly reduce doctors’ workloads while improving patient health. Multiple benefits emerged when patients had a long-term relationship with their doctor, researchers found.

Seeing the same GP – known as continuity of care – meant people waited on average 18% longer between visits, compared with patients who saw different doctors.

People did not take up more GP time in each consultation and the findings were particularly strong for older patients, those with multiple chronic illnesses, and people with mental health conditions.

Although it will not always be possible for people to see their regular GP, researchers said the findings would translate to an estimated 5% reduction in consultations if all practices provided the level of continuity of care of the best 10% of practices. That suggests millions of appointments could be freed up.

The researchers added: “Importantly, if patients receiving care from their regular doctors have longer intervals between consultations without requiring longer consultations, then continuity of care can potentially allow physicians to expand their patient list without increasing their time commitment.”

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Source: The Guardian, 23 February 2024

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Black children suffer ‘more complications’ after appendicitis surgery

Black children in the UK are four times more likely to experience complications after appendicitis surgery than their white counterparts, a study has found.

The study, funded by the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, looked at 2,799 children from 80 hospitals across the UK aged under 16 who had surgery for suspected appendicitis between November 2019 and January 2022.

Of these, 185 children (7%) developed postoperative complications within 30 days of the surgery. Three-quarters of these complications were related to the wound, while a quarter were respiratory, urinary or catheter-related or of unknown origin.

The study found that black children had a four times greater risk of experiencing complications after the operation, and that this risk was independent of the child’s socioeconomic status and health history.

Appendicitis is one of the most common paediatric surgical emergency with 10,000 performed every year. The authors said that this was the first study to look at the demographic differences of postoperative complication rates in regards to appendicitis.

The researchers said they could not draw firm conclusions regarding why black children had worse outcomes after this type of emergency surgery, and that this apparent health inequality “requires urgent further investigation and development of interventions aimed at resolution”.

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Source: The Guardian, 22 February 2024

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Scotland's NHS cannot meet growing demand, warns watchdog

Scotland's NHS is unable to meet the growing demand for health services, a spending watchdog has warned.

A review by Audit Scotland said the increased pressure on the NHS was now having a direct impact on patient safety and experience.

The watchdog also claimed there was no "overall vision" for the future of the health service.

The annual report on the state of Scotland's health service highlighted that the NHS was facing soaring costs, patients were waiting longer to be seen and there were not enough staff.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said this had "added to the financial pressures on the NHS and, without reform, its longer-term affordability".

He added: "Without change, there is a risk Scotland's NHS will take up an ever-growing chunk of the Scottish budget. And that means less money for other vital public services.

"To deliver effective reform the Scottish government needs to lead on the development of a clear national strategy for health and social care.

"It should include investment in measures that address the causes of ill-health, reducing long-term demand on the NHS."

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Source: BBC News, 22 February 2024

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Baby loss certificates introduced in England

Bereaved parents who lose a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy in England can now receive a certificate in recognition of their loss.

Ministers say they have listened to bereaved parents who have gone through the painful experience of miscarriage.

Campaigners said they were "thrilled" that millions of families would finally get the formal acknowledgement that their baby existed.

All parents who have experienced baby loss since September 2018 can apply.

They should visit the gov.uk website - applicants must be at least 16 years old, have been living in England at the time of the loss and be one of the baby's parents or surrogate.

In Wales, there are plans to deliver a similar scheme. 

Babies who are born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy are called stillbirths, and their deaths are officially registered. But this does not happen for babies who die before that stage.

Pregnancy loss or miscarriage before 24 weeks is the most common complication of pregnancy, experienced by an estimated one in five women in the UK.

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Source: BBC News, 21 February 2024

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Long Covid ‘brain fog’ may be due to leaky blood-brain barrier, study finds

From forgetfulness to difficulties concentrating, many people who have Long Covid experience “brain fog”. Now researchers say the symptom could be down to the blood-brain barrier becoming leaky.

The barrier controls which substances or materials enter and exit the brain. “It’s all about regulating a balance of material in blood compared to brain,” said Prof Matthew Campbell, co-author of the research at Trinity College Dublin.

“If that is off balance then it can drive changes in neural function and if this happens in brain regions that allow for memory consolidation/storage then it can wreak havoc.”

Writing in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Campbell and colleagues report how they analysed serum and plasma samples from 76 patients who were hospitalised with Covid in March or April 2020, as well 25 people before the pandemic.

Among other findings, the team discovered that samples from the 14 Covid patients who self-reported brain fog contained higher levels of a protein called S100β than those from Covid patients without this symptom, or people who had not had Covid.

This protein is produced by cells within the brain, and is not normally found in the blood, suggesting these patients had a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier.

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Source: The Guardian, 22 February 2024

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Health secretary urges patients to report ‘horrific’ sexual abuse allegations

Health secretary Victoria Atkins has said mental health patients and staff must report the “horrific” sexual abuse allegations uncovered by The Independent to the police.

Ms Atkins said victims would have her full support if they reported their claims to the police.

Her intervention comes following a joint investigation by The Independent and Sky News, which revealed almost 20,000 reports of sexual harassment and abuse on NHS mental health wards in England.

The allegations uncovered include patients claiming to have been raped by staff and other patients while being treated on mental health wards.

In response to the initial investigation, Ms Atkins said a review launched last year into mental health services would now also look into sexual assault within the sector.

Speaking on Sky News, she said: “These are horrific allegations that should not and must not happen in our care. Very, very vulnerable people have to stay in mental health inpatient facilities, and they do so because they need care, support, and treatment.

“Some of the behaviours that have come to light are criminal offences, and so I would encourage anyone who feels able to – and I appreciate it is a difficult step – to go to the police and please report them, because they are crimes and we must drive them out.”

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Source: The Independent, 21 February 2024

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Doctors tore down posters offering Martha’s Rule-style rights, teenager’s mother claims

Doctors tore down posters offering patients a secondary care review if they were worried about their condition in hospital, the mother of a teenager who died of sepsis claimed.

Merope Mills, who has campaigned for a similar policy called “Martha’s Rule” named after her 13-year-old daughter, claimed a small minority of “bad actors” in hospitals risked slowing down the initiative.

It comes as NHS England announced 100 hospitals with critical care units will be invited to sign up for the policy, which will be rolled out from April this year.

Martha died from sepsis in 2021 after staff at King’s College Hospital failed to move her to intensive care despite her family warning them her condition had deteriorated.

“When something similar to Martha’s Rule was introduced to Royal Berkshire Hospital, doctors actually pulled down the posters advertising the service to patients because they hated the idea of giving patients this kind of power,” Mrs Mills told the Today Programme.

“A small minority of bad actors whose arrogance, complacency or pride stops them listening and doing the right thing and that is what we are trying to challenge with Martha’s Rule. There are pockets of damaging cultures in hospitals around the country. Sometimes it is not a whole hospital, sometimes it is just a ward in a hospital, sometimes it is just a particular individual on a ward in a hospital.”

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Source: The Independent, 21 February 2024

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The mothers fighting a scandal bigger than thalidomide: ‘We were told the medication was safe’

In 2009, Emma Murphy took a phone call from her sister that changed her life. “At first, I couldn’t make out what she was saying; she was crying so much,” Murphy says. “All I could hear was ‘Epilim’.” This was a brand name for sodium valproate, the medication Murphy had been taking since she was 12 to manage her epilepsy.

Her sister explained that a woman, Janet Williams, on the local news had claimed that taking the drug during her pregnancies had harmed her children. She was appealing for other women who might have experienced this to come forward.

Murphy found the news segment that evening and watched it. “I was just stunned,” she says. “Watching that, I knew. I knew there and then that my children had been affected.”

At that point, Murphy was a mother to five children, all under six, and married to Joe, a taxi driver in Manchester. “My kids are fabulous, all of them, but I’d known for years that something was wrong,” she says. “They weren’t meeting milestones. There was delayed speech, slowness to crawl, not walking. There was a lot of drooling – that was really apparent. They were poorly, with constant infections. I was always at the doctors with one of them."

A call between Murphy and Janet Williams was the start of an incredible partnership. It led to the report published this month by England’s patient safety commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, which recommended a compensation scheme for families of children harmed by valproate taken in pregnancy. Hughes has suggested initial payments of £100,000 and described the damage caused by the drug as “a bigger scandal than thalidomide”. It is estimated that 20,000 British children have been exposed to the drug while in the womb.

Williams and Murphy have campaigned relentlessly to reach this point. It is by no means the endpoint – even now, an estimated three babies are born each month having been exposed to the drug. Together, the women formed In-Fact (the Independent Fetal Anti Convulsant Trust) to find and support families like theirs. They were instrumental in the creation of an all-party parliamentary group to raise awareness in government. 

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Source: The Guardian, 22 February 2024

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'Catastrophic' consequences after oxygen error

A patient in north Wales suffered "catastrophic" consequences when staff didn't connect their oxygen supply correctly.

The Betsi Cadwaladr health board, which was caring for the patient at the time, is investigating and says it was one of a small number of recent similar incidents.

But it refused to say whether the patient died, or to explain what the “catastrophic” consequences were.

It says it is working to improve staff training to avoid similar incidents happening again.

On Tuesday, Wales' health minister Eluned Morgan said the health board still had "a lot to do," before it could be taken out of special measures.

A report to the committee said: “Further patient safety incidents have occurred in the health board related to the preparation and administration of oxygen using portable cylinders.

“On review, the cylinder had not been prepared correctly, resulting in no flow of oxygen to the patient.

“One incident had a catastrophic outcome and is under investigation.”

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Source: BBC News, 20 February 2024

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Medicine shortages ‘around double what they were a year ago’

Medicine shortages have increased and are “around double what they were a year ago”, it has been claimed.

Speaking to the Health and Social Care Committee on Monday, Mark Samuels, chief executive of the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA), said they have been highlighting the medicine shortage risk to ministers since July 2021 and the BGMA is “very concerned about it”.

He said: “We’ve been monitoring it for several years now, and as you saw in the written evidence, shortages have increased.

“They’re around double what they were a year ago. We have them at 101 shortages in February this year.”

We've just been hearing devastating stories from people about the emotional toll it's sort of taking on them not being able to access vital medications.

The shortage of certain medications “continues to be challenging”, Dr Rick Greville, director of distribution and supply at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), told the committee.

But when asked if the shortage is getting better or worse, he said it is “difficult to know as to whether it is increasing significantly, but certainly it’s a long-standing issue”.

Meanwhile, there is “serious concern” about the potential harm to people with diabetes due to a shortage of medication, the committee was told.

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Source: Evening Standard, 20 February 2024

Have you (or a loved one) ever been prescribed medication that you were then unable to get hold of at the pharmacy? 

To help us understand how these issues impact the lives of patients and families, please share your experience and insights in our community thread on the topic: 

Medication supply issues: have you been affected?

You'll need to register with the hub first, its free and easy to do. 

We would also like to hear from pharmacists working in community or hospital settings, and others who have insights to share on this issue. What barriers and challenges have you seen around medication availability? Is there anything that can be done to improve wider systems or processes?

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More women investigated for illegal terminations, says abortion provider

An unprecedented number of women are being investigated by police on suspicion of illegally ending a pregnancy, the BBC has been told.

Abortion provider MSI says it knows of up to 60 criminal inquiries in England and Wales since 2018, compared with almost zero before.

Some investigations followed natural pregnancy loss, File on 4 found.

Pregnancy loss is investigated only if credible evidence suggests a crime, the National Police Chiefs' Council says.

File on 4 has spoken to women who say that they have been "traumatised" and left feeling "suicidal" following criminal investigations lasting years.

Speaking for the first time, one woman described how she had been placed under investigation after giving birth prematurely, despite maintaining that she had never attempted an abortion.

Dr Jonathan Lord, medical director at MSI, which is one of the UK's main abortion providers, believes the "unprecedented" number of women now falling under investigation may be linked to the police's increased awareness of the availability of the "pills by post" scheme - introduced in England and Wales during the Covid-19 lockdown. Scotland also introduced a similar programme.

These "telemedicine" schemes, which allow pregnancies up to 10 weeks to be terminated at home, remain in effect. Campaigners are concerned that it is possible for women to knowingly or unknowingly use the pills after this point.

MSI's Dr Lord says criminal investigations and prosecutions further "traumatise" women after abortions, and that women deserve "compassion" rather than "punishment".

"These women are often vulnerable and in desperate situations - they need help, not investigation and punishment," he says.

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Source: BBC News, 20 February 2024

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Codeine linctus to be reclassified to a prescription-only medicine because of risk of abuse and addiction

Codeine linctus, an oral solution or syrup licensed to treat dry cough in adults, is to be reclassified to a prescription-only medicine due to the risk of abuse, dependency and overdose, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has announced.

Codeine linctus is an opioid medicine which has previously been available to buy in pharmacies under the supervision of a pharmacist but will now only be available on prescription following an assessment by a healthcare professional.

Since 2019, there have been increasing reports in the media of codeine linctus being misused as an ingredient in a recreational drink, commonly referred to as ‘Purple Drank’.

The decision to reclassify the medicine has been made following a consultation with independent experts, healthcare professionals and patients. 992 responses were received.

The consultation was launched by the MHRA after Yellow Card reports indicated instances of the medicine being abused, rather than for its intended use as a cough suppressant.

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer, said: "Patient safety is our top priority. Codeine linctus is an effective medicine for long term dry cough, but as it is an opioid, its misuse and abuse can have major health consequences."

Alternative non-prescription cough medicines are available for short-term coughs to sooth an irritated throat, including honey and lemon mixtures and cough suppressants.

Patients are urged to speak to a pharmacist for advice and not to buy codeine linctus from an unregistered website as it could be dangerous.

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Source: MHRA, 20 February 2024

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Trust CEOs accuse police of ‘high stakes game of chicken’

Ambulance chiefs have warned that patients are coming to harm, paramedics are being assaulted and control room staff reporting a “high stakes game of chicken” with police during the implementation of a controversial new national care model.

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives say in a newly published letter they believe the “spirit” of national agreement on how to implement the Right Care, Right Person model is not being followed by police, raising “significant safety concerns”.

The membership body set out multiple concerns about the rollout of the model, under which the police refuse to attend mental health calls unless there is a risk to life or of serious harm.

In the letter to Commons health and social care committee chair Steve Brine, AACE chair Daren Mochrie says timescales for introducing it were often “set by the police rather than “agreed” following meaningful engagement with partners”, meaning demand was shifting before health systems had built capacity. They also flag a lack of NHS funding to meet the new asks. 

Mr Mochrie, also CEO of North West Ambulance Service Trust, described a “grey area” relating to what he called “concern for welfare” calls, which meet neither the police nor attendance services’ threshold for attendance.

“To date this is the single biggest feedback theme we have heard from ambulance services, with some control room staff describing feeling like they’re in a ‘high-stakes game of chicken’ where the police have refused to attend and told the caller to hang up, redial 999 and ask for an ambulance,” he wrote.

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Source: HSJ, 20 February 2024

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Trust concludes former chief ‘not fit and proper’ after sexual harassment investigation

An NHS trust has concluded that its former chief executive is not a “fit and proper person” to be on an NHS board, after investigating allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour, HSJ has learned.

HSJ understands The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation Trust commissioned a specialist external workplace investigation into Mark Brandreth, which considered serious allegations made about his behaviour during his time as trust chief executive between April 2016 and August 2021.

Mr Brandreth is understood to dispute the allegations as well as the investigation’s findings, and is seeking to challenge RJAH’s handling of the complaints and its process for deciding he did not meet the Fit and Proper Person Test. 

Sources with knowledge of the situation said almost 30 female RJAH staff members came forward to give information to the investigation, but it focused on 12 employees who were willing to give evidence.

HSJ has been told that as a result of the investigation, which concluded at the end of last year, the trust’s chair has informed NHSE in writing that it believes Mr Brandreth does not meet the “Fit and Proper Person Test”, implying he should be ruled out of board roles – or roles with equivalent responsibility – at English NHS organisations and adult social care providers.

However, the trust, in Shropshire, is not planning to publish its ruling and – with no professional regulation in place for health and care managers and/or board members – it is unclear how effective the conclusion will be if it is not made public. A female staff member told HSJ of her concerns that “nothing is being done”.

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Source: HSJ, 21 February 2024

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Patient care hit by disrepair in NHS buildings

Disrepair in NHS buildings led to thousands of potentially-harmful incidents last year including critically ill patients being moved when rainfall came through the ceiling.

Sewage leaks, floods and failing equipment also featured in incident records obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act.

Health chiefs called on the government to nearly double its capital spending.

The government said "significant sums" had been invested to modernise the NHS.

Heath Secretary Victoria Atkins said the government accepted that some hospital buildings "are not as we would wish them to be" but added that it was for NHS chief executives to decide how to spend the money.

According to NHS data, the care of more than 2,600 acute hospital patients was disrupted last year by estates and infrastructure failure.

The NHS Confederation, which represents trusts, has published a report setting out what health care leaders want the next government to prioritise.

It has called on the government to increase capital spending on the health service from £7.7bn to £14.1bn.

Matthew Taylor, its chief executive, said: "Put simply, a lack of capital funding can leave patients at risk."

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Source: BBC News, 21 February 2024

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NHS to roll out ‘Martha’s Rule’

The head of the NHS has today announced the rollout of ‘Martha’s Rule’ in hospitals across England from April, enabling patients and families to seek an urgent review if their condition deteriorates.

The patient safety initiative is set to be rolled out to at least 100 NHS sites and will give patients and their families round-the-clock access to a rapid review from an independent critical care team if they are worried about their or a loved one’s condition.

This escalation process will be available 24/7 to patients, families and NHS staff, and will be advertised throughout hospitals, making it quickly and easily accessible.

NHS chief Amanda Pritchard said the programme had the potential to “save many lives in the future” and thanked Martha’s family for their important campaigning and collaboration to help the NHS improve the care of patients experiencing acute deterioration.

Thirteen-year-old Martha Mills died from sepsis at King’s College Hospital, London, in 2021, due to a failure to escalate her to intensive care and after her family’s concerns about her deteriorating condition were not responded to promptly.

Extensive campaigning by her parents Merope and Paul, supported by the cross-party think tank Demos, has seen widespread support for a single system that allows patients or their families to trigger an urgent clinical review from a different team in the hospital if the patient’s condition is rapidly worsening and they feel they are not getting the care they need.

Merope Mills and Paul Laity, Martha’s parents, said: “We are pleased that the implementation of Martha’s Rule will begin in April. We want it to be in place as quickly and as widely as possible, to prevent what happened to our daughter from happening to other patients in hospital.

“We believe Martha’s Rule will save lives. In cases of deterioration, families and carers by the bedside can be aware of changes busy clinicians can’t; their knowledge should be recognised as a resource. We also look to Martha’s Rule to alter medical culture: to give patients a little more power, to encourage listening on the part of medical professionals, and to normalise the idea that even the grandest of doctors should welcome being challenged. We call on all NHS clinicians to back the initiative: we know that the large majority do listen, are open with patients and never complacent – but Martha’s doctors worked in a different culture, so some situations need to change.

“Our daughter was quite something: fun and determined, with a vast appetite for life and so many plans and ambitions – we’ll never know what she would have achieved with all her talents. Hers was a preventable death, but Martha’s Rule will mean that she didn’t die completely in vain.”

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Source: NHS England, 21 February 2024

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Largest Covid vaccine study ever finds shots are linked to small increased risk of neurological, blood and heart disorders - but they are still extremely rare

Covid vaccines have been linked to small increases in heart, blood, and neurological disorders, according to the largest global study of its kind.

An international coalition of vaccine experts looked for 13 medical conditions among 99 million vaccine recipients across eight countries in order to identify higher rates of those conditions after receiving the shots.

They confirmed that the shots made by Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca are linked to significantly higher risk of five medical conditions - including a nerve-wasting condition that leaves people struggling to walk or think.

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Source: Daily Mail, 19 February 2024

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Ida Lock: Baby's inquest delayed amid 'whistleblower' claims

An inquest into the death of a baby has been adjourned after a whistleblower claimed hospital inspectors ignored safety concerns about a NHS trust.

Ian Kemp has raised concerns the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust was "covering up" the death.

The former health watchdog inspector said he had been asked to investigate maternity care at the trust in December 2019 after the death of Ida Lock.

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Source: BBC News, 19 February 2024

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NHS end-of-life ‘pathway’ practises continue despite being banned

The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) was abolished in every hospital and hospice in the country just under a decade ago. This end-of-life-care protocol was scrapped by the Government as a “national disgrace”, in the words of Norman Lamb, then Care Services Minister, after a review by Baroness Neuberger found widespread failings and abuses.

But troubling evidence since the scrapping suggests that the practises established under the LCP are in fact still continuing today in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

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Source: Catholic Herald, 18 February 2024

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New inquiry at Limerick hospital after a second girl dies suddenly aged 16

Another inquiry has been launched into the sudden death of a second teenage girl in the Accident and Emergency department of University Hospital Limerick three weeks ago.

The 16-year-old girl died suddenly on January 29, hours after she was rushed to UHL suffering from breathing difficulties.

The girl, a much-loved only child, died in front of her mother in what an informed source described as “deeply traumatic circumstances”.

It is the latest tragedy under review at UHL following the death of Aoife Johnston (16) from Shannon, Co Clare,

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Source: Irish Independent, 20 February 2024

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Suicidal patient, 24, died hours after being discharged from scandal-hit hospital

A suicidal man died hours after being discharged from a scandal-hit hospital which is at the centre of a probe into the care of Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane.

Daniel Tucker was released from a mental health ward at Highbury Hospital in Nottingham last year and died shortly afterwards, having taken a toxic substance he had purchased online.

An inquest into his death last week found there were multiple failings by Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust in the lead-up to Tucker’s death, with no appropriate care plan or risk assessment in place for him before or after his discharge.

The 10-day hearing heard he had been discharged from the hospital on 22 April, despite having shared suicidal intentions with staff just days before. The jury concluded that failures by staff to ensure an appropriate plan for him contributed to his death.

It comes after health secretary Victoria Atkins ordered the Care Quality Commission to carry out an inquiry into Nottinghamshire Healthcare. The probe will look at the handling of Calocane, who had been discharged from Highbury Hospital and was a patient under the trust’s community crisis services when he stabbed three people to death in a brutal knife rampage.

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Source: The Independent, 18 February 2024

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Victims of failed surgery demand recall of all patients

Michelle Nolan takes morphine daily for the pain she has lived with for 14 years after botched surgery at the hands of a once renowned surgeon.

She suffered irreversible nerve damage in July 2010 when John Bradley Williamson, a former president of the British Scoliosis Society, inserted a screw that was too long into her spine at Spire Manchester Hospital.

The 49-year-old from Chadderton, near Oldham, needs crutches and lost her job as a legal secretary and later her house and marriage. “I lost everything because of him,” she said. “I thought I was the only one he had harmed.”

She was not. Families and patients operated on by Williamson over two decades at the Salford Royal Hospital, Spire Manchester Hospital and the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, have formed a support group and want a full recall of all of his patients.

They fear some could be suffering without realising they are victims of poor care.

Williamson told the coroner investigating Catherine’s death that her surgery “progressed uneventfully” and “the blood loss was perhaps a little higher than one would usually anticipate but was certainly not extreme”.

Yet days after her death, Williamson sent an internal letter to the hospital’s haematology department head Simon Jowitt describing the surgery as “difficult” and involving “a catastrophic haemorrhage”.

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Source: The Times, 18 February 2024

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UK exam could be scrapped for foreign dentists

The government is considering plans to allow dentists from abroad to work without taking an exam to check their education and skills.

The proposal, which is subject to a three-month consultation, aims to address the severe shortage of NHS dentists.

It is hoped a quicker process would attract more dentists.

The British Dental Association has accused the government of avoiding the issues "forcing" dentists to quit.

The proposal forms part of the government's £200 million NHS Dental Recovery Plan for England, announced earlier this month.

Under the plan, dentists could also be paid more for NHS work, while so-called "dental vans" would be rolled out to areas with low coverage, alongside an advice programme for new parents.

There is also a proposal of £20,000 bonuses for dentists working in under-served communities, as part of an effort to increase appointment capacity by 2.5 million next year.

At present, overseas dentists are required to pass an exam before they can start work in the UK - the new idea would see the General Dental Council (GDC) granted powers to provisionally register them without a test.

Stefan Czerniawski, executive director of strategy at the GDC said: "We need to move at pace, but we need to take the time to get this right - and we will work with stakeholders across the dental sector and four nations to do so."

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Source: BBC News, 17 February 2024

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