Jump to content
  • articles
    9,877
  • comments
    83
  • views
    12,555,528

Contributors to this article

About this News

Articles in the news

Ministers could help the patients dying in NHS hospital corridors right now – they just choose not to

With NHS staff being forced to witness our patients dying in corridors, in cupboards, on floors and in stranded ambulances, we can only thank our lucky stars that the country’s second most powerful politician is the man who last year published Zero: Eliminating Unnecessary Deaths in a Post-Pandemic NHS.

Because the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, cannot possibly stand back and permit these crisis conditions to continue, can he? He knows better than anyone – having written 320 pages on precisely this fact – that avoidable deaths are the very worst kinds of death, the ones that sicken families and clinicians to their core.

Let’s remind ourselves of how strongly Hunt feels about this subject. The blurb of his book, published only last May, rings out with moral righteousness. “How many avoidable deaths are there in the NHS every week?” he asks. “150. What figure should we aim for? Zero. Mistakes happen. But nobody deserves to become a statistic in an NHS hospital. That’s why we need to aim for zero.”

He even offers a road map towards achieving that end that, unusually for a politician, centres on radical candour. Don’t lie. Don’t deflect. Don’t spin. Don’t cover up. Be honest and open about mistakes and failures because this is the first, essential step to fixing them.

To the collective despair of frontline staff, the government’s actual, as opposed to rhetorical, response to the humanitarian crisis gripping the NHS is a perverse inversion of everything the chancellor purports to hold dear.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 6 January 2023

Read more

Ministers consider staff body cameras to tackle NHS mental health abuse scandals

Ministers are considering the use of body cameras within mental health units as part of the government’s response to NHS abuse scandals, The Independent has learned.

Senior sources with knowledge of the conversation between the Department for Health and Social Care and the NHS have raised concerns about the plans. There are fears that using the technology in mental health units could have implications for human rights and patient confidentiality.

One senior figure criticised the proposals and said: “The DHSC are all talking about body-worn cameras, closed circuit TV, etc... The whole thing is fraught with huge difficulties regarding human rights, about confidentiality. They are thinking about it [cameras] and it is ridiculous.”

The DHSC’s mental health minister Maria Caulfield said in parliament earlier this month that she and health secretary Steve Barclay were due to meet with NHS officials to discuss what response was needed to recent exposes of abuse within mental health services.

It comes after a string of reports from The Independent, BBC Panorama and Dispatches revealing abuse of inpatients. The Panorama and Dispatches reports included video evidence of abuse captured by hidden cameras.

Following a scathing independent review into the deaths of three young women, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust said it is piloting the use of body-worn cameras across 10 inpatient wards “to support post incident reviews for staff and patients.”

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 23 November 2022

Read more

Ministers blasted by scandal inquiry chair

The government’s response to the East Kent maternity scandal inquiry has been condemned as ‘very disappointing’ by its chair. 

More than four months on from the inquiry report, ministers this morning issued what they called an “initial response” to it, as a brief written statement to Parliament. It contained few specific proposals, instead saying government was kicking off a series of other reviews, and “working” with various other agencies.

Inquiry chair Bill Kirkup, the well-regarded former medic and expert in care failures, told HSJ the response was poor and should have been “wider and deeper”.

Dr Kirkup said the response showed government had “not grasped how fundamental” some of the issues outlined in his report were, and “what sort of initiative” was needed to address them.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 7 March 2023

Read more

Ministers and NHS bosses clash over surgery waiting list targets in England

A “very tense” behind-the-scenes row over how quickly hospitals in England can be expected to reduce the massive backlog of surgery has broken out between NHS bosses and ministers.

The dispute has delayed publication of the government’s “elective recovery plan”, which Downing Street had indicated would be part of Boris Johnson’s “Operation Red Meat” political fightback this week.

No 10, the Treasury and Department of Health and Social Care are pressing NHS England to ensure that hospitals do as many operations as they can, as quickly as possible, in order to tackle the backlog, which now stands at a record 6 million patients.

They want to impose “stretching and demanding” targets on hospitals, sources with knowledge of the discussions said.

However, NHS trust bosses say the ongoing impact of treating patients sick with Covid, due to the current Omicron surge, longstanding gaps in their workforce, exhaustion at the frontline and record levels of staff sickness, mean they need time to get back to doing as much surgery as they did before the pandemic.

The Treasury is said to be frustrated with NHS England and privately believes it is “foot-dragging” over the targets. NHS bosses for their part fear the plan is being driven by “political expediency”, given the growing concern at the sheer number of people facing long delays for care.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 20 January 2022

Read more

Ministers admit they will break NHS pledge on hospital waiting times

Ministers have admitted a key NHS pledge to ensure that everyone who has been waiting at least two years for hospital care would be treated by last month has not been met.

The then health secretary Sajid Javid made the promise in February when launching the NHS’s “elective recovery plan”. It was intended to tackle what is now a record 6.6 million-patient backlog in England for those awaiting a procedure such as a joint replacement or cataract removal and included a series of treatment milestones the health service had to hit.

“No one will wait longer than two years by July,” Javid said. However, the Department of Health and Social Care has now admitted that it will miss that target and that “a small number of patients” will have remained untreated by that deadline.

The health minister Maria Caulfield told Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, in a written parliamentary answer on 18 July that while “no formal estimate has been made … engagement with the National Health Service suggests a small number of patients with complex cases will have waited longer than two years for NHS treatment by the end of July 2022”.

Streeting said the admission was a further example of the government not backing up rhetoric on the NHS with concrete action. “It is unacceptable for anyone to be left waiting more than one year for healthcare, let alone two,” he said. “Once again the Conservatives have overpromised, [and] undelivered, and patients are paying the price.”

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 3 August 2022

Read more
 

Ministers admit 34 hospital buildings in England have roofs that could collapse

Thirty-four hospital buildings in England have roofs made of concrete that is so unstable they could fall down at any time, ministers have admitted.

The revelation has prompted renewed fears that ceilings at the hospitals affected might suddenly collapse, injuring staff and patients, and calls for urgent action to tackle the problem.

Maria Caulfield, a health minister, made the disclosure in a written answer to a parliamentary question asked by the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesperson, Daisy Cooper.

Caulfield said surveys carried out by the NHS found that 34 buildings at 16 different health trusts contained reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which one hospital boss has likened to a “chocolate Aero bar”. RAAC was widely used in building hospitals and schools in the 1960s, 70s and 80s but has a 30-year lifespan and is now causing serious problems.

In 2020 Simon Corben, NHS England’s director of estates, declared that RAAC planks posed a “significant safety risk” because their age meant they could fall down without warning.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 14 August 2022

Read more

Ministers accused of neglecting ‘tidal wave’ of child mental ill health in England

Ministers have been accused of failing to grasp the “tidal wave” of mental ill health blighting children’s lives, after research found that only a quarter of English primaries will be able to offer vital school-based support by the end of next year.

With almost one in five pupils aged 7 to 16 now thought to have a mental health disorder, specialist support teams were set up to work with children in schools, addressing early symptoms and reducing pressure on overstretched NHS services.

According to new figures shared exclusively with the Guardian, however, pupils in almost three-quarters (73.4%) of primary schools in England will have had no access to the new mental health support teams (MHSTs) by the end of 2024.

The research follows reports that a quarter of a million children in the UK with mental health problems have been denied help by the NHS, with some trusts failing to offer treatment to 60% of those referred by GPs.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 9 June 2023

Read more
 

Ministers accused of ‘knowingly exposing’ patients to risk after partial response to Paterson scandal

Ministers have been accused of “knowingly exposing” NHS and private patients to safety risks after delaying again a full response to the inquiry into the Ian Paterson scandal.

Victims of rogue surgeon Ian Paterson, who was jailed in 2017 for carrying out unnecessary surgery on patients, told The Independent there was a “clear and present danger” of similar crimes being committed without urgent action being taken.

On Tuesday, the government released a partial response to an independent inquiry, led by Reverend Graham James, which reported in February last year. It revealed Paterson was able to carry out unnecessary surgery on more than 1,000 patients over a 14 year period due to a “dysfunctional” health system and the wilful blindness of managers.

The government response addressed only three recommendations directly with ministers promising a full response later this year.

David Rowland, director at the Centre for Health and the Public Interest criticised the lack of action as the NHS sends more patients to private hospitals in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 23 March 2021

Read more

Ministerial power grab could ‘undermine NICE independence’

The government plans to take direct control of the cost effectiveness thresholds used by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), in an unprecedented move its own impact assessment says could “undermine the independence” of the standards setting organisation.

The government also wants to ensure ministerial instructions to NICE do not need to be consulted on first.

These potential options have been raised in a new government consultation on changing the regulations under which NICE operates. 

Read full article (paywalled).

Source: Health Service Journal, 10 December 2025.

Read more

Minister: There’s systemic racism in the NHS

A health and social care minister privately said there was ‘systemic’ racism within the NHS and called for an investigation into it.

Helen Whately told Matt Hancock of her belief in a private message which was today shown to the covid public inquiry.

An inquiry hearing with Mr Hancock – who said he agreed with the point – was shown an exchange between Ms Whately, then care minister, and Mr Hancock in June 2020.

The Guardian had reported the previous day that an internal report had found systemic racism at NHS Blood and Transplant.

Ms Whately, who is now minister of state covering social care and urgent and emergency services, said: “I think the Bame next steps proposed are important but don’t go far enough. There’s systemic racism in some parts of the NHS, as seen in NHSBT.”

She added: “Now could be a good moment to kick off a proper piece of work to investigate and tackle it.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 1 December 2023

Read more
 

Minister refuses to apologise for pandemic failings which ‘cost thousands of lives’

A cabinet minister has refused to apologise for the government’s handing of the COVID-19 pandemic despite a new report finding that errors cost “thousands of lives”.

Cabinet Office minister Stephen Barclay defended the government’s decision making to Sky News, saying: “We followed, throughout, the scientific advice. We got the vaccine deployed extremely quickly, we protected our NHS from the surge of cases.”

His comments come as family members who lost loved ones to COVID-19 described the MPs’ report as “laughable” for failing to take evidence from the bereaved.

The COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group criticised the parliamentary report as being “more interested in political arguments about whether you can bring laptops to Cobra meetings that it is in the experiences of those who tragically lost” family members to COVID-19.

When asked, for a second time, if he would apologise by presenter Kay Burley, Stephen Barclay replied: “Well no, we followed the scientific advice, we protected the NHS, we took the decisions based on the evidence before us.”

He made these comments despite the report finding that the delayed decision to lock down in spring last year was one of the “most important public health failures the United Kingdom has ever experienced”.

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 12 October 2021

Read more

Minister misled Parliament over ambulance crisis

A health minister incorrectly told the Commons yesterday “we have procured a contract” for surge support for ambulance services, despite the contract not having been awarded yet, HSJ has learned.

There are also doubts about two other points made by health minister Maria Caulfield in Parliament yesterday in a debate about the current high pressure on ambulance services.

She said: “We have procured a contract with a total value of £30m for an auxiliary ambulance service, which will provide national surge capacity if needed to support the ambulance response during periods of increased pressure. That capacity is there, should we need it.”

However, NHS England, which advertised the contract in May, confirmed to HSJ today that it “is yet to be awarded”.

Ms Caulfield was responding to an urgent question from Labour shadow health and social care secretary Wes Streeting about pressure on ambulance services and the heatwave. HSJ reported on Tuesday that all 10 major ambulance services in England were on the highest level of alert.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: 14 July 2022

Read more

Minister calls for staff evidence in deaths inquiry

A health minister has called for more staff to take part in an inquiry into deaths at a mental health trust.

An independent review into 1,500 deaths at the Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) over a 21-year period was launched in 2020.

It emerged earlier this month that 11 out of 14,000 staff members had come forward to give evidence to an independent inquiry.

The trust said it was encouraging staff to take part in the inquiry.

During a parliamentary debate, Health Minister Neil O'Brien said the trust was being given a "last chance" before the government intervened and instigated a statutory inquiry.

A statutory inquiry would allow staff to be compelled to give evidence.

In December, a further 500 deaths were made known to the review chair, Dr Geraldine Strathdee.

She said the inquiry could not continue without full legal powers.

Chelmsford MP Vicky Ford said she had been told by the chief executive of EPUT that staff were "very scared" to give evidence.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 31 January 2023

Read more
 

Mind calls for further GP training to better inform over mental health medication side effects

Mental health charity, Mind, have found in their annual survey that people are being prescribed medication for mental health issues without being told of the side effects.

In response, the charity is calling for more mental health training to be made available for GPs. 

Mind’s Big Mental Health Survey, asks people currently battling with mental health issues to disclose experiences of care and services they have received. More than 12,000 participants found that, when prescribed new medication, only 21% said that they were definitely given an explanation about the potential side effects. It showed that 50% of people didn’t receive enough information about the purpose of any new medication.

More than 40% of all doctors’ appointments are related to mental health, yet GPs receive no mandatory, practise-based training.

Mind wants GPS to have a wide range of training available to them, ensuring they have the confidence to provide quality support for those struggling with mental health.

Read full story

Source: National Health Executive, 2 October 2019

Read more
 

Milton Keynes University Hospital A&E staffing 'puts lives at risk'

Patients' lives are being put at risk at a short-staffed A&E department where a man died amid a series of failings, coroner has said.

John Shrosbree, 72, died a week after arriving "clearly unwell" at Milton Keynes Hospital, a report found. The seriousness of his illness was not recognised and he went into cardiac arrest, suffering brain damage, coroner Tom Osborne said.

Hospital bosses said they had made changes to increase staffing levels.

Mr Osborne, who oversaw the inquest into Mr Shrosbree's death, said it became clear during evidence that problems in the department were mainly the result of a lack of staff.

"I was told that staff shortages occur on a daily basis," he said. "I believe that as a result lives of the citizens of Milton Keynes are being put at risk and the problem should be addressed as a matter of urgency."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 3 October 2019

Read more
 

Milly Main: Criminal investigation over hospital deaths

Police have launched a criminal investigation into a number of deaths at a Glasgow hospital, including that of 10-year-old Milly Main. It comes as a separate public inquiry into the building of several Scottish hospitals is being held.

Milly's mother recently told the inquiry her child's death was "murder".

A review in May found an infection which contributed to Milly's death was probably caused by the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital environment.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has now instructed police to investigate the deaths of Milly, two other children and 73-year-old Gail Armstrong at the Glasgow campus. It is understood the probe could lead to criminal charges or a fatal accident inquiry.

A spokesperson said: "The investigation into the deaths is ongoing and the families will continue to be kept updated in relation to any significant developments."

The Crown Office added that it was committed to supporting the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry and "contributing positively" to its work.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 26 September 2021

 
Read more

Millions wrongly labelled with penicillin allergy, pharmacists warn

Millions of people wrongly believe they are allergic to penicillin, which could mean they take longer to recover after an infection, pharmacists say.

About four million people in the UK have the drug allergy on their medical record - but when tested, 90% of them are not allergic, research suggests.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society says many people confuse antibiotic side-effects with an allergic reaction.

Common allergic symptoms include itchy skin, a raised rash and swelling. Nausea, breathlessness, coughing, diarrhoea and a runny nose are some of the others.

But antibiotics, which treat bacterial infections, can themselves cause nausea or diarrhoea and the underlying infection can also lead to a rash.

And this means people often mistakenly believe they are allergic to penicillin, which is in many good, common antibiotics.

These are used to treat chest, skin and urinary tract infections - but if people are labelled allergic, they are given second-choice antibiotics, which can be less effective.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 28 September 2023

Read more

Millions with mental health needs not seeking NHS help, watchdog says

Millions of people in England with mental ill-health are not seeking NHS help, and many who get it face long delays and a “poor experience”, a report says.

Long waits for care will persist for years because soaring demand, exacerbated by Covid, will continue to outstrip the ability of severely understaffed mental health services to provide speedy treatment, the National Audit Office (NAO) found.

The report found that “NHS mental health services are under continued and increasing pressure and many people using services are reporting poor experiences”. Under-18s, the LGBT+ community, minority ethnic groups and people with more complex needs are most likely to find the system inadequate.

“While funding and the workforce for mental health services have increased and more people have been treated, many people still cannot access services or have lengthy waits for treatment,” the NAO said.

It found:

  • An estimated 8 million people with mental health needs are not in contact with NHS services.
  • There are 1.2 million people waiting for help from community-based mental health services.
  • While the mental health workforce grew by 22% between 2016-17 and 2021-22, the NHS recorded a 44% increase in referrals over the same period.
  • In 2021-22, 13% of mental health staff quit.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 9 February 2023

Read more

Millions will die from infections as aid budget is cut

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the gravest public health threats confronting the world, one projected to cause 39 million deaths by 2050 and a direct threat to the UK that demands urgent action, not shortsighted funding cuts.

The Fleming Fund has an effective surveillance tool to track resistant infections, supporting experts working in hundreds of laboratories in countries in Africa and Asia at the greatest danger from AMR. It is the perfect example of the UK aid budget being used to protect us all from health crises that respect no borders, which makes the government’s sudden decision to scrap it a shocking act of vandalism.

It is five months since the government announced its £5 billion cut to the UK’s overseas development budget, a 40% reduction taking spending to its lowest level this century, but only now are the grim consequences becoming clear. Projects to combat AMR are particularly vulnerable because they are funded by the Department of Health and Social Care which must slash almost two thirds from its share of the aid budget over the next two years, from £331 million to just £123 million. 

AMR evolves constantly across borders. When we abandon surveillance programmes we create blind spots that allow drug-resistant infections to spread unchecked. 

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: The Times, 21 July 2025

Read more

Millions wait more than a fortnight to see a GP in England

Nearly five million patients each month in England wait more than a fortnight for a GP appointment, NHS figures show, which Labour is calling "unacceptable".

The government says it expects all patients needing a GP appointment to be seen within two weeks.

The Royal College of GPs says 85% of appointments happen within two weeks and nearly half on the same day.

Those taking longer than two weeks may be routine ones for which the wait is therefore appropriate, it says.

Prof Kamila Hawthorne, who chairs the Royal College of GPs, said: "GPs and our teams are working tirelessly to deliver safe, timely and appropriate care and to give patients the choice of appointment they want.

"We share our patients' frustration when they struggle to access our care. However, this is not down to GPs and their hard-working teams, but due to decades of underfunding and poor resource planning."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 21 April 2023

Read more

Millions urged to get free NHS check for ‘silent killer’

Millions of people are being urged to get checks for a condition which has been described as the “silent killer”.

If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia.

Up to 4.2 million people in England are thought to be living with high blood pressure without knowing it – around a third of all those with the condition.

Now, a new NHS Get Your Blood Pressure Checked campaign has been launched, backed by health charities, to warn people the condition often has no symptoms.

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, said: “High blood pressure usually has no symptoms but can lead to serious health consequences.

“The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a simple, non-invasive blood pressure test.

“Even if you are diagnosed, the good news is that it’s usually easily treatable.

“Getting your blood pressure checked at a local pharmacy is free, quick and you don’t even need an appointment, so please go for a check today – it could save your life.”

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 11 March 2024

Read more

Millions to receive NHS screening invitations and appointment reminders on their phones

Appointment reminders, invitations to health screenings and test results will now be received by patients on their phones.

The government says moving to a more digital-focused NHS will mean 50 million fewer letters need to be sent out by the health service, saving an estimated £200m over the next three years.

Instead, under the new plans, millions of people will be notified about appointments and other important notices via the NHS app on their phone or digital device.

The app is set to become the go-to method for the NHS to communicate with people, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

The changes will be backed by more than £50m investment. It will see a predicted 270 million messages sent through the app this year, an increase of around 70 million on the last financial year, the government announced.

The health secretary said: "The fact that people still get letters through the front door, sometimes multiple letters about the same appointment... The NHS has been stuck in the mud when it comes to the everyday technology we use to organise our lives. And that's why what we're doing with the NHS app is really exciting."

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 7 June 2025

Read more

Millions offered no choice of provider

Millions of patients are being offered no choice of provider when referred for secondary care and tests, contrary to national guidance, according to NHS England information.

By law, patients are allowed to choose their provider when referred for a first appointment for consultant-led treatment.

The NHS e-Referral Service is the NHS’s national digital system for booking and managing elective appointments and is used in primary care consultations to book appointments; as well as directly by patients via the “manage your referral” website or the NHS App.

It was introduced in an effort to make referrals faster and more transparent, and it was claimed it would also lead to patients being offered more choice.

Read full story

Source: HSJ 9 December 2025

Read more
 

Millions of women lose access to contraception and abortions amid coronavirus crisis

Millions of women and girls around the world have been left unable to access contraception and abortions amid the coronavirus crisis, a new report has found.

A study by Marie Stopes International, which provides abortion and contraception services worldwide, warns 1.9 million women and girls lost their usual access to its contraception and safe abortion services in the first half of the year as a result of the global public health emergency.

The abortion provider is preparing for 900,000 additional unintended pregnancies, 1.5 million extra unsafe abortions, and 3,100 additional pregnancy-related deaths after the disruption to services in the first half of the year.

Dr Rashmi Ardey, of Marie Stopes, said: “Women’s needs do not suddenly stop or diminish during an emergency – they become greater. And as a doctor, I have seen only too often the drastic action that women and girls take when they are unable to access contraception and safe abortion.

“This pandemic has strained healthcare services all over the world, but sexual and reproductive healthcare was already so under prioritised that once again women are bearing the brunt of this global calamity.”

Read full story

Source: The Independent,19 August 2020

Read more

Millions of women in UK face severe period pain but symptoms dismissed

Millions of women and girls experience debilitating periods, yet nearly one-third never seek medical help, and more than half say their symptoms are not taken seriously, according to research.

A survey of 3,000 women and girls for the Wellbeing of Women charity found that they are often dismissed as “just having a period”, despite experiencing severe pain, heavy bleeding and irregular cycles that can lead to mental health problems.

Almost all of those surveyed, who were between 16 and 40 years old and based in the UK, had experienced period pain (96%), with 59% saying their pain was severe. 91% had experienced heavy periods, with 49% saying their bleeding was severe. 

Prof Dame Lesley Regan, the chair of Wellbeing of Women, said: “It’s simply unacceptable that anyone is expected to suffer with period symptoms that disrupt their lives, including taking time off school, work, or their caring responsibilities, all of which may result in avoidable mental health problems.

“Periods should not affect women’s lives in this way. If they do, it can be a sign of a gynaecological condition that requires attention and ongoing support – not dismissal.”

Wellbeing of Women has launched its “Just a Period” campaign, which Regan said aims to address “the many years of medical bias, neglect and stigma in women’s health”. This includes tips on how to get the most out of seeing your GP and what women should do if they feel they have been dismissed.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 14 September 2023

Read more

© 2026 Patient Safety Learning. All rights reserved.

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

×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.