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Patients died after catalogue of errors by Priory mental health chain

NHS bosses have attacked the country’s leading private mental healthcare chain for failing to keep patients safe, The Times has learnt, as an investigation reveals the Priory Group has been criticised for failings in the care of 30 patients who have died.

An investigation by this newspaper reveals that the company, which earns at least £400 million a year from public sector contracts for looking after mentally ill patients, has been repeatedly criticised for the same failures of care over the past decade.

This week the Priory was criticised in the inquest of Eliana Hanton, 20, who died after hanging herself using a ligature point that had been highlighted as a risk in an internal audit four months earlier.

An inquest in Birmingham last week concluded that neglect by the Woodbourne Priory Hospital contributed to the death of Matthew Caseby, 23.

The company has repeatedly been criticised for the same failings in relation to patient deaths, leading to questions about whether it is learning from its mistakes, including inadequate or inaccurate risk assessments, staff's lack of training or expertise, a failure to address known ligature points or escape routes and materials which could be used to self-harm, and poor record keeping.

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Source: The Times, 29 April 2022

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Maternity scandal families slam NHS over no confidence vote ‘silence’

Families impacted by the Nottingham maternity scandal say they have been left in “limbo” following silence from NHS England in response to their concerns over a major review, as 50 more come forward.

The review into failures in maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals Foundation Trust has now had 512 families come forward with concerns, up from 460 last month, and has spoken to 71 members of staff.

The update comes as families told The Independent they were yet to receive a direct acknowledgement or response to their warning on Monday that they had no confidence in newly appointed review chairwoman Julie Dent.

In response to a letter outlining her appointment, the families asked for Ms Dent to decline the offer and instead pushed for NHS England to ask Donna Ockenden, who is chairing a similar inquiry into Shrewsbury maternity care.

Former health secretary and health committee chairman, Jeremy Hunt, has now also challenged the NHS on Ms Dent’s appointment, and echoed the families’ call to ask Ms Ockenden.

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Source: The Independent, 29 April 2022

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People with arthritis told to exercise more and use painkillers less

People with arthritis are being urged to lose weight and exercise more rather than rely on painkillers as the main therapies for their condition.

NHS guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says people who are overweight should be told their pain can be reduced if they shed the pounds.

Aerobic exercise such as walking, as well as strength training, can ease symptoms and improve quality of life. Exercise programmes may initially make the pain worse, but this should settle down, the guidance suggests.

The guidelines also give recommendations on the use of medicines, such as offering non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) but not offering paracetamol, glucosamine or strong opioids.

NICE said there was a risk of addiction with strong opioids, while evidence suggests little or no benefit for some medicines when it comes to quality of life and pain levels.

The draft guidelines say people can be offered tailored exercise programmes, with the explanation “doing regular and consistent exercise, even though this may initially cause discomfort, will be beneficial for their joints”.

Tracey Loftis, head of policy and public affairs at the charity Versus Arthritis, said: “We’ve seen first-hand the benefits that people with osteoarthritis can get in being able to access appropriate physical activity, especially when in a group setting. Something like exercise can improve a person’s mobility, help manage their pain and reduce feelings of isolation.

“But our own research into the support given to people with osteoarthritis showed that far too many do not have their conditions regularly reviewed by healthcare professionals, and even fewer had the opportunity to access physical activity support.

“The lack of alternatives means that, in many cases, many people are stuck on painkillers that are not helping them to live a life free from pain.

“While we welcome the draft Nice guidelines, healthcare professionals need further resources and support to better understand their role in promoting treatment like physical activity for people with osteoarthritis.

“There is clearly a need for people with arthritis to be given a bigger voice so that their health needs are not ignored.”

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Source: The Guardian, 29 April 2022

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NHS boss feared waiting for ambulance after stroke

An NHS boss who had a stroke was taken to A&E by her husband rather than calling for an ambulance because of concerns over long waits.

In a series of tweets, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Deborah Lee praised his swift actions.

She said he had "bundled her into his car", last week, after she had showed the signs of a stroke because he had heard her "lamenting ambulance delays".

She is recovering but says it may have been different if they had called 999.

Waits for an ambulance in England are the longest since new targets were introduced, in 2017.

And Ms Lee's regional service - the South West - has the longest waits in the country, with category-two calls, which include strokes, taking nearly two hours, on average, to reach patients in March.

The target is 18 minutes.

In the tweets, Ms Lee said: "Naturally, I am eternally grateful to my husband for his swift actions… but I can't get one thing out of my head.

"What if my husband hadn't been there and my daughter had called for an ambulance and I'd been put in the cat[egory]-two stack?"

She went on to say it was not the fault of the ambulance service and the whole system was "working unrelentingly to this but to no great avail".

Ms Lee said hospitals were struggling to discharge patients, because of a lack of social care, and so delays were building up in the rest of the system.

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Source: BBC News, 28 April 2022

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Experts who warned over Covid risk to care homes were told they were ‘too risk averse’

Ministers and public health officials were warned that stricter proposals were needed to protect care home patients from Covid-19, Wednesday’s high court ruling revealed.

Draft versions of guidance for hospitals and care homes during the first pandemic wave included measures that were challenged by NHS officials.

The government and Public Health England (PHE) were found to have acted unlawfully over a policy that allowed patients to be discharged from hospitals into care homes during the onset of the pandemic.

In their ruling on Wednesday, Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Garnham concluded that policies in March and early April 2020 failed to take into account the risk to elderly and vulnerable residents from non-symptomatic transmission of the virus.

It came after two women took Public Health England, the then health secretary Matt Hancock and NHS England to court over the deaths of their fathers in care homes during the first wave of the pandemic. During the last two years more than 20,000 care home residents have died from Covid-19.

However, court documents show early draft PHE guidance advised against transferring asymptomatic patients into care homes with outbreaks and against admitting Covid positive patients who had not completed their isolation period to care homes. Senior NHS leaders challenged the draft guidance, saying it would make care homes “too risk averse”.

According to documents revealed in the judgment, the then minister for social care Helen Whately raised several concerns about the discharge of Covid-positive patients into care homes.

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Source: The Independent, 28 April 2022

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'The thought of running out of HRT is terrifying'

A shortage of specific types of hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) has left women struggling with untreated symptoms of the menopause. Demand for prescriptions has more than doubled since 2017 - partly because of work by campaigners to extend access - but supply of some products has not kept up.

Yasmin Darling's experience of the menopause was sudden and profound. Two years ago, she had two operations to reduce her risk of inherited cancer which plunged her into an early menopause.

"It's really hard to navigate medical menopause 10 years early," the 45-year-old says.

"When you don't have the product you need, it makes it much more difficult to navigate."

Because of Covid, Yasmin has never been seen by a specialist at a menopause clinic, so she is managing as best she can on her own. 

Claire Lopez, 59, spent three weeks trying to obtain her usual HRT patches from different local chemists but they were out of stock. Without them, her body becomes "very stiff", leading to slipped discs and severe back pain.

"I have severe anxiety if I do not have these patches, so the total lack of coordination between GPs and pharmacists was extremely frustrating," Claire says.

In the end, she had to arrange a private prescription through a local clinic, in the Midlands, costing £50.

The government has said it is determined to ensure supplies of HRT can meet high demand.

Minister for Women's Health Maria Caulfield said: "There are over 70 HRT products available in the UK, most of which remain in good supply.

"However, we are aware of some issues with women being unable to access certain products.

"We will be appointing a new HRT-supply chairperson and convening an urgent meeting of suppliers to look at ways we can work together to improve supply."

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Source: BBC News, 27 April 2022

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School uses charity to tackle pupils' toothache

A school has brought in a dental charity to treat pupils with such bad toothache they have missed lessons.

Staff at Trinity Academy Grammar in West Yorkshire have had to take pupils to hospital as they were in agony but unable to access an NHS dentist.

The Department for Health said an extra £50m funding had been given to NHS dental services for more appointments.

Charlie Johnson, headteacher of the school in Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax, said as well as being forced to take days off, some students had been left in tears during lessons due to toothache.

After becoming concerned, Mr Johnson said he had contacted public health officials who said there was a shortage of local NHS dentists taking on patients.

The school was put in touch with Dentaid, a UK charity which normally provided dental treatment to people in developing countries who cannot access it, or to vulnerable people such as the homeless.

As a result, a mobile clinic was brought to the school and volunteer dentists found around one in 10 of its 900 pupils needed treatment for conditions such as decay, cracked teeth and abscesses.

The school said it was "frustrating" it had been forced to step in to provide dental treatment, but added that parents often found it "impossible" to access help.

The British Dental Association said the fact that Trinity Academy had been forced to call on a charity for help illustrated that NHS dentistry was on its "last legs".

Chairman Eddie Crouch said: "We salute these volunteers, but this isn't the Victorian era.

"A wealthy 21st Century nation shouldn't be relying on charities to provide basic healthcare to our children."

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Source: BBC News, 28 April 2022

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World faces ‘perfect storm’ for measles outbreak affecting children, WHO warns

A spike in the number of measles cases around the world has sparked concerns over the potential for serious outbreaks this year.

Almost 17,338 measles cases were reported worldwide in January and February 2022, compared to 9,665 during the first two months of last year – which represents a rise of 79%.

Unicef and the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that there is a “perfect storm” for serious outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable illnesses such as measles.

As of this month, the agencies report 21 large and disruptive measles outbreaks around the world in the last 12 months.

The five countries with the largest measles outbreaks since the past year include Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia.

The coronavirus pandemic has seen much of health funding and resources diverted to deal with the spread of the virus since 2020.

In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, 23 million children missed out on basic childhood vaccines through routine health services, the highest number since 2009 and 3.7 million more than in 2019.

These pandemic-related disruptions – as well as increasing inequalities in access to vaccines – has left many children without protection against contagious diseases while Covid restrictions are eased in most countries, the two organisations said.

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Source: The Independent, 28 April 2022

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Pharmacies in Wales to help GPs prescribe medicines to patients

Nearly a third of community pharmacies in Wales should be able to prescribe medicines for NHS patients, including antibiotics, by the end of this year, health officials say.

It is the first new service of its kind in the UK. The aim is to take the pressure off GPs at a time of increasing strain on the NHS.

Scotland has adopted a similar approach but England and Northern Ireland have not so far.

Community pharmacies in Wales are allowed to offer prescriptions of medicines for acute illnesses such as urinary tract and respiratory infections, gout and chronic pain, as well as emergency contraception - if they have a pharmacist who has had extra training for prescribing.

For most patients, that will be more convenient and avoid waits for GP appointments.

The plan is to roll out the service progressively across Wales, building on local schemes already in place.

Local doctors in general practice have welcomed the new policy.

Dr Penny Coyle said each week about 25 patients with minor ailments were referred to the pharmacist, saving 100 GP appointments a month and giving doctors more time to visit seriously ill patients in their homes.

"We are finding that demand is outweighing capacity and so anything that relieves some of the pressure on general practice is very welcome," she said.

Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck said: "Pharmacist prescribers can help massively when you think about the shortages and the HRT issues, for example, that we are currently facing - having a pharmacist prescriber being able to prescribe alternative medicines without the patient having to wait to see the GP." 

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Source: BBC News, 27 April 2022

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Republic of Ireland: At least 200,000 people missed essential surgery due to Covid, conference told

At least 200,000 people missed out on essential surgery as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, with many enduring “misery and daily pain” as a result, a conference has heard.

Both scheduled and emergency surgery levels dropped by 20% during the pandemic, suggesting there is now significant pent-up demand for treatment, according to the national clinical lead in surgery, Prof Deborah McNamara.

Almost 343,000 people are waiting to see a surgeon for the first time, 100,000 of whom have been on a waiting list for more than 18 months, she told the conference on outcomes from the pandemic at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).

This was only the start of delays for patients, she pointed out, as they have to wait again for their procedure to be carried out. Currently, more than 71,000 patients are waiting for surgery, a fifth of whom have been on the list for more than a year.

Long-waiting patients needing complex surgery have been disproportionately affected, she said, as the system focused on treating “quick-win” procedures such as endoscopies. The amount of day-case work carried out by hospitals is back to 84 per cent of 2017 levels, yet complex care remains at only 67 per cent, she pointed out. Patients waiting for surgery were enduring a “huge amount of misery” that remains unquantified, according to Prof McNamara.

The pandemic resulted in some positive changes, she said, including shorter hospital stays, a greater role for physician associates and a generational change in the use of IT. However, it also led to greater constriction in the capacity for scheduled surgery, and greater seasonal variations in demand.

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Source: The Irish Times, 26 April 2022

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GMC tackles bullying and sexual harassment for doctors

New responsibilities for doctors regarding their use of social media and tackling toxic workplace behaviours and sexual harassment are among key proposals in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) planned update to its core ethical guidance.

The regulator has launched a 12-week consultation on the draft new content of 'Good medical practice', which outlines the professional values, knowledge and behaviours expected of doctors working in the UK. This represents the first major update of the guidance since it first came into effect in April 2013, with the review process launched last year.

The GMC said the draft new update follows months of working with doctor, employer, and patient representatives, as well as other stakeholders, and reflects the issues faced in modern-day healthcare workplaces.

Included for the first time in the draft new guidance is a duty for doctors to act, or support others to act, if they become aware of workplace bullying, harassment, or discrimination, as well as zero tolerance of sexual harassment.

For the first time, the GMC's ethical guidance proposes 12 commitments, including:

  • Make the care of patients my first concern.
  • Demonstrate leadership within my role, and work with others to make healthcare environments more supportive, inclusive, and fair.
  • Provide a good standard of practice and care, and be honest and open when things go wrong.
  • Ensure my conduct justifies my patients’ trust in me and the public's trust in my profession.

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Source: Medscape, 27 April 2022

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Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust warned by CQC over failures

An NHS mental health trust that has been the worst performing in England has been warned it must improve after failing another inspection.

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has been rated "inadequate" in the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

The CQC said it had served the trust with a warning notice that it had to act on to improve patient care.

The trust has been rated "inadequate" on three previous occasions by the health watchdog, as well as being the only one currently within the NHS's improvement regime for not meeting standards.

Following the latest inspection, its overall rating was downgraded from "requires improvement" - and three out of five measures assessed by the CQC, for safety, leadership and effectiveness, met its lowest grading.

The report said two wards were immediately closed to new patients following a CQC visit in November, after the trust was threatened with enforcement action if urgent measures were not taken.

Significant staffing problems, including an annual nurse vacancy rate of more than 17%, were also highlighted.

Staff at an adult long stay ward did not complete regular checks on patients supposed to happen every 30 to 60 minutes, which meant they were unaware if somebody needed help for periods of up to seven hours.

Inspectors also said there had been a severe deterioration on the trust's inpatient ward for children and young people - the Dragonfly Unit in Carlton Colville, Suffolk.

They found it was reliant on agency workers and lacked a permanent doctor.

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Source: BBC News, 27 April 2022

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Failing NHS negligence system must change, say MPs

A major reform of the way NHS clinical negligence claims are handled in England is needed, MPs say.

The House of Commons' Health and Social Care Committee said the current system was too adversarial, leading to bitter and long legal fights for patients.

More than £2bn a year is paid out on claims, but 25% goes to legal fees.

An independent body should be set up to adjudicate on cases and the need to prove individual fault should be scrapped, the cross-party group said.

Instead, the focus should be whether the system failed, which the MPs believe would create a better culture for learning from mistakes.

The committee heard from families who had lost children or whose babies had been left with brain injuries from mistakes made during birth.

Parents described how they had to fight for years to get recognition for the harm that had been caused.

One woman criticised the "complacent attitude" of the hospital involved, saying they just wanted to put it down to one mistake and carry on as normal.

Another woman whose daughter died aged 20 months after errors in her care said she felt lessons had not been learnt despite a settlement in her favour. She said the whole process had left her feeling devastated.

The average length of time for these settlements was over 11 years, the committee was told.

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Source: BBC News, 27 April 2022

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Covid: Discharging hospital patients to care homes 'unlawful'

Government policies on discharging untested patients from hospital to care homes in England at the start of the Covid pandemic have been ruled unlawful by the High Court.

The ruling comes after two women took former Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Public Health England to court.

Dr Cathy Gardner and Fay Harris said it had caused a "shocking death toll".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson renewed his apologies for all those who lost loved ones during the pandemic.

Dr Gardner and Ms Harris partially succeeded in claims against Mr Hancock and Public Health England.

The women claimed key policies of discharging patients from hospitals into care homes were implemented with no testing and no suitable isolation arrangements in the homes.

A barrister representing Dr Gardner and Ms Harris told the court at a hearing in March that more than 20,000 elderly or disabled care home residents died from Covid between March and June 2020 in England and Wales.

Jason Coppel QC also said in a written case outline for the judicial review that the care home population was known to be "uniquely vulnerable" to Covid.

"The government's failure to protect it, and positive steps taken by the government which introduced Covid-19 infection into care homes, represent one of the most egregious and devastating policy failures in the modern era," he added.

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Source: BBC News, 27 April 2022

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US doctor accused of killing 14 patients found not guilty

In an unprecedented murder case in the United States about end-of-life care, a physician accused of killing 14 critically ill patients with opioid overdoses in a Columbus, Ohio hospital ICU over a period of 4 years was found not guilty by a jury Wednesday.

The jury, after a 7-week trial featuring more than 50 witnesses in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, declared William Huse not guilty on 14 counts of murder and attempted murder.

In a news conference after the verdict was announced, lead defense attorney Jose Baez said Husel, whom he called a "great doctor," hopes to practice medicine again in the future. The verdict, he argued, offers an encouraging sign that physicians and other providers won't face prosecution for providing "comfort care" to patients suffering pain. "They don't need to be looking over their shoulders worrying about whether they'll get charged with crimes," he said.

The trial raised the specific issue of what constitutes a medically justifiable dose of opioid painkillers during the end-of-life procedure known as palliative extubation, in which critically ill patients are withdrawn from the ventilator when they are expected to die. Under medicine's so-called double-effect principle, physicians must weigh the benefits and risks of ordering potentially lethal doses of painkillers and sedatives to provide comfort care for critically ill patients.

To many observers, however, the case really centered on the largely hidden debate over whether it's acceptable to hasten the deaths of dying patients who haven't chosen that path. That's called euthanasia, which is illegal in the United States. In contrast, 10 states plus the District of Columbia allow physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill, mentally competent adults who can self-administer them. That's called medical aid in dying, or physician-assisted dying or suicide.

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Source: Medscape, 27 April 2022

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NHS management overly ‘task focused’, government review finds

NHS management and leadership are overly ‘task focused’, according to briefings by the senior military leader who has carried out a major review of health and care for the government. 

General Sir Gordon Messenger has nearly completed the work, which had been due to be published shortly before Easter but was delayed by the government, and has briefed several senior leaders on several of his main observations.

According to several senior figures, he has said NHS management and leadership are heavily “task focused” — a management term referring to an approach devoted to completing certain tasks or meeting certain short-term objectives; in contrast to an approach which focuses on people, relationships or skills.

HSJ has spoken to several senior sources who have been briefed on Sir Gordon’s findings so far.

One said the former military figure had observed that “NHS leadership is… very focused on getting things done, and not focused enough on how things get done – which I think is very fair if you think particularly what the last 10, 15 years have been like”.

Another finding, according to those briefed, is the need for better support for NHS leaders running the most difficult local organisations, including providing what has been described as “support packages”.

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Source: HSJ, 26 April 2022

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Three quarters of GPs report rising patient abuse, MDO warns

Three in four GPs have reported facing increasing patient abuse last year, according to a major survey by a medical defence organisation.

The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) surveyed almost 2,000 members across the UK, including 668 GPs, about their experiences last year compared with 2020.

It revealed that 76% of GPs reported an increase in verbal abuse from patients towards them and their practice staff. Half of these (38%) said this had ‘significantly increased’ and the other half that it had ‘somewhat increased’ throughout 2021.

Female GPs were more likely to face verbal abuse or aggression than their male counterparts, with 81% reporting an increase in this compared with 72% of their male colleagues.

The survey found that this has led to a ‘huge increase in work-related stress’, MDDUS said.

Among GPs who experienced verbal abuse or aggression in the workplace, 83% said they felt ‘more stressed’ than they did in 2020.

MDDUS chief executive Chris Kenny said: ‘The pandemic has stretched our healthcare professionals to the limit. For those at the very frontline, it is clear now that the levels of stress have reached an almost unsustainable point.

‘GPs urgently need recognition, reassurance and realism to support them so they can reset their relationship with patients.’

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Source: Pulse, 22 April 2022

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Only 29% of UK Covid hospital patients recover within a year

Fewer than one in three people who have been hospitalised with Covid-19 have fully recovered a year after they succumbed to infection.

That is the shock finding of a survey into the impact of long Covid in the UK. The team of scientists and doctors at Leicester University also found that women had poorer recovery rates than men after hospitalisation, while obesity was also likely to hinder a person’s prospects of health improvements.

Among the symptoms reported by patients a year after their initial infection were fatigue, muscle pain, poor sleep and breathlessness.

“Given that more than 750,000 people have been hospitalised in the UK with Covid-19 over the past two years, it is clear from our research that the legacy of this disease is going to be huge,” said Rachael Evans, one of the study’s authors.

The team stressed their results show there is now an urgent need to develop ways to tackle Long Covid. “Without effective treatments, Long Covid could become a highly prevalent long-term condition,” said Professor Chris Brightling, another author.

A critical factor in these poor rates of recovery was the lack of treatments that exist for Long Covid, added Professor Louise Wain, who was also involved in the study. “No specific therapeutics exist for long Covid and our data highlights that effective interventions are urgently required.”

The researchers also found that many of those reporting impairment in the wake of their hospitalisation were suffering from persistent inflammation. “That suggests these groups might respond to anti-inflammatory strategies,” added Wain.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 April 2022

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Fear over high rates of diabetes foot amputations

Major differences in the rate of foot amputations for people with diabetes in England are incredibly concerning, patient groups say.

Such amputations are a sign patients have not received adequate care, as poorly controlled diabetes increases the risk of foot ulcers and infections.

One in 10 areas had "significantly higher rates", government data shows. There was nearly a five-fold difference between the best and worst when taking into account risk factors such as age.

The government data - published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities - looked at the three years leading up to the pandemic.

It is believed up to 80% of foot amputations could be avoided with better care.

Diabetes UK said the figures "shined a light on the scale of the crisis facing diabetes care" and it warned access to support was likely to have become worse during the pandemic.

A report produced by the charity earlier this month said lives would be needlessly lost because of disruption to services over the past two years.

Diabetes UK chief executive Chris Askew said the latest figures were "incredibly concerning".

"The majority of these major amputations are preventable, but many people living with diabetes are struggling to access the care they need - and in areas of higher deprivation, people are experiencing worse outcomes. These inequalities must be addressed."

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Source: BBC News, 27 April 2022

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‘Computer error’ removed 1,800 patients from trust’s elective waiting list

A trust has discovered 1,800 patients who were removed by mistake from its elective waiting list.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust chief executive Matthew Trainer wrote to colleagues in the east London health system today to “apologise for the stress this will have caused those experiencing a delay”.

Of the 1,800 patients involved, 600 have been waiting more than a year and roughly 200 have been waiting for more than two years.

Mr Trainer’s note explained: “The patients have been waiting to see our specialists in routine clinics in gynaecology, neurology, neurosurgery and ophthalmology.”

It continued: “As we have been working through our waiting lists, we have discovered a problem with one of them that was used to deal with the backlog created by the pandemic.

“It contained routine referrals that were submitted by GPs who wanted their patients to be seen by a specialist, but for whom there were no appointments available due to covid-19. Unfortunately, these patients were removed automatically from this list before they had been seen.”

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Source: HSJ, 26 April 2022

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Asthma research disadvantages women by disregarding sex hormones

Women with asthma are twice as likely to die from an asthma attack compared with men in the UK, new figures show as health experts called for urgent research into the condition’s sex-related differences.

They are more likely to have the condition, more likely to need hospital treatment for it and more likely to die from an attack, Asthma + Lung UK said. Over the past five years women have accounted for more than two-thirds of asthma deaths in the UK.

The charity said the current “one size fits all” approach to asthma treatment is “not working” because it does not take into account the impact that female sex hormones during puberty, periods, pregnancy and menopause can have on asthma symptoms and attacks. More must be done to tackle the “stark health inequality”, it added.

Between 2014-15 and 2019-20 more than 5,100 women in the UK died from an asthma attack compared with fewer than 2,300 men. Meanwhile, emergency hospital admissions in England show that, among those aged 20 to 49, women were 2.5 times more likely to be admitted to hospital for asthma treatment compared with men.

Asthma + Lung UK said many people were unaware that fluctuations in female sex hormones can cause asthma symptoms to flare up or even trigger life-threatening attacks. It is calling for more research to examine the sex-related differences in asthma.

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Source: The Guardian, 27 April 2022

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Families banned from Covid wards during lockdown ‘left with PTSD’

Relatives of intensive care Covid patients were left traumatised by being banned from visiting their seriously ill loved ones during the pandemic, a study has found. 

Researchers found two-thirds of family members of patients in intensive care were still suffering high levels of symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) three months after their relative was admitted. 

Symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, nightmares and physical sensations such as pain, sweating, feeling sick or trembling. 

Before the Covid pandemic, symptoms of PTSD in family members of intensive care patients were between 15 and 30 per cent, depending on the condition. 

The team from the University of Colorado School of Medicine said visitation restrictions may have inadvertently generated a secondary public health crisis of stress-related disorders in family members of Covid patients. 

At the height of the pandemic, hospitals across Britain restricted access to patients, with many people forced to say goodbye to dying loved ones over Skype, or behind screens or windows. 

Even as late as last winter, a Telegraph investigation showed that a quarter of trusts were still imposing restrictions on visitors. 

The findings suggest that the rates of PTSD may be higher in relatives than in patients. A previous study by Imperial College and the University of Southampton found that only one-third of patients on ventilators suffer symptoms. 

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Source: The Telegraph, 25 April 2022

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Hepatitis: UK investigates sudden cases in children

The UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it is investigating after finding more than 100 cases of sudden hepatitis in children.

Doctors said they had seen "increasing" evidence the problem is linked to adenoviruses - a group of viruses that can cause illnesses such as the common cold and flu.

The HSA said it cannot rule out other possible causes such as Covid, which it is also investigating, but that an adenovirus has been identified in 40 out of the 53 cases so far tested.

In Britain, cases have reached 81 in England, 14 in Scotland, 11 in Wales and five in Northern Ireland, with the majority of patients under five years old.

No children in the UK have died, it was confirmed, after the World Health Organization said there had been 169 cases globally with at least one child who had died from the illness.

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Source: The Independent, 26 April 2022

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Endometriosis: 'Women's health at bottom of Welsh NHS wait lists'

A woman who has been waiting three years for a hysterectomy says she feels she and other women have been pushed to the bottom of the list.

Jessica Ricketts, from Barry, is one of 164,000 patients who have been on various NHS waiting lists for more than a year, compared to less than 7,000 two-years-ago. But it will take another three years to tackle the backlog.

Welsh government's plan to tackle long waits is due to be published later.

But for Jessica, she remains in pain with endometriosis despite six gynaecological surgeries over the past 10 years and is now waiting for the hysterectomy.

"Every day there's some sort of pain and I'm in pain right now," she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"My fear is that the endometriosis - because obviously I'm just waiting - is now in my diaphragm, and so I get pain on my left side.

"With every day almost, which used to just be cyclical and now it's gone a lot worse."

Jessica is keen to see what the Welsh government's plan to cut waiting times is, but she believes women's health "seems to be at the very bottom of the pile".

She added: "I think it's even more important now than ever, to really push the women's health side of things. We have it takes on average 10 years for a diagnosis of endometriosis.

"As women we have to fight to even get past the GP who is severely under-trained in this department.

"And it's just seems to be that because we're women. We're told that you know, just suck it up really and carry on and it needs to be a fairer system, particularly for the women of Wales and we need to stop pushing it to the bottom of the pile."

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Source: BBC News, 26 April 2022

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Sajid Javid to review gender treatment for children

Health Secretary Sajid Javid is to review what immediate changes can be made to gender treatment services for children in England.

This could include changing the law to let the independent Cass review have access to an NHS database of young people who already received treatment.

It comes ahead of the review's report, due later this year.

This week Mr Javid told MPs services in this area were too affirmative and narrow, and "bordering on ideological".

He is now thought to be planning an overhaul of the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), which is run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, with clinics in London and Leeds.

The trust has defended itself, saying while there is a need for change, doctors already take into account the wider physical and mental health of children who are referred there.

The health secretary has been considering changing the law to allow a review of GIDS being led Dr Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, to access a database of children who were treated by GIDS to see if any later regretted having treatments, such as puberty blockers. It is unclear how the process of giving access to the information would work.

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Source: BBC News, 24 April 2022

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