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Pandemic’s role blamed for trust’s 1,955 mixed-sex ward breaches

East Kent University Hospitals Foundation Trust reported 1,955 mixed sex accommodation breaches in November, the month before the new variant of the virus caused a huge increase in covid admissions across the county.

Such breaches occur when patients share sleeping accommodation with the opposite sex.

The trust, which struggled last summer to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in its wards, has recorded 7,249 such breaches in the last 12 months. This is a year-on-year increase of 1,112 per cent – according to the trust’s latest board papers.

East Kent FT’s board papers stated COVID-19 had “contributed” to the high number of breaches, and that it was “imperative that we review and act on this”.

According to the papers, the trust’s interim chief nurse and chief operating officer have a “plan to address” the problem.

In a statement to HSJ the trust said: “Our hospitals are very busy as a result of increased patients with COVID-19.

“To keep covid and non-covid patients separate and as safe as possible we have sometimes needed to care for both male and female patients in a bay. This is always done in discussion with the patients affected.”

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, told HSJ they had “long supported” moves to abolish mixed sex accommodation breaches, which she described as “an affront to patients’ dignity”.

But she said she understood why NHS providers might choose mixed sex accommodation if it was a “viable route to saving lives, whether of COVID-19 patients or others urgently needing treatment”.

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Source: HSJ, 27 January 2021

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Pandemic spotlights the urgent need for a National Patient Safety Board

Thursday 17 September is WHO’s World Patient Safety Day. There’s no better moment in history to call for new legislation that finally ensures health worker and patient safety. Today, the Patient Safety Movement Foundation released a detailed white paper urging the creation of a National Patient Safety Board.

In a statement, the Patient Safety Movement said COVID-19 has exposed the safety gaps in our healthcare system that already cause 200,000 deaths a year and that we must put health workers, and thus patients, first by finally establishing a National Patient Safety Board (NPSB). This would solve the problem in three key ways:

  • Data-driven insight and standards: An NPSB would create and maintain a National Patient Safety Database to receive non-identifiable patient safety work product. The Board would facilitate the reporting, collection, and analysis of patient safety data and the development and dissemination of training guidelines and other recommendations to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety and quality of care.
  • Transparency and accountability: The NPSB would also require an on-going analysis of the patient safety data in the Database and other available data to determine performance and systems standards, tools, and best practices (including peer review) for doctors and other health care providers necessary to prevent medical errors, improve patient safety, and increase accountability within the health care system.
  • Align incentives: An NPSB would save lives and taxpayer dollars by aligning incentives, especially Medicare reimbursements, with proven patient safety protocols.

"COVID-19 shouldn’t be the breaking point for our health workers, but it should be the breaking point for our tolerance of the lack of patient safety. Congress must act today on this bipartisan issue.”

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Source: The Patient Safety Movement, 8 September 2020

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Pandemic is having “severe” impact on non-communicable disease care, WHO survey finds

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically curtailed the provision of health services for non-communicable diseases, says a survey of 155 countries by the World Health Organization conducted over three weeks in May.

In the survey poorer countries were the most likely to report disrupted services, but some 94% of responding countries had reassigned health ministry staff from work on NCDs to dealing with the pandemic. Hypertension treatment has been partially or completely disrupted in 53% of the countries surveyed, diabetes treatment in 49%, cancer treatment in 42%, and cardiovascular emergency responses in 31% of countries, the survey found.

In the Netherlands, new cancer diagnoses have fallen by 25% since the pandemic lockdown began. In rural India, 30% fewer cardiac emergencies reached health facilities in March 2020 than the previous year.

Rehabilitation services, which are often key to a healthy recovery after severe COVID-19, have been disrupted in 63% of countries surveyed. Screening campaigns have been put on hold in more than half.

WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said, “The results of this survey confirm what we’ve been hearing from countries for a number of weeks now. Many people who need treatment for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes have not been receiving the health services and medicines they need since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It’s vital that countries find innovative ways to ensure that essential services for NCDs continue, even as they fight COVID-19.”

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Source: BMJ, 3 June 2020

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Pandemic disrupted routine vaccinations of US kindergarteners

Yet another hidden cost of Covid-19 was revealed on Thursday as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented new data showing how the pandemic has dramatically impeded the US effort to vaccinate kids for other diseases.

According to the CDC’s report, national vaccine coverage among American children in kindergarten dropped from 95% to below 94% in the past year – which may seem like a small amount but meant 350,000 fewer children were vaccinated against common diseases.

“Overall, today’s findings support previous data showing a concerning decline in childhood immunizations that began in March 2020,” Shannon Stokley, the CDC’s immunization services deputy division director, said in a press conference on Thursday.

Some of the reasons for the lower vaccination rates included reluctance to schedule appointments, reduced access to them, so-called “provisional” school enrollment, the easing of vaccination requirements for remote learners, fewer parents submitting documents and less time for school nurses to follow up with unvaccinated students.

States and schools also told the CDC that there were fewer staff members to assess kindergarten vaccination coverage, and a lower response rate from schools, both due to Covid-19.

“The CDC provides vaccines for nearly half of America’s children through the Vaccines for Children program,” Stokley said. “And over the last two years, orders for distribution of routine vaccines are down more than 10% compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are concerned that missed routine vaccinations could leave children vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough which are extremely dangerous and can be very serious, especially for babies and young children.”

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Source: The Guardian, 21 April 2022

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Pandemic collaboration ‘no longer exists’ between NHS and private hospitals

The collaboration seen between the independent sector and the NHS during the peaks of the pandemic “doesn’t exist any more”, the boss of one of the UK’s largest private hospital companies has said.

Mr Justin Ash, chief executive of Spire Healthcare and a member of the government’s recently convened elective recovery task force, whose purpose is to ”focus on how the NHS can [better] utilise independent sector to cut the backlog’.”

He told the Westminster Health Forum earlier this week: “In spirit there is collaboration but in practice, it doesn’t exist anymore. There is no more commissioning by trust[s]”.

Mr Ash told the conference Spire had previously had administrative teams working at 39 different NHS hospitals examining which NHS patients could be treated at one of its facilities. That number was now three, a decline which he described as “a shame”.

He said: “There has to be a mindset change. We have people say ‘you have our nurses and consultants working for you’.

“[But] just like patients, nurses and consultants should be able to move around the system [as] one workforce.”

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Source: HSJ, 16 December 2022

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Pandemic changes affected maternity care for women who had stillbirths

Changes to maternity services during the pandemic, including the mandatory redeployment of midwives and doctors to care for infected patients, may have affected the care given to women who had stillborn babies, a Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) investigation has found.

The safety watchdog launched an investigation after the number of stillbirths after the onset of labour increased between April and June 2020. During the three months there were 45 stillbirths compared to 24 in the same period in 2019.

The HSIB launched a probe examining the care of 37 cases. Among its findings the watchdog said staffing levels were affected because of the NHS response to the pandemic.

In its report it said this “influenced normal work patterns and the consistency and availability of clinicians.”

As an example, in one maternity unit the staffing numbers were short by three midwives due to sickness and redeployment. In another consultant presence was reduced overnight.

During the pandemic both the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians criticised NHS trusts for redeploying maternity staff when mothers continued to need services regardless of the pandemic.

HSIB said none of the women in its report were recorded as having the virus, but it found the pressures and changes as a result of the pandemic may have affected the care they received.

The study stressed that the proportion of consultations undertaken remotely was not known and "the impact of remote consultations is not clear from this review".

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Source: The Independent, 16 September 2021

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Pandemic care home death: Family to sue over mother's end-of-life consent

A man plans to sue a nursing home because, he says, during the pandemic his mother was put on end-of-life care without her family being told.

Antonia Stowell, 87, did not have the mental capacity to consent because she had dementia, say the family's lawyers. Her son, Tony Stowell, said if end-of-life care had been discussed, he would not have agreed to it.

Rose Villa nursing home in Hull says all proper process in Mrs Stowell's care was followed with precision.

As a prelude to legal action, Mr Stowell's lawyers have obtained his mother's hospital records which, they say, show she was diagnosed with suspected pneumonia while living in the home. End-of-life drugs were then prescribed and ordered by medical professionals.

In a statement, Rose Villa said: "We believe that our dedicated and professional team provided Antonia with the very best care under the direction of her GP and medical team, and all proper process in the delivery of this care was followed with precision."

Mr Stowell's lawyers, Gulbenkian Andonian solicitors, said his mother's hospital records reveal the decision to put her on end-of-life care was made two days before the family was told.

In their letter to the home announcing the planned legal action, they said Mrs Stowell could have had "48 additional hours on a ventilator with treatment… with the necessary implication that Antonia Stowell could still be with us today or at least survived".

The lawyer dealing with the case, Fadi Farhat, told the BBC: "As a matter of law, there is a presumption in favour of treatment which would preserve life and prolong life, irrespective of one's age or condition.

"Therefore to deviate from that presumption means a patient, or family members, should be consulted as soon as that decision is made or contemplated."

He adds: "What is particularly concerning for me is this case occurred at the height of the pandemic. That should worry everybody because it demonstrates that rights can be suspended in times of crisis, when the very purpose of legal rights is to protect us during times of crisis."

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Source: BBC News, 9 January 2023

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Palliative care: 'My dad should not have been expected to die in office hours'

A woman who struggled to access night-time care for her dying father has told the BBC he "shouldn't have been expected to die in office hours".

Tracey Bennett said she was "completely lost" when her dad Michael needed help.

Early in 2021, Mrs Bennett, 54, from Doncaster, moved in with her dad, 76-year-old Michael Woodward, to care for him in the last stages of his cancer.

One night he had a fall. Mrs Bennett was able to help him back up but turned to the local NHS palliative care phone line for help, only to find it closed.

Although she did not feel her father should be in a hospital, she called 999 as she felt she had no-one else to turn to. He died in the early hours of the next morning.

"In his hour of need I feel I let my dad down," she said. "He shouldn't have been expected to die in office hours."

Almost 70% of the UK does not have a consistent 24-hour help-line for the terminally ill, research suggests.

And 27% of these areas do not have a designated phone line, the study funded by Marie Curie found.

Ruth Driscoll, from the charity, said the research painted "a bleak picture of out-of-hours care in many areas of the UK".

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Source: BBC News, 28 November 2022

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Palantir’s access to identifiable NHS England patient data is ‘dangerous’, MPs say

MPs have warned that an NHS decision to grant Palantir access to identifiable patient information in its plan to use AI to improve the health service is “dangerous” and will fuel public fears that data privacy is not being prioritised.

NHS England has allowed staff from the US tech firm and other contractors to access patient data before it has been pseudonymised, despite internal fears of a “risk of loss of public confidence”, the Financial Times reported.

The health service made the move to allow Palantir to access the data in recent weeks according to the reports, which revealed an internal NHS briefing that said it would allow “unlimited access to non-NHSE staff” to part of the NHS’s federated data platform (FDP), which holds identifiable patient information.

Palantir was awarded a £330m contract to help build the FDP, installing AI systems to integrate scattered health datasets and bring efficiencies to medical treatment. But the deal has been dogged by warnings from campaigners and MPs concerned about the security of patient records.

The Patients Association said it was concerned patients were not consulted on a significant change to who has unlimited access to patient data. Rachel Power, its chief executive, said patients wanted “transparency, clear boundaries around access to their data, and to be consulted when changes to those agreements are proposed”.

The leaked NHS England briefing acknowledged the “considerable public interest and concern about how much access to patient data Palantir/Palantir staff have”. In 2023, shortly after the deal was agreed, NHS England said it would ensure “personal data remains protected and within the NHS at all times”.

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Source: The Guardian, 11 May 2026

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Pakistani and Bangladeshi people above the age of 30 experience the worst health out of any ethnicity in UK

Pakistanis and Bangladeshis over the age of 30 experience the same level of poor health as their white counterparts that are 20 years older.

Those from the subcontinent face stark ethnic health inequalities across the population, according to a new study.

It means the group has the worst health out of any ethnicity.

London-based Aideen Young, Senior Evidence Manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, has called on the Government to do more to address these inequalities.

She said: “This study reveals really shocking health inequalities between different ethnic groups, with some groups experiencing the rates of poor health that White people typically see at much older ages.

“It’s also depressing to see that these inequalities haven’t changed for the last 25 years. In the wake of the pandemic, we risk seeing them widen – so it’s vital that government makes tackling health inequality a priority in the recovery.

“To properly address the problem we need much better data, which is why we are calling for ethnicity data reporting to be mandatory for all official data monitoring.

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Source: My London, 11 November 2021

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Pager systems used in healthcare could be exposing patient data across Canada

Paging systems used across B.C could be exposing sensitive health data of patients, and the privacy researcher who first discovered the data breach believes it’s likely happening across the country.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to find this everywhere in Canada,” said privacy researcher Sarah Jamie Lewis, in an interview with CTVNews.ca in Vancouver. Lewis first discovered and reported the breach to Vancouver Coastal Health in November 2018. Now, internal emails released this month through a Freedom of Information request show that the vulnerability is not limited to Vancouver.

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Source: CTV News, 13 December 2019

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Paediatricians sound alarm at huge surge in child eating disorders

Cases of anorexia and other eating disorders have quadrupled in some areas during the coronavirus pandemic, doctors say.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) issued an alert to parents, saying the Christmas and new year period can be stressful for young people who struggle with disordered eating.

That comes on top of massive disruption to schooling and other areas of life due to Covid-19 which has led to a loss of physical and social activity, plus money worries and bereavement for some.

“In our tier 4 under 13s mental health inpatient unit we have seen a three- to fourfold increase in children referred to our service with eating disorders, and they are just the tip of the iceberg.” Dr Nancy Bostock, a consultant in Cambridge, said in a statement provided by the college.

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Source: The Independent, 29 December 2020

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Paediatric wards may not be safe for patients with 'high-risk' behaviours


Children presenting with 'high-risk' behaviours are being cared for in NHS paediatric wards that may put them and others at risk of harm, according to a new report from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB). HSIB's interim report warns that the placement of children and young people with complex mental health issues on NHS paediatric wards can impact on the wellbeing of these patients and their families, and pose a risk to other patients and staff.  

The report emphasises that paediatric wards are designed to care for patients who only have physical health needs and not for those who are exhibiting high-risk behaviours, which include attempts to die by suicide, self-harm, attempts to leave the hospital without permission, and episodes of violence and aggression.

Examples of children and young people being restrained or sedated in front of other sick and vulnerable patients, families feeling concerned for their and their children's safety during incidents, rooms being stripped down to remove any risk of self-harm or death by suicide, and paediatric staff being physically assaulted are cited in the report.

 Saskia Fursland, HSIB national Investigator, said,"We know that NHS staff are trying to provide a safe environment for their patients, but they are facing difficult choices in wards that are not designed to support children and young people displaying high-risk behaviours. Our ongoing investigation will take a longer-term look at effective design, adaptations and risk management in the wards. A whole system response is now needed to ensure we can keep children and young people safe."

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Source: Medscape, 25 May 2023

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PAC warns against digital 'cure-all' for NHS waiting times

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned there is a significant risk that digital solutions are being treated as a “cure-all” in the government’s plans to reduce NHS waiting times.

In its latest report, the PAC said despite spending £2.2bn of capital funding on diagnostic transformation and a further £1.0bn on surgical transformation, NHS England (NHSE) has missed its recovery targets by significant margins and too many people are still waiting too long for tests and treatment.

The PAC warned that this need for change comes at a time of major structural reform in the NHS, including NHSE being abolished and a 50% headcount cut across integrated care boards (ICBs). It says that these unfunded reforms, which will result in the loss of c. 18,000 administrative posts, could have a significant negative impact on patients and the NHS workforce and will lead to wasted effort.

It says the integration and sharing of digital records across the NHS remains a key weakness in the system. It also raises concerns about access to and interoperability between digital resources, as well as issues of hardware availability and connectivity.

The PAC calls on NHSE and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to set out:

  • how the elective care transformation programmes are practically affected by the ‘analogue to digital’ shift in the 10 Year Plan;
  • how it will solve the problem of legacy IT equipment and ensure that the IT systems used in different parts of the NHS are properly connected; and
  • whether the 10 Year Plan itself has sufficient funding to deliver the digital transformation required by the plan.

During an oral evidence session in September 2025, Sir Jim Mackey (CEO of NHSE) admitted that record sharing across the system remained a key issue. He said digital foundations have been laid through the electronic patient records (EPR) programme but warned that the landscape is evolving rapidly.

Mackey said they needed to work out what role the centre (DHSC) should play in managing the proliferation of health technology being made available to and interacting with the NHS, such as consumer-led health devices. This includes developing a healthy market and moving away from big capital, central bidding processes and into more agile and rapid processes.

The PAC also states that it is “sceptical that digital change can satisfactorily reach all patients as there is likely to always be a part of the population who find digital technology and tools too difficult to use”. As TechMarketView commented when the 10 Year Plan was published, with digital platforms like the NHS App becoming increasingly important routes to NHS services and information. Much stronger attention needs to be paid to accessibility and user capability, with a focus on digital inclusion and equity.

Although the NHS backlog numbers are showing signs of improvement in some areas, they are still far too high. The structural reforms currently underway risk derailing this progress and disrupting digital transformation efforts. Too often digital solutions, particularly AI, are being seen as a panacea for an effective NHS – these technologies will be transformative, but their true potential will not be achieved without a balanced approach to securing the digital foundations. 

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PA employers must provide references to support registration

Employers of physician associates (PAs) will be required to provide a reference and an insurance and indemnity declaration as part of a PA’s application for registration with the GMC.

The regulation of PAs by the GMC is set to begin on 13 December, with registration open from 16 December. However, registration will not be legally required for another two years to allow for a transition period.

In a letter to employers last week, the GMC said PAs will need to provide a range of evidence to demonstrate knowledge, skills and behaviour to provide safe patient care. It said this would include an employer reference and an insurance and indemnity declaration.

The GMC clarified that this reference will need to be completed and signed by a supervising clinician who has oversight of the PA’s practice, which is likely to be the supervising GP.

‘We’d be grateful if you could support this process by making sure PAs, AAs [Anaesthesia Associates] and their supervisors are aware of and prepared for this requirement and requests that they may receive,’ said the letter.

PAs who have practised within the last five years will need an employer reference covering the most recent three months of employment. Supervisors will be provided with a specific form to complete, sign and date.

It added that most PAs will have indemnity cover under their employer’s scheme, but they will need to sign a declaration saying they have this in place when they apply for registration.

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Source: Management in Practice, 4 November 2024

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Oxygen shortages endangering half a million Covid patients every day in poorest countries, research shows

Shortages of oxygen are endangering the lives of more than half a million COVID-19 patients every day in the world’s poorest nations, new research has shown.

Despite being vital for the effective treatment of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus, sustained access to oxygen has proven difficult in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to cost, infrastructure and logistical barriers.

According to Unitaid, a global health agency, more than half a million people in LMICs currently need 1.1 million cylinders of oxygen per day, with 25 countries currently reporting surges in demand, the majority in Africa.

Supplies of oxygen were already constrained prior to COVID-19 and have been exacerbated by the pandemic, Unitaid says.

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Source: The Independent, 25 February 2021

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Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be tested on children

A new trial is to test how well the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine works in children.

Some 300 volunteers will take part, with the first vaccinations in the trial taking place later in February.

Researchers will assess whether the jab produces a strong immune response in children aged between six and 17.

The vaccine is one of two being used to protect against serious illness and death from Covid in the UK, along with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.

As many as 240 children will receive the vaccine - and the others a control meningitis jab - when the trial gets under way.

Andrew Pollard, professor of paediatric infection and immunity, and chief investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial, noted that most children were relatively unaffected by Covid and were unlikely to become unwell with the virus.

But he said it was important to establish the safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people as some children might benefit from vaccination.

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Source: BBC News, 14 February 2021

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Oxford vaccine: People with allergies and pregnant women can now get inoculation, updated guidance says

People with allergies and pregnant women can now be given the country’s two approved COVID-19 vaccines, the medical regulator said on Wednesday.

Previous advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said people with a range of allergies to food and medicines should not be given the Pfizer vaccine.

Dr June Raine, the MHRA’s chief executive, said growing evidence from a pool of at least 800,000 people in the UK and around 1.5 million people in the US who have had the vaccine has "raised no additional concerns".

This, she continued, "gives us further assurance that the risk of anaphylaxis can be managed through standard clinical guidance and an observation period following vaccination of at least 15 minutes.

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Source: The Independent, 30 December 2020

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Oxford vaccine results ‘promising’ as initial data set for release in days

The initial data on a trial of the coronavirus vaccine being developed by Oxford University will be released in the coming week, The Lancet medical journal has announced amid reports its findings have been promising.

The development of a vaccine to fight against the virus has been touted as pivotal in returning the world to life as it was before the pandemic by protecting vulnerable people and building up immunity among populations.

Now Oxford University’s contribution - one of the world’s leading candidates for a viable vaccine – is understood to have made promising results in initial testing.

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Source: The Independent, 16 July 2020

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Oxford vaccine could substantially cut spread

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine could lead to a "substantial" fall in the spread of the virus, say scientists.

The impact of Covid vaccines on transmission has been a crucial unknown that will dramatically shape the future of the pandemic.

The study, which has not been formally published, also showed the vaccine remained effective while people waited for a second dose. It was 76% effective during the three months after the first shot. 

The UK, amid global debate and in sharp contrast to other countries, is prioritising giving the first dose to as many people as possible. The idea is to save more lives by giving more people some protection, but it means people will have to wait around three months for the booster instead of three weeks.

This study - on 17,000 people in the UK, South Africa and Brazil - showed protection remained at 76% during the three months after the first dose. This rose to 82% after people were given the second dose.

Prof Andrew Pollard, from the Oxford Vaccine Trial, said: "These new data provide an important verification of the interim data that was used by more than 25 regulators including the MHRA and EMA to grant the vaccine emergency use authorisation."

"It also supports the policy recommendation made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation for a 12-week prime-boost interval, as they look for the optimal approach to rollout."

The report does not tackle the impact of the new variants on how well the vaccines work.

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Source: BBC News, 2 February 2021

 

 
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Oxford University Covid vaccine trial put on hold due to adverse reaction in participant

The development of a promising COVID-19 vaccine has been put on hold due to an adverse reaction in a trial participant.

A spokesman for AstraZeneca, the company working with a team from Oxford University, told the Guardian the trial has been stopped to review the “potentially unexplained illness” in one of the participants. The spokesman stressed that the adverse reaction was only recorded in a single participant and said pausing trials was common during vaccine development.

“As part of the ongoing randomised, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee,” the spokesman said.

“This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials. In large trials illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully."

“We are working to expedite the review of the single event to minimise any potential impact on the trial timeline. We are committed to the safety of our participants and the highest standards of conduct in our trials.”

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Source: The Guardian, 9 September 2020

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Oxford palliative care 'virtual ward' launched

A "virtual ward" enabling patients who want to die at home get the palliative care they need has launched.

Hospice Outreach provides a "specialised pathway" for patients identified by existing services who would benefit from support.

It is part of a project that supports people at the very end of their life.

Dr Victoria Bradley, of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), said it was about giving people "control and agency".

OUH claims Hospice Outreach's virtual ward will mean more people will receive personalised care, including in their own homes if that is their choice.

It said specialist palliative care would be "provided virtually or in person, depending on what is best for the patient".

Amelia Foster, chief executive at Sobell House, said: "Being able to offer a virtual ward to those in a palliative crisis or at the end of their lives helping them to remain at home means more people can access our care in the way that they wish."

Dr Bradley, who is the clinical lead for palliative medicine at OUH, said: "We can support with discharge from hospital to people's homes if that is their wish, and by reducing people's time in hospital and caring for them at home, we can offer the right support in their chosen surroundings."

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Source: BBC News, 14 March 2024

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Overwhelmed NHS treating almost 3,000 A&E patients a day in corridors, cupboards and cafes

The NHS is treating nearly 3,000 sick patients a day in corridors, cupboards and cafes because emergency departments are overwhelmed, new figures have revealed.

Data published for the first time has laid bare the scale of the NHS’ “corridor care” crisis, which experts warn has become “normalised” within the health service and is leaving patients being treated without “privacy or dignity”.

More than 2,200 patients received care in a corridor of an A&E department every day in May, the data shows, while another 669 patients were treated in other inappropriate settings such as cupboards, cafes or toilets due to a lack of beds in emergency departments.

Any patient who spends 45 minutes or more in areas deemed as clinically inappropriate – such as hallways or waiting rooms – are considered to have experienced corridor care, according to the NHS. Other examples of areas used include car parks, waiting rooms and toilets.

The NHS’ corridor care crisis has been well-documented, with reports of patients dying while waiting for care. Diabetic patients have been left for hours without food, while other sick patients have said they were left on broken beds in pitch-black corridors for 24 hours with no privacy, according to a review of patient care in emergency departments in December by the group Healthwatch England.

Speaking after the figures were released, health secretary James Murray said: “Corridor care is unacceptable, undignified and has no place in our NHS.”

He said the new data aims to “shine a spotlight” on where the problems are greatest and stressed the “vast majority” of corridor care is in a small number of organisations.

But one expert warned that corridor care had been “normalised”. Siva Anandaciva, director of policy at The King’s Fund, said patients are routinely being treated “without privacy or dignity.”

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Source: Independent, 11 June 2026

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Overseas-trained doctors ‘put off UK due to cost of living and low salaries’

Doctors are choosing not to come and work in the UK because they are put off by low salaries, the high cost of living and poor quality of life.

Research by the General Medical Council (GMC) shows that doctors who shun the UK are opting to move instead to the United States, Australia and Canada to earn more and have a better life.

Overall, 84% of doctors trained abroad surveyed by the GMC said that other countries were better than Britain at paying good salaries and only 5% felt the opposite was true.

The UK was also seen as being very poor for the cost of living and quality of life, attracting scores of minus 44 and minus 43.

Among doctors considering where to further their careers, the UK scored worse than competitor countries on 14 of the 15 issues the GMC asked them about.

It also recorded negative ratings for being an advanced healthcare system (minus 26), doctors being treated with respect by patients and the public (minus 20), quality of patient care (minus 17) and having enough appropriately qualified staff (minus 17).

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Source: The Guardian, 20 June 2025

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Overseas doctors will remain 'crucial' despite recruitment drive

Attracting skilled overseas-trained doctors to the UK will remain "crucial", despite plans to train more healthcare staff here, the doctors' regulator has said.

The General Medical Council (GMC) found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of new doctors in 2022 qualified abroad.

The government launched a major plan in June to train and recruit more healthcare workers in England. But it will take many years for this to take effect, the GMC says.

NHS England says it currently has 10,855 full-time doctor vacancies - a rate of 7.2%.

Under NHS England's Long Term Workforce Plan, it hopes to recruit and retain "hundreds of thousands" more healthcare staff over the next 15 years. The plan includes spending £2.4bn on additional training places for healthcare workers, with the number of medical school places for student doctors set to double to 15,000 a year.

Charlie Massey, the GMC's chief executive, said the drive to boost the workforce was "brilliant", but said "it takes a long time to make a doctor".

"We're not going to see the impact of that coming on stream for probably the best part of a decade. And that means we're going to need to rely on doctors who have trained overseas coming to the UK in much greater numbers than in recent years to maintain the workforce that we need to meet the needs of the population."

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Source: BBC News, 13 November 2023

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