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Nottingham maternity inquiry exposes simple truth – the NHS is failing women

The report of the Nottingham maternity inquiry, published on Wednesday, makes for harrowing reading.

The review includes 520 cases involving babies and mothers who died or suffered catastrophic harm as a result of care failings at maternity units under the Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.

Failings were “hauntingly consistent” for more than a decade, said Donna Ockenden, the senior midwife who led the inquiry, with “concerns suppressed, incidents downgraded, and the voices of women, particularly the most vulnerable, systematically dismissed”. Women and staff were bullied and gaslit, with some told they were imagining their pain.

The damning assessment continues throughout 400 pages of heartbreaking detail. But at the core of the report is the message that the NHS has once again failed to take proper care of women.

The Nottingham inquiry is the fifth major review of maternity failings in the UK since the 2015 report into Morecambe Bay Hospitals. Next week, another government-commissioned rapid national review of maternity services at 14 NHS trusts is due to be published, amid concerns about the overall treatment of women and babies in these settings.

And another two inquiries, also led by Ockenden, will take place into suspected maternal failings at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust. The Nottingham scandal is, quite clearly, not an isolated case – and the report is a scathing indictment of the poor maternity care given to thousands of women across the country.

The common thread running through all of these reports is the institutional failure by the NHS to listen to women or prioritise their safety and, as a result, the safety of their babies.

As the report said, “Listening to women is not simply an important principle of maternity care; it is its foundation.”

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Source: The Independent, 24 June 2026

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‘Horrific’ maternity care failings at Nottingham NHS trust prompt calls for public inquiry

Horrific failings led to 520 mothers and babies in Nottingham suffering harm or dying, sparking calls for a public inquiry into maternity care across England.

In all, 444 women and 76 newborn babies suffered “potentially avoidable” outcomes, a damning three-year long review of the biggest childbirth scandal in NHS history concluded.

James Murray, the health secretary, said the nature and scale of the failings exposed by Donna Ockenden’s report on maternity services at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust (NUH) between 2012 and 2025 were “horrific” and “chilling”.

Families suffered “dangerously and tragically deficient care at almost every turn” and “the NHS failed them catastrophically”, said Murray. He was “devastated” and “heartbroken” to read Ockenden’s 401-page account of the “neglect, incompetence, racism, discrimination, contempt and harassment that so many suffered”.

Ockenden, a respected maternity safety expert, painted a stark and detailed picture of maternity care at NUH’s two hospitals, Queen’s medical centre and Nottingham city hospital. “Multiple” women experienced dangerously poor and sometimes “cruel” care there, understaffing was routine, lessons from patient safety incidents were not learned, and bullying by “intimidating cliques” of staff was rife, she found.

The Nottingham Maternity Families group, which represents about 600 harmed and bereaved families, asked Keir Starmer to establish a statutory public inquiry to investigate failings in maternity and neonatal care across the entire NHS “because safe care can only be consistently delivered when the full truth is known”.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 June 2026

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Snooping on records ‘worrying trend, not just isolated incidents’

High-profile cases of staff snooping on patients’ health records, as most recently exposed by HSJ, have revealed “a worrying trend” across the NHS rather than just isolated incidences, a watchdog chief has warned.

The Information Commissioner’s Office boss made the remarks in a 700-word blog posted just hours after HSJ revealed more than 1,400 reports of “unauthorised access” to patient data had been reported to the ICO since 2019.

Paul Arnold wrote in the blog: “Recent high-profile cases point not to isolated incidents but to a worrying trend that requires a serious response across the healthcare sector.”

“I believe this is primarily a cultural challenge. When a local incident becomes national news – a serious crime, a public tragedy, a story that captures widespread attention – there is an increased risk that healthcare staff could be tempted to look at records they have no reason to view.”

He urged healthcare leaders to “ask yourself honestly whether your organisation is doing enough to prevent unauthorised access before it happens” and to remind staff of the importance of patient confidentiality when a high-profile incident happens.

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Source: HSJ, 24 June 2026

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Harry Potter bridges health-literacy gap

A pioneering technology inspired by Harry Potter that uses augmented reality (AR) to guide families through cleft lip surgery has received widespread recognition.

The app works like The Daily Prophet, the wizarding newspaper in Harry Potter, famous for its animated, moving pictures.

Professor Steven Lo, a consultant plastic surgeon with NHS Greater Glasgow’s Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit and Innovation Fellow at the West of Scotland Innovation Hub, led the project alongside Professor Paul Chapman, director of Emerging Technology at The Glasgow School of Art.

Their efforts were highly commended at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards.

Professor Steven Lo said: ‘We took inspiration from the newspapers in Harry Potter, which come to life to tell a story. We wanted to give patients’ families the opportunity to learn more about what was going on in a visual way. Around 20% of the population have literacy challenges, meaning they cannot read or write, and about 40% say they don’t understand medical terms. We also have patients who don’t speak English as a first language, and those with dyslexia, so we wanted to bridge that gap and provide something that everyone could understand and benefit from.’

The team co-developed the Cleft Lip Education through Augmented Reality (CLEAR) programme, which employs a completely visual form of communication, overcoming barriers caused by language, literacy, dyslexia, and learning difficulties.

By scanning a specially designed leaflet with a smartphone or tablet, patients and families can view a lifelike, animated 3D model that guides them through the surgical process.

This is designed to help to reduce anxiety and enhance understanding ahead of their child’s operation.

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Source: Surgery, 13 May 2026

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In memory of Alexander Winstan Stedmon

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Alex. He died peacefully at home on Wednesday 13 May 2026 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His beloved wife Donna was by his side.

Alex started his career as a hospital porter (a job he loved) and went on to develop a distinguished career, being awarded a PhD and becoming a Professor of Human Factors. Alex served with integrity as the president of the Chartered Institute of Human Factors and won many awards for his work, including the Prince Michael award.

Working with Alex for some 16 years has always been a pleasure and a privilege. Alex was the science auditor on the Patient Safety Learning 'Why investigate?' blog series, including authoring Making wrong decisions when we think they are the right decisions. He was a force in introducing real human factors into healthcare, rather than the pseudoscience that pervades the domain. Collaborating with Alex in training police and other safety critical people it was apparent that he impressed all. Compliments from barristers, police officers and safety directors from many industries flooded in. As his ethics advisor on his projects, I had little to do.

The Human Factors community gathered this week in his home town to say goodbye and, along with the sadness and admiration of his wife’s bravery, all said the same – Alex was, at all times, professional, honest and of the very highest integrity.

Alex is a great loss to healthcare, Human Factors, and science.

Dr Martin Langham & Professor Graham Edgar.

AlexStedmon.jpg.1567ec805d5e083b302bc80ed0f0211c.jpg

Alex Stedmon

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Government threatens prison terms for NHS staff who refuse to co-operate with inquiries

NHS executives and other staff who refuse to engage with investigations into maternity care failures could be sent to prison for up to two years under new government proposals.

The requirement to engage with maternity reviews will apply to existing and former NHS staff, and to the ongoing inquiries at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and University Hospitals Sussex Foundation Trust.

The announcement by health secretary James Murray came as Donna Ockenden published her 400-page report into care failings at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. This makes 18 specific recommendations for national action and criticises the trust’s leadership for its arrogance and the service for not learning from past inquiries (see below).

Health secretary James Murray said the government would compel staff to give evidence “to end a culture of secrecy and prevent further harm”.

He added: “This action will help ensure the reviews in Leeds and Sussex are fair and comprehensive, so that uncovering the truth does not rely solely on those who choose to come forward voluntarily. Those who refuse to do so or deliberately withhold information about failures could face up to two years in prison.”

Ms Ockenden’s report reveals that ”66 former and current” senior NUH staff were approached to contribute to the investigation. However, despite being ”contacted on multiple occasions”, only 37 came forward, 35 of which were interviewed. 

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Source: HSJ, 24 June 2026

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Most IVF ‘add-on’ treatments have no effect on fertility or remain unproven, study says

Most IVF “add-on” treatments sold to people hoping to boost their chances of having children are not backed by reliable evidence, fail to boost fertility and may be a complete waste of money, the largest study of its kind has concluded.

There has been a surge in extra procedures, medicines or techniques offered to patients in addition to standard IVF with bold claims they will increase the probability of success. Take-up is widespread, with more than 70% of IVF patients in the UK, Australia and New Zealand paying for one or more add-on during IVF treatment.

But the world’s most comprehensive review into their effectiveness – and the evidence behind them – found the majority show no effect on fertility or remain inconclusive due to limited or low-quality data.

Unproven add-ons also lead to false hope, greater financial strain and needless medical procedures at what is already a difficult time for patients, experts behind the research said. The findings were published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health journal.

“In many countries, infertility care is largely provided by private clinics where IVF is highly commercialised, and some add-ons are extremely expensive,” said Dr Sarah Lensen of the University of Melbourne.

“Our review finds a lack of evidence that most of the IVF add-ons we assessed provide any benefit to patients. Unproven add-ons can lead to false hope, greater financial strain and unnecessary medical procedures at what already can be a very difficult time for patients.”

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Source: The Guardian, 23 June 2026

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‘Fundamental failure’ sparks NHSE intervention at top 10 trust

 A “fundamental failure in quality governance” has led NHS England to take enforcement action against one of England’s largest trusts.

NHSE has decided to intervene at Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust because it believes the provider is “unable to provide assurance” that it has a “clear and consistent quality governance structure across the whole organisation that will ensure no further patients may suffer harm”.

 A letter to the trust from NHSE North West regional director Louise Shepherd said: “There have been a series of escalating quality concerns over the previous 18 months, for which [the trust] has been unable to respond at the expected pace… The culmination of quality concerns and [the trust’s] response has resulted from a fundamental failure in quality governance.”

Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board placed the trust in a “rapid quality review process” in January over concerns that it has made insufficient progress to remedy care failings identified by two independent reviews into its spinal services.

The trust then commissioned the Good Governance Institute to undertake a review. It produced 43 recommendations and found NCA lacked a “clear and consistent quality governance structure to ensure patients would not suffer harm”.

In September, the Care Quality Commission issued a warning notice to the trust following an inspection of Salford’s surgical services. It said NCA had not ensured surgical wards had sufficient and suitably qualified staff, as well as effective risk-management systems.

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Source: HSJ, 23 June 2026

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Regulator launches statutory inquiry into private provider

The Charity Commission has launched an inquiry into one of the largest private mental health providers over safeguarding and financial concerns.

The regulator has confirmed the regulatory compliance case it opened earlier this year into the St Andrew’s charity has been “escalated” to a statutory inquiry.

It said the initial case was launched to “assess concerns about the oversight of safeguarding provision by the trustees of the charity, the financial viability of the charity and the wider governance, management and administration of the charity by its trustees”.

It also pointed to concerns raised last summer after St Andrew’s submitted a serious incident report, concerning “potential mistreatment of patients” at the charity’s Northampton site.

St Andrew’s is one of the biggest independent providers to the NHS and was placed in special measures in December. It was prevented from accepting new patients last summer after revelations of poor care, and an “inadequate” Care Quality Commission rating.

The hospital is also the subject of three police investigations, with 15 staff members arrested following abuse and neglect allegations.

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Source: HSJ, 23 June 2026

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‘I was told I was being dramatic during labour. Now my child cannot walk or talk’

Mollie Sutton has spent the past seven years waiting for answers.

Her son Rupert, aged 7, was born with severe disabilities and is now unable to walk or talk. He also has the mental capability of a four-month-old baby.

Ms Sutton, 27, endured a harrowing labour before Rupert’s birth and believes failures by Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust, both before and during her labour, may have caused his severe physical and mental disabilities.

She is one of hundreds of families now seeking answers as to why their babies died or were left with disabilities at Nottingham hospitals.

An inquiry by Dame Donna Ockenden, which has looked at thousands of cases of alleged poor care at the hands of the trust, is due to publish a report into its failings on Wednesday as part of what has become the largest ever maternity review in NHS history.

Ms Sutton told The Independent: “This can't continue to happen. How many more dead babies, dead mothers, harmed babies, harmed mothers do we have to see until somebody actually finally puts their foot down and does something about it?”

It was in September 2018, at 34 weeks pregnant, that Ms Sutton was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with sepsis. Three weeks later, at 37 weeks, her labour was induced.

Ms Sutton, who was aged 19 at the time of the birth, described the intense pain she experienced during her labour. But she believes her begs for help were ignored due to her age.

“I was begging for pain relief. But I was told that I'm only two centimetres – I'm being dramatic. ‘I don't know why you're screaming because there are women on this ward with real problems,” she said.

At 4am, Ms Sutton, alone with her husband, said the baby suddenly seemed close to arrival so her husband pressed the emergency buzzer. Midwives came running into the ward, Ms Sutton remembers. The curtains had to remain wide open due to the number of people, and Ms Sutton says she was given no dignity at all.

Ms Sutton is now waiting to find out whether her son’s disabilities were caused by her care during and after her labour. But, as she awaits a report from the Nottingham inquiry team and a separate one from NUH, she said she wants urgent change.

She said: “They [the government, regulators and NHS] knew what was happening and they did nothing to stop it. The [watchdogs] CQC, the GMC, the NMC, and previous secretaries of state, they all knew what was happening. And they should be held accountable in a judge-led inquiry.”

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Source: The Independent, 24 June 2026

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Surgery ‘still looks like an old boys’ club’

Despite increasing diversity at entry levels in the fields of medicine, this decreases at higher levels.

Researchers have discovered that, despite many years of equality policies, advancement in UK surgery still largely depends on who already holds power in the room.

Surgeons from underrepresented groups are more likely to leave training and face barriers to promotion, especially in environments dominated by White men in senior positions.

This comes from a new study published in the Journal of Management Studies that analysed a decade of NHS career data. The findings suggest that informal networks and professional culture continue to shape careers as much as formal rules.

Dr Carol Woodhams, lead author of the study and Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of Surrey, said: ‘Decisions about progression are not purely based on merit but are influenced by who is seen to “fit” the traditional image of a surgeon. In some parts of the NHS system, particularly specialist surgical fields, inequality is more entrenched.

‘In others, especially large teaching hospitals with stronger oversight and clearer procedures, the gap narrows. This suggests that organisational context plays a decisive role in shaping outcomes for staff from underrepresented groups, including their progression, retention, and experience of inequality.’

Despite increasing diversity at entry levels in the fields of medicine, this decreases at higher levels.

Researchers have discovered that, despite many years of equality policies, advancement in UK surgery still largely depends on who already holds power in the room.

Surgeons from underrepresented groups are more likely to leave training and face barriers to promotion, especially in environments dominated by White men in senior positions.

This comes from a new study published in the Journal of Management Studies
that analysed a decade of NHS career data.

The findings suggest that informal networks and professional culture continue to shape careers as much as formal rules.

Dr Carol Woodhams, lead author of the study and Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of Surrey, said: ‘Decisions about progression are not purely based on merit but are influenced by who is seen to “fit” the traditional image of a surgeon. In some parts of the NHS system, particularly specialist surgical fields, inequality is more entrenched.

‘In others, especially large teaching hospitals with stronger oversight and clearer procedures, the gap narrows. This suggests that organisational context plays a decisive role in shaping outcomes for staff from underrepresented groups, including their progression, retention, and experience of inequality.’

Researchers analysed the career paths of 3,402 trainee surgeons across 212 NHS trusts over 10 years, tracking promotion to consultant level and exit from training.

They compared outcomes across gender and ethnicity and examined how these varied depending on workforce composition and governance structures.

Dr Woodhams said: "People often assume inequality is a thing of the past because the rules have changed. But what we see here is that informal dynamics still carry significant weight. Who is recognised, supported and ultimately promoted is shaped by who already holds power."

The study finds that environments with a higher concentration of senior White male surgeons tend to reinforce in-group advantages, while others face steeper barriers.

However, stronger governance and transparency can counteract this, particularly in formal promotion decisions.

Dr Woodhams added: "This is not about blaming individuals. It is about recognising that systems and cultures matter. The encouraging part is that change is possible. Where organisations take accountability seriously and make processes clearer, inequalities begin to shrink."

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Source: Surgery, 17 June 2026

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AI medical tools need stricter checks to protect patients, safety commissioner says

Post-market surveillance of AI health tools must be “beefed up” to protect doctors as well as patients, England’s patient safety commissioner says.

Henrietta Hughes also told The BMJ it was vital to establish clarity on where clinical liability sits when, not if, AI tools harm patients.

Hughes, a GP and a former medical director at NHS England, is deputy chair of the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare. The commission was set up by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to help guide development of a new regulatory framework for AI medical devices.

The commission published interim findings from its consultation and engagement process last week. 

Hughes said some clear themes had already emerged during the process of engagement with patients, the public, and doctors. Among the most pressing was the need for greater surveillance of AI tools after approval, so the MHRA can act if patients are at risk.

Hughes told The BMJ, “It’s really important that real time, real life monitoring happens when a device like AI is deployed in a real life clinical environment, particularly if the population of patients may be different from the population used to feed the model.”

Hughes added that while medicines have to pass an “extremely high hurdle” and evidence base to reach the market, AI—where new products are rapidly launched and updated—is different.

“We know that AI can change once it’s actually deployed, and so it’s important that the regulations are able to be updated to take account of that and to ensure that all medical devices, and particularly AI, are safe across its whole life cycle,” she said.

“Whether we’re using the yellow card system or other kinds of ‘always-on’ postmarket surveillance and postmarket monitoring, that side of things really needs to be significantly beefed up if we’re going to lower the hurdles for products to come onto the market.”

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Source: BMJ, 18 June 2026

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Experts hail ‘new age of diabetes treatment’ as drug approved on NHS

A ‘landmark moment’ is being celebrated in the NHS as a first-of-its-kind therapy that can delay the onset of type 1 diabetes for up to three years will be made available.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has approved teplizumab, which the charity Diabetes UK said “marks the start of a new age of type 1 diabetes treatment”.

Teplizumab, also known as Tzield and made by Sanofi, is approved for children aged eight and over and adults who have type 1 diabetes in its early stage before symptoms appear.

It is given as a one-off course and trains the immune system to stop attacking pancreatic cells.

Evidence shows the drug can delay the onset of type 1, meaning people can live a fuller life and children can have longer before having to aggressively manage their diabetes.

Nice estimates that around 1,100 people could be eligible for teplizumab in the first year, dropping to around 820 patients in the coming years.

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Source: The Independent, 23 June 2026

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Puberty blocker trial will help reduce harm, says Cass report author

A trial examining the risks or benefits of drugs that can delay puberty for gender-questioning children will help reduce harm, according to the author of a landmark review.

Dr Hilary Cass said she was "absolutely convinced that more children will be harmed if we don't do the trial than if we do."

Her comments follow pressure from campaigners and some politicians to have the research programme scrapped after it was announced children as young as 11 could be recruited onto the trial.

The Pathways clinical trial will be run by researchers at Kings College, London (KCL). In addition to setting a minimum age, they have also increased the safeguards for participants.

The puberty blockers research was recommended by Dr Cass after her 2024 review of gender medicine for children pointed to weak evidence behind their use.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Cass said she believes since then "some of the hype about risks have been exaggerated in that we genuinely don't know if there are harms."

And she said the trial was "essential" to answer the question about "whether these drugs are helpful or not".

She added that young people will be "closely monitored in every respect" and the drugs stopped if concerns emerge.

The researchers will examine the impact of the drugs on the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of participants. This will include checks on bone density, brain function and fertility.

Cass believes without a trial young people will continue to get drugs from "unregulated and dangerous routes."

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Source: BBC News, 22 June 2026

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Judge advanced AI systems like doctors, says government review

Oversight of advanced AI systems capable of making autonomous decisions should “mirror” the assessment of healthcare professionals, a government commission has proposed.

The National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare has proposed that agentic AI systems, which can autonomously plan and execute tasks with limited human supervision, should be required to demonstrate capability over time before being allowed to undertake more complex work. 

The minutes to the commission’s latest meeting, seen by HSJ,  stated: “Commissioners advised that approaches to deploying AI systems should mirror that of human professional style progression.” This would involve AI agents needing “to demonstrate capability over time before being exposed to higher risk activities”.

The commissioners were responding to a discussion paper on agentic AI systems, “which explored regulatory approaches to oversee AI systems that are capable of autonomously planning and taking actions with limited human supervision”.

The paper proposed “a tiered regulatory framework, which uses levels of agent autonomy as a basis to determine what regulation and risk controls are required”.

The commissioners “welcomed the proposal for a tiered regulatory framework”, but suggested, “further work should be undertaken to identify other potential factors relevant to determine the appropriate level of regulation”. 

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Source: HSJ, 22 June 2026

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National quality strategy facing ‘ministerial pushback’

Serious concerns have been raised that the delayed NHS “quality strategy” does not “prioritise patient safety”, HSJ has discovered.

The government’s 2025 10-Year Health Plan  stated “we will revitalise the National Quality Board (NQB) and task it with developing a new quality strategy”. The plan said the strategy would be published by March 2026, but this goal was missed, as was a second scheduled publication date soon after the May local elections. 

Minutes from the meeting obtained by HSJ reveal that NQB members “raised concerns” about the strategy’s lack of focus on patient safety and mental health. They also expressed a desire for the strategy to set “clearer expectations for providers”.

Read full article (paywalled).

Source: Health Service Journal, 23 June 2026

Related reading

In this blog, Patient Safety Learning and the Advancing Quality Alliance (Aqua) set out the need for safety to serve as a golden thread woven throughout the Strategy.

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Ebola cases in Congo surpass 1,000 with 254 people dead, authorities say

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo has now surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases, with officials reporting 254 deaths as of Sunday evening.

Congo’s Ministry of Health confirmed 1,003 cases and 100 recoveries since the epidemic was declared on 15 May in Ituri province.

Caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which no vaccines or treatments exist, this outbreak was the worst ever in its initial month. Officials admit more cases are likely unknown, and the peak is still ahead.

Contact tracing remains a key issue, with local authorities achieving only 55 per cent coverage.

The outbreak’s patient zero is yet to be identified, and over 35,000 contacts still require tracing, authorities confirmed.

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Source: The Independent, 22 June 2026

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Health minister apologises for 'evil' at Muckamore Abbey Hospital

The health minister has once again apologised for what he described as the "evil" perpetrated at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in County Antrim.

Speaking in the assembly, Mike Nesbitt said what happened was a " true scandal".

On Thursday, a long-awaited report into abuse at the hospital said a number of patients suffered physical abuse, including black eyes, broken bones, bruising and excessive restraint.

Nesbitt said the weight of evidence had provided a "watershed" moment for the treatment and care of the most vulnerable in society.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has said its Muckamore investigation is the biggest criminal adult safeguarding case of its kind in the UK.

In the assembly on Monday, Nesbitt said the report "helps us understand the failings of the past, and provides a road map for the work needed to address those issues".

But, he said, it was "vital that we now move forward as a health and social care system, and importantly as a society, into a safer, more inclusive and accepting future for those most vulnerable in our society".

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Source: BBC News, 22 July 2026

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‘Ham-fisted’ IT rollout ‘threatens service disruption’

NHS England is being warned that the planned rollout of a new “portal” for all NHS primary dental work could lead to widespread disruption.

The NHS Dental Services Portal is proposed as a new digital system for managing all NHS dental contract administration, including how dental activity is recorded, validated and paid. It is being rolled out to modernise an old, fragmented process, with the aim of improving efficiency, transparency, and consistency.

In an open letter sent to NHS Business Services Authority and NHSE, and shared with HSJ, the Dental Software Suppliers Association raised concerns about the speed of implementation being imposed.

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Source: Health Service Journal, 22 June 2026

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NHS ‘can’t be sure more patients won’t be harmed’ at scandal-hit trust

NHS England has taken enforcement action against a major health trust over multiple safety concerns, warning that it cannot be sure more patients won’t be harmed.

The sanction means Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, in Greater Manchester, could be fined or lose its license to provide care if it does not improve.

It comes after a string of serious concerns were raised about patient safety, including in its gynaecological services, after an audit of hundreds of cases at Salford Royal Hospital in 2024 found dozens of women, including cancer patients, were “harmed” after their diagnosis and treatment were delayed due to admin failures.

Now, a damning document, seen by The Independent, reveals NHS England found the trust has been “unable to provide assurance” that it has a clear and consistent structure “that will ensure no further patients may suffer harm”.

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Source: The Independent, 19 June 2026

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Report on Nottingham NHS maternity scandal to reveal ‘horrendous’ failings

The report of the inquiry into the biggest maternity scandal in NHS history will outline “horrendous” failings in the care provided to women in Nottingham.

A catalogue of appalling behaviour over many years by staff at the city’s two hospitals – Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City hospital – included racism towards mothers, it will say.

The NHS is bracing itself for the publication on Wednesday of a report by Donna Ockenden on 2,500 cases involving babies and mothers dying or being injured, and babies being stillborn, while under the care of Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust between 1 April 2012 and 31 May 2025.

The document will stretch to more than 350 pages. Ockenden, a senior midwife and expert in maternity care failings, began her inquiry into Nottingham more than four years ago, in May 2022. About 2,505 families – more than in any previous maternity scandal – and approximately 850 staff and ex-staff of the NHS trust have given evidence to it.

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Source: The Guardian, 22 June 2026

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AI's 'blind trust' problem puts patients at risk

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes deeply embedded in triage and clinical workflows, experts are raising concerns about a growing “blind trust” where clinicians and patients alike defer to algorithmic confidence over independent medical judgment.

Speaking at the HLTH Europe 2026 conference, panellists stressed that a person’s information ecosystem —who they follow on social media, the podcasts they listen to, and how they interact with AI — is becoming a dominant determinant of health outcomes. 

Speaking at the event, Patient Safety Learning’s Chief Digital Officer Clive Flashman defined blind trust in this new era as the moment a “clinician stops being able to think independently, independently judging what they see, feel, or hear, because the algorithm has told them something that they should believe or do.”

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Source: Medscape, 21 June 2026

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Vulnerable patients' lives made 'miserable' by abuse, Muckamore inquiry finds

A number of long-term patients at a hospital for vulnerable adults suffered physical abuse, including black eyes, broken bones, bruising and excessive restraint.

The long-awaited final report into the abuse at Muckamore Abbey Hospital has been published. Chaired by Tom Kark KC, the public inquiry ran for three years from June 2022, hearing oral evidence from 181 witnesses and more than 300 statements.

The report into what happened inside the hospital found "deviance" was so normalised that working below par became acceptable. It also makes it clear that abuse did not involve every patient nor every member of staff, nor a majority of the staff.

But many patients had their lives made "miserable" by systematic bullying by certain members of staff whose job it was to look after them.

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Source: BBC News, 18 June 2026

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Thousands could face ‘daunting’ surgery after patients with spine implant recalled for urgent x-rays

Thousands of people across the UK could face complex surgery to remove a spinal implant now linked to significant bone loss.

This alarming development follows the device's global withdrawal from sale and an urgent recall for patients to undergo X-rays.

The M6-C artificial disc implant was designed to replace damaged neck discs, offering an alternative to spinal fusion surgery, involving metal rods.

However, the implant has been associated with osteolysis – a progressive condition where bone tissue is destroyed and reabsorbed by the body.

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Source: The Independent, 19 June 2026

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Health minister apologises for NHSE error on FDP data access

Health innovation and safety minister Preet Kaur Gill has said she is “very sorry” after being questioned by MPs about NHS England’s handling of information provided to the National Data Guardian (NDG) on access to patient data within the Federated Data Platform (FDP).

Appearing before the Health and Social Care Committee on 16 June 2026, Gill was challenged over concerns that NHS England had incorrectly described who could access identifiable patient information within the FDP.

The concerns relate to NHS England documentation submitted to the NDG, which incorrectly described who could access identifiable patient data within parts of the FDP.

Martin Wrigley, MP for Newton Abbot, raised concerns about reports that identifiable patient data was flowing into the national FDP system and that Palantir engineers and others could obtain administrative access when required. Similar concerns were raised earlier this month by the NDG.

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Source: Digital Health, 18 June 2026

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