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Families to take part in Nottingham maternity inquiry

Seventy families have come forward to be a part of an independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH).

The aim of the review is to "drive rapid improvements to maternity services". It comes after an investigation found 46 babies suffered brain damage and 19 were stillborn between 2010 and 2020.

The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS England are jointly leading the review of maternity incidents, complaints and concerns at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH).

Cathy Purt, programme director of the review, said during a Nottingham City Council Health Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday: "We have had 70 families come forward 19 families have had their first interview with us."

"We have secured via the CCG specialist psychological support for the rest of the families so they will now be able to come forward and have their interviews as well.

"40 staff have come forward so far and more are coming as we go."

The review will cover information dating back to 2006, and is expected to be completed by November 30 2022.

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Source: BBC News, 18 February 2022

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111 callers eight times more likely to abandon calls in some areas

Callers to NHS 111 services are twice as likely to be judged as needing an ambulance in some regions as others – and up to eight times more likely to abandon their calls.

An HSJ investigation has revealed striking differences in performance between 111 providers. The new integrated urgent care data set, published by NHS England, shows the differences in performance across the country. HSJ analysed data from April to December last year – the first year this data set has been produced.

For example, 15.7% of answered calls to North East Ambulance Service Foundation Trust resulted in an “ambulance disposition” while just 7.7% of calls to London Ambulance Service Trust did so. A total of 14.2% of callers to the privately owned Practice Plus Group were judged to require an ambulance.

41.9% of calls were abandoned before being answered by NEAS and 30.6% of those made to the West Midlands Ambulance Service University FT ended the same way. In contrast just 5.2%of callers from Lincolnshire to services provided by Derbyshire Health United abandoned their calls.

The “standard” for abandoned calls is just 3%, but the average performance across England was 24.1%.

In a statement, the Practice Plus Group said its staff were trained to a high standard on NHS Pathways and it was confident its staff were making appropriate and safe decisions. Over 70 per cent of decisions to instigate a category 3 or 4 ambulance callout were validated in January. As a result ambulances were dispatched in just 20 per cent of those cases, with other patients being directed to alternative pathways.

“We are always looking to enhance the service which is why we are running developmental training for our call handlers in more effective probing to reduce the category 2 ambulance disposition numbers and have introduced GoodSam video technology as part of an NHSE pilot which will support clinicians with eyes on with a patient,” the company added.

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Source: HSJ, 18 February 2022

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Potentially harmful instructions given to pregnant women calling 999

The 'pre-arrival instructions' given by 999 (emergency services) call handlers to pregnant women/people experiencing maternity emergencies is a 'postcode lottery', with potentially harmful advice being given in some cases, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) has warned.

A national investigation by the HSIB examined the factors influencing the pre-arrival instructions given to pregnant women/people awaiting an ambulance because of an issue with their pregnancy. The instructions given by 999 call handlers are generated by a clinical decision support system (CDSS), with two CDSSs in use by ambulance services in England: an international system and a UK-based system.

The investigation reference case involved a 30-year-old woman who received advice from a 999 call handler that was in conflict with maternity clinical guidance. Similar concerns were identified in 15 HSIB maternity investigations, which all involved pre-arrival instructions generated by a CDSS that had the potential to cause harm to the woman or pregnant person and/or their baby.

The investigation found no evidence of a regulatory mechanism for 999 call handler pre-arrival instructions, and stakeholders acknowledged a gap in maternity emergency guidance relating to the non-visual, non-clinician-attended environment.

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Source: Medscape UK, 18 February 2022

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NHSE wants ‘urgent’ meetings over ambulance handovers risk

NHS England and the Care Quality Commission have asked systems with large numbers of ambulance handover delays to urgently hold a meeting to try to fix the problem by “balancing the risks” of long 999 waiting times.

The request was made in an email to chief executives, which warned the service was “in a difficult position with all parts of the urgent and emergency care pathway under considerable strain… most acutely in ambulance response times which in turn is linked to challenges in handing patients over to emergency departments”.

The NHSE headed letter was signed by its chief operating officer, nursing director and medical director, but also by the CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals Ted Baker.

It said there was a “strong correlation” between handover delays at hospitals — which take place where A&Es are unable to receive patients from ambulances — and long delays for category two ambulances. This is because ambulances have to wait for long periods outside the hospitals.

The letter said: ”It is vital that we have a whole-system approach to considering risks across the urgent and emergency care pathway to provide the best outcomes for our patients. This may mean consideration of actions to be taken downstream to help improve flow and reduce pressures on emergency departments.”

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Source: HSJ, 17 February 2022

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'My child is in pain - but I'm helpless'

Thomas Hebbron is one of the forgotten victims of the pandemic.

He was diagnosed with leukaemia in February 2019 - a year before Covid hit the UK.

The eight-year-old, from Leeds, has been treated with chemotherapy which has continued throughout the pandemic, but his health has suffered in other ways - and his mother believes the unrelenting focus on the virus is to blame.

Pre-pandemic he was seen in person by doctors every two weeks. But that changed to monthly video calls, and liver and urinary problems went undetected.

His treatment also affected his fine motor skills and has weakened his legs, but he has not seen an occupational therapist since before the pandemic.

"I want to take this pain away from him," says his mother, Gemma. "I don't want to sit and watch him in this pain, but I can't do anything. I just feel completely helpless."

Thomas's story is not unique. An analysis by the Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation has for the first time laid bare how access to core health services in England has been squeezed, threatening to leave behind a generation of young people.

The review has looked at both physical and mental health services and come to the same conclusion - support has been badly disrupted and the plight of children overlooked.

The Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation have been joined by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in calling for a dedicated plan for children to help them recover from the pandemic.

Dr Camilla Kingdon, RCPCH president, said the figures "do not take into account the many other 'hidden' waiting lists of children waiting for community therapies and diagnostic assessments, especially for autism".

She added that children are "struggling" and, despite services being stretched, no-one should be deterred from speaking to a health professional.

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Source: BBC News, 18 February 2022

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Government 'destroying lives' by ignoring review recommendations on vaginal mesh and harmful medicines, campaigners warn

Campaigners found to have been harmed by medical products have written to the health secretary warning that government inaction is "causing pain and destroying lives" by ignoring review recommendations.

Some 18 months ago, an independent review recommended financial help for people damaged by some products and drugs that had been prescribed by UK doctors.

The government - which set up the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review in the first place - has chosen to ignore several of its recommendations.

Alleged victims of vaginal mesh, and the drugs valproate and Primodos, have written to Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Maria Caulfield to say they feel ignored.

The letter states: "Our members gave evidence to the two-year-long review, sometimes travelling long distances, often with disabilities."

"Families shared intimate details of their medical problems, their daily struggles, their difficulties parenting, sometimes even their sex lives. The panel, led by Baroness Cumberlege, was set up by the government to listen, assess and direct policy towards the best course of action.
 
"What was the point of this exercise and the hard work of the panel, if their key recommendations are then ignored by the government?"

In the letter, campaigners say: "The decision not to offer an agency for redress (Cumberlege recommendation 3) means that the review has lost its teeth."

"Still, no one is facing consequences of medical failures other than the patients. At a time when the public is being asked to put its faith in vaccines, this is a bad look for the government."

Kath Sansom, of the campaign group Sling the Mesh, said: "Women must dutifully accept their health has been irreversibly shattered by a medical product they were told was safe, some now needing a disabled blue badge, and they must put up and shut up."

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Source: Sky News, 17 February 2022

MeshPrimodosSodiumValproate_LettertoMariaCaulfield_170222.pdf

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Men urged to check prostate cancer risk after thousands miss diagnosis in pandemic

Thousands of men are being urged to check their risk of prostate cancer amid warnings that more than 14,000 have missed a diagnosis during the pandemic.

New figures show that the disease accounts for a third of those not treated for cancer during the pandemic, making it the cancer most likely to have been missed and putting lives at risk.

Experts said many men had held off visiting their GP which meant they could now be missing out on vital treatment. NHS figures suggest nearly 50,000 fewer cancer diagnoses across the UK in the Covid crisis, including 34,000 in England.

Experts said prostate cancer made up the largest group of missed cases, followed by breast cancer, of which around 8,000 cases have gone undiagnosed.

Prostate Cancer UK and NHS officials are urging men to use an online tool to assess their risk, with those found to be at high risk urged to then visit their GP.

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Source: The Telegraph, 17 February 2022

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Man's partner 'begged' for help before his death

A man who died from a mixed medication overdose might still be alive if the help his partner was "begging" for had been provided, a coroner said.

Mental health patient Benjamin Stroud, 42, had been under the care of Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (EPUT) in the weeks before his death in March.

Essex coroner Michelle Brown said in a post-inquest report that, despite "escalating psychosis", his care co-ordinator did not flag the case.

Following an overdose of medication in February, his partner, a nurse, called for psychiatric intervention and despite "begging" for help, Mr Stroud's care co-ordinator did not make a referral to the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

Mr Stroud died at home on 19 March and was found surrounded by empty insulin pens and pain medication.

In her prevention of future deaths report, the coroner said: "It was clear from [his partner's] account that she had been begging the care co-ordinator for Mr Stroud to have an appointment with the psychiatrist, which did not occur and, from the evidence of EPUT, it was clear that Mr Stroud's care co-ordinator did not make any referral to the MDT, despite his escalating psychosis."

The coroner added that the issue of care co-ordinators failing to document their reasons for not referring cases to the MDT had been raised at other inquests.

"If these practices continue there is a real risk of future deaths occurring," Ms Brown warned.

Paul Scott, chief executive at the trust, said: "We will continue to view all safety-related incidents as an opportunity to learn and make sure lessons are shared across the trust."

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Source: BBC News, 16 February 2022

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Woman screaming in pain waiting years for hip op

"Seeing how much pain she's in is killing me," the mother of a woman waiting four years for a hip operation has said.

It is only by screaming that Marie Morgan, from Carmarthenshire, can express her level of suffering.

The 30-year-old, who has multiple brain conditions, can speak only a few words and needs round-the-clock care. 

"Her hip is out and is rubbing against bone... there's no socket there," Marie's mother Sandra said. "She can't travel because every time I move her she's screaming in pain.

Marie has cerebral palsy, severe epilepsy and fluid on the brain and the constant agony caused by the wait has meant these conditions, including her seizures, have become "horrendous".

Sandra said: "She used to be so happy, we used to go to the pool, play music... Now she's gone downhill. I don't think she can last much longer to be honest with you."

Marie, from Penygroes, is on a waiting list to have surgery in Morriston Hospital, Swansea.

Her mother said staff have told her she is considered to be high priority, but despite her best efforts, she is still in the dark about when the operation will happen.

"They said because of Covid they weren't operating, now they say it's staff shortages so it's something all the time.

"I feel I'm knocking my head against a wall. It's not fair, she's only 30 and suffering the way she is."

Swansea Bay Health Board said it hoped to tackle the backlog by increasing capacity at one of its hospitals.

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Source: BBC News, 17 February 2022

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England to offer Covid jab to five to 11-year-olds

Children aged between five and 11 in England will be offered a low-dose Covid vaccine, the government says.

Official scientific advice concludes the move would help protect the "very small" number of children who become seriously ill with Covid.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the rollout will be "non-urgent", with an emphasis on parental choice.

Northern Ireland also said on Wednesday it will be following Wales and Scotland in offering young children the vaccine.

Children are at a much lower risk of becoming severely ill from a Covid infection, so the health benefits of vaccinating them are smaller than in other age-groups. Also, many will have some protection from already having caught the virus.

So the scientists on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises governments across the UK, have been weighing up the evidence for immunising five to 11-year-olds.

It concluded vaccination should go ahead to prevent a "very small number of children from serious illness and hospitalisation" in a future wave of Covid.

Prof Wei Shen Lim, from the JCVI, said: "We're offering this to five to 11-year-olds now in order to future-proof their defences against a future wave of infection."

He suggested parents consider getting their children vaccinated during school holidays to minimise disruption to their education from any flu-like side effects of the jab.

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Source: BBC News, 16 February 2022

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Vaccinated less likely to develop Long Covid

People who are vaccinated are less likely to develop Long Covid even if they catch the virus, a rapid review by the UK Health Security Agency reveals.

It looked at the available evidence to date from 15 studies around the world.

The findings suggest that while some who are jabbed catch Covid, vaccines reduce infection risk and illness, including symptoms like fatigue.

And unvaccinated people who catch Covid and get symptoms of Long Covid, do better if they then get vaccinated.

Vaccine effectiveness against most Long-Covid symptoms was highest in people aged 60 years and over

In people who already had Long Covid symptoms, it found that vaccines may improve rather than worsen Covid symptoms, either immediately or over several weeks

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), around 2% of the UK population have reported symptoms of Long Covid, such as fatigue, shortness of breath and muscle or joint pain.

Symptoms like these can last for more than four weeks after the infection.

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Source: 15 February 2022

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Is it time to live with COVID-19? Some scientists warn of ‘endemic delusion’

As surges of COVID-19 cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant recede, parts of the United States, Canada, and Europe are moving swiftly to lift constraints on a pandemic-fatigued public. Sweden, Denmark, and Norway have abolished nearly all ­COVID-19–related restrictions in recent weeks, and the United Kingdom announced it would do the same this month, dropping even the legal requirement that people quarantine after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. In the United States, despite persistently high numbers of COVID-19–related deaths and busy hospitals, 10 governors, many known for being cautious in their pandemic response, last week announced immediate or impending ends to their states’ indoor or school mask mandates.

Some of those moves came with assertions that it’s time to “live with the disease” and treat the coronavirus as endemic—a stable, enduring figure in the panoply of human pathogens, alongside cold viruses and influenza. That suggestion troubles many scientists, who warn it is eroding governments’ commitment to tracking and responding to the pandemic—which could leave countries flying blind and unprepared for any new variant.

“Endemic delusion is probably what captures it the best,” says Kristian Andersen, an infectious disease researcher at Scripps Research who has been especially critical of recent moves by his home country of Denmark, which include an announcement that as of this month COVID-19 would no longer be categorised as a “socially critical disease” even though related death and hospitalisation rates were still climbing there.

In the United States, governors cited various metrics to justify recent decisions to lift or let expire indoor mask mandates. California Governor Gavin Newsom noted stable hospitalisation rates and a 65% reduction in cases since Omicron’s peak in announcing the state’s mandate would end this week. But leaders also face political and economic pressures. States’ moves may be driven largely by the public’s impatience with restrictions, says epidemiologist Dustin Duncan of Columbia University.

“Even people who recognize the importance of masking, social distancing, all that stuff, may be more amenable to take more risk,” he says. “At the same time, to me, going maskless just seems egregious.” 

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Source: Science, 15 February 2022

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Sanction against 150 doctors for sexual misconduct are ‘tip of the iceberg’, medics warn

Nearly 150 doctors have been disciplined for sexual misconduct in the last five years, as surgeons call for action on the “systemic” and “cultural” problem of sexual assault within healthcare, The Independent can reveal.

Doctors campaigning for the UK’s healthcare services to address widespread problems with sexual harassment and assault in medicine have warned that people do not feel safe to come forward with allegations amid deep-seated “hierarchies” within healthcare.

The Royal College of Surgeons’ Women in Surgery chair has said the issues are “widespread” across the health services and improvements to protecting whistleblowers needed to be made nationally.

Last year, surgeons Becky Fisher and Simon Fleming wrote an academic paper exposing the problem of sexual assault, harassment and rape in surgery and surgical training.

In interviews with The Independent, both have warned the “institutional” problem goes beyond surgery and across all of the healthcare services.

Mr Fleming said the figures from the GMC were the “the very tip of the iceberg” in terms of actual levels of sexual assault within healthcare.

Talking about the role of the GMC, Mr Fleming said he’d been told “by more than one person” that when they’ve reached out to the GMC over sexual assault or misconduct they were “failed” by the regulator and were “either not helped, abandoned or told to deal with it locally”.

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Source: The Independent, 15 February 2022

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Lassa fever: Patient who died in UK ‘was newborn baby’

A patient who died from Lassa fever last week was a newborn baby, according to reports.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed on Friday that an individual with the Ebola-like disease had died in Bedfordshire, and that two other people  were infected.

All three cases were linked to recent travel in West Africa.

The BBC said the fatality had been an infant at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, quoting an email sent to staff by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Hundreds of frontline workers at the hospital, as well as at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, were reportedly told to isolate after being identified as potential contacts.

Lassa fever is an acute viral infection endemic in parts of Africa, and the UKHSA has assured the public that the risk of further infections in the UK remains “very low”.

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Source: The Independent, 15 February 2022

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‘Don’t overwork staff’, says trust with just one 52-week waiter

Allowing staff enough rest has been ‘the key’ to elective recovery for an acute trust which has the lowest number of 52-week waiters in England, it has said.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (MTW) Trust currently has just one patient who has waited 52 weeks or more on its lists, compared with a high of 976 at one point in April 2021.

MTW is one of a handful of trusts with very few long waiters. All are relatively small trusts – and are not regional centres for specialist/tertiary patients – but their 52-week-waiters also represent less than 1% of their total list.

MTW chief of service for the surgery division Greg Lawton told HSJ its success in tackling long waiters was down to “attention to detail” in tracking each patient, and not expecting staff to run too many extra sessions.

“Any problems patients are having getting through their pathways are identified early and addressed,” he said. "Treatment had been prioritised on the grounds of clinical need, he added, with cancer treatments still going ahead and cancer targets being met."

The trust, in the South East, has put on extra operating sessions to clear some of its backlog of patients but these had been limited in number, Dr Lawton said.

“What we have never done is try to run too many and I think that may be the key. If you try to do too much you will burn staff out,” he said. The trust had “been mindful that staff need a break,” he added. “Morale is very important.”

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Source: HSJ, 16 February 2022

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Concerns over 'enormous' backlog for NHS dentistry

Scotland's dental leaders say the backlog for patients getting NHS treatment is "enormous".

Official data shows people in more affluent areas of Scotland were much more likely to be seen by a dentist in the last two years compared to poorer communities.

Meanwhile, patients on long waiting lists are resorting to costly private treatment in order to be seen sooner.

The Scottish government said it was committed to tackling the pandemic-related backlog in routine dental care.

The shutdown of dental services in the early days of Covid, and then severe restrictions on working practices meant emergency care was prioritised in Scotland.

Denise Hesketh is one of thousands of Scots who couldn't see a dentist during the start of the pandemic.

The 58-year-old from Edinburgh has battled dental problems for years, but being unable to see a dentist during Covid meant her oral health has taken a turn for the worse.

She told BBC Scotland: "It was over a year before I was able to see a dentist and by then it just got too bad. Everything was unstable. It needn't have happened - it could have been repaired."

She now faces a bill of £20,000 for private care, with her NHS dentist unable to offer any help.

Some patients have raised fears that those who pay for private dental treatment are being prioritised.

BBC Scotland has seen an email to patients from one practice in Lanarkshire. It states "Due to NHS restrictions and waiting lists on routine care… there are other options for check-ups for adults and children to pay privately".

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Source: BBC News, 16 February 2022

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Majority of ‘last resort’ ambulance diverts reported by only two trusts

Two acute trusts account for almost two-thirds of emergency department ‘diverts’ reported over the last two months.

Between the start of December and the start of February, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust and University Hospitals Sussex Foundation Trust implemented 122 temporary “diverts” between them – representing around 60% of the national total.

The measure is taken when a particular site, such as Worcestershire Royal or Royal Sussex County Hospital, comes under significant pressure and ambulances are temporarily directed to an alternative hospital, usually within the same trust.

NHS England guidance says diverts of emergency patients due to lack of physical or staff capacity to deal with attendances or admissions “should be an action of last resort” and that this “should only need to happen in exceptional circumstances, where internal measures have not succeeded in tackling the underlying problem”.

Helen Hughes, chief executive of Patient Safety Learning, said: “For ambulance services, the impact of A&E diverts is two-fold. It both increases the length of journeys that crews have to make once a divert is implemented, and increases the travel time required to get back to subsequent emergency calls."

“This has the potential to increase waiting times for patients, increasing the risk of avoidable harm, particularly for those who are seriously ill, frail or elderly.”

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Source: HSJ, 15 February 2022

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Waits for diagnosis and decision rise to over 38 weeks

Waiting times to diagnosis and decision rose by more than a week in December, reaching 38.6 weeks at month end. This matters because many urgent conditions are only detected when the patient reaches diagnosis, including nearly a quarter of all cancers, and such very long waits put those patients at risk.

Looking at the whole referral-to-treatment waiting list, which includes patients who have a diagnosis and decision, waiting times remained roughly steady at 43.4 weeks, compared with the standard of 18 weeks that is still required by legislation. Waiting times are a function of both the size and shape of the waiting list, and in December the former got worse and the latter improved.

There were 6,067,326 patients on the waiting list as December ended, which is the first time the official figures have topped six million. As many as 310,813 of them had waited over a year (strictly, 52 weeks), and 20,065 over two years (104 weeks). The NHS’s backlog recovery plan has committed that “By July 2022, no one will wait longer than two years for an elective treatment”.

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Source: HSJ, 10 February 2022

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USA: Alhambra Hospital nurses ratify a new contract with improvements for patient safety and nurse retention

Registered nurses at Alhambra Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract yesterday, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention.. The collective bargaining agreement was the result of an almost six-month fight, which included an informational picket for patient safety and multiple other actions.

So Hee Park, an ICU nurse at Alhambra, said, “We are so thrilled that after months of negotiations, we have ratified an agreement that provides substantial measures to ensure nurses feel supported and can continue to provide optimal patient care, as well as numerous provisions that will improve recruitment and retention of experienced nurses.”

The contract includes several highlights that will help nurses create better outcomes for their patients, such as provisions for ensuring hospital compliance with existing registered nurse-to-patient safe staffing laws. The agreement also establishes a new Infectious Disease Task Force that will offer new protections against communicable diseases and guarantee levels of PPE supplies. The contract also expands workplace violence prevention plans for all hospital units, as well as stating that quality care be provided to all patients regardless of their immigration status.

Under the contract, nurses will also receive proper orientation when they’re floated to new hospital units, improving care for patients. And, rather than being sent home at management's whims, RNs will be able to remain at work to provide meal and break relief to other nurses, bolstering safe staffing. These measures will ensure nurses are prepared to provide patients with the highest and safest levels of care possible, resulting in improved nurse retention at Alhambra, which will benefit the entire community long term.

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Source: National Nurses United, 10 November 2022

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GPs each seeing 15% more patients, BMA says

The average number of patients each individual GP is responsible for has increased by 15%, or around 300 people, since 2015, the BMA has said.

This is due to the ‘slow but steady haemorrhaging’ of GPs over the last few years, which has led to pressures on services growing ‘even more acute’, it suggested.

The Association’s statement comes in response to the latest GP workforce data – published by NHS Digital (10 February) – which showed that 188 FTE GPs left between December 2020 and December 2021.

Dr Farah Jameel, chair of the BMA’s GP committee, said the figures are the direct result of an ‘over-stretched’ and ‘under-resourced’ NHS.

She said: ‘Family doctors, exhausted and disenchanted, feel as though they have no choice but to leave a profession they love because of chronic pressures now made worse by the pandemic. Workload has dramatically increased, there are fewer staff in practices to meet patient needs.’

Insufficient staffing is particularly concerning as the backlog for care continues to grow, she suggested, with many GPs believing ‘the day job is just no longer safe, sustainable or possible anymore’.

The NHS and the Government must work to retain current staff as its ‘immediate priority’ and must urgently refocus on retention strategies as a key enabler for the NHS’ recovery.

She said: ‘The Government has repeatedly argued that the number of doctors is growing, but this isn’t the reality for general practice, and it begs the question: how many more have to go before something is finally done about it? Our NHS is the people who work in it, and without them, the entire system and provision of patient care is under threat.’

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Source: Management in Practice, 11 February 2022

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Surgery delays: Man feels forgotten after six-year wait

A County Tyrone man who has been waiting six years for a gall bladder operation has said he feels forgotten about by the health service.

John Doherty, 55, said he could not understand why he was unable to get updates on his operation.

BBC News NI can reveal almost 475,000 people are waiting for surgery or to see a consultant for the first time.

The Royal College of Surgeons wants patients to be told how long they will have to wait for treatment.

Mr Doherty said he felt anxious and depressed waiting for a telephone call from his local hospital and blamed the government for "letting him down".

"I feel forgotten about, they don't even get in touch with you, not even a letter to say it could happen three months down the line... they say they'll phone back but never do," he added.

"I feel neglected."

Mark Taylor, a consultant surgeon, people who had been languishing for years on lists deserved to know when to expect their surgery so they could attempt to get in shape for it.

He said about a one third of operations had to be cancelled daily as a result of people not being ready, either their blood pressure was too high, they were overweight or their diabetic control was not right.

"Pre-habilitation schemes can help to get patients ready for their operation as much as possible, a more personalised pre operation plan is required," he said.

Mr Taylor called on the government to have a proper conversation with the public about how hospitals might look in the future.

"This is not about closure, this is about the redesign and re-profiling of hospitals to get maximum gain," he said.

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Source: BBC News, 15 February 2022

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Call 999 over early heart attack symptoms, urges new NHS campaign

A life-saving campaign is being launched by the NHS to urge people to learn how to spot signs of a heart attack.

The survival rate for heart attack sufferers is seven in 10, rising to nine in 10 for those who have early hospital treatment.

The most common sign of a heart attack is chest pain, but other symptoms to look out for include chest, arm, jaw, neck, back and stomach pain, lightheadedness or dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, coughing and wheezing.

The health service are encouraging anyone experiencing these indicators to call 999.

It comes after a poll found found that fewer than half of people knew to dial 999 if they or a loved one experienced the more vague signs of a heart attack.

Another priority of the campaign is to teach people how to differentiate between a heart attack and cardiac arrest.

According to the health service, there is often no warning and the person quickly loses consciousness when they suffer cardiac arrest.

Those experiencing a cardiac arrest will usually die within minutes if they do not receive treatment.

It also points out that a heart attack can lead to a cardiac arrest.

NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: “Sadly, cardiovascular disease causes a quarter of all deaths across the country and we have identified this as the single biggest area where we can save lives over the next decade.

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Source: 13 February 2022

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Doctors call for action not words from NHS in response to racial inequality report

Health officials have “paid lip service” to racism in the NHS for years, leading black, Asian and minority ethnic doctors have warned as they called for “concrete” action to tackle inequalities exposed by a landmark review.

The damning study – the largest of its kind – had found “vast” and “widespread” inequity in every aspect of healthcare it reviewed, and warned that this was harming the health of minority ethnic patients in England.

In response, an NHS spokesperson said the health service was “already taking action” to improve the experiences of patients and access to services and was working “to drive forward” the recommendations made in the report.

However, Dr JS Bamrah, a consultant psychiatrist in Greater Manchester and national chairman of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, said he was unsatisfied with the response.

“This 166-page review … is a terrible indictment of the current state of the NHS,” he told the Guardian. “As many of us have often said and reported, we don’t need any further reports. It’s action we need, as there are scores of patients who are not getting optimal treatment, and many are being neglected.

“It really isn’t good enough for NHS bosses to say that action is being taken and it’s even more disappointing to then not see any concrete proposals on dealing with glaring disparities despite all that we have learnt during the pandemic.”

Dr Rajesh Mohan, presidential lead for race and equality at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said it was “time for warm words to end” as he urged NHS leaders to “do everything they can to ensure patients from ethnic minority backgrounds get the care they need”.

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Source: The Guardian, 15 February 2022

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Masks 'aggravated' fatal dosage miscommunication at Watford Hospital

Masks worn by doctors "aggravated" a miscommunication over the dose of an anti-epileptic drug that resulted in a man's death, a coroner has warned.

John Skinner died at Watford General Hospital in May 2020.

A coroner has written a Prevention of Future Deaths Report (PFDR) saying he feared the same could happen at other hospitals if action was not taken.

Assistant Coroner for Hertfordshire, Graham Danbury, said in the report: "As a result of failure in verbal communication between the doctors, aggravated as both were masked, a dose of 15mg/kg was heard as 50mg/kg and an overdose was administered."

Mr Danbury, writing to NHS England, said: "This is a readily foreseeable confusion which could apply in any hospital and could be avoided by use of clearer and less confusable means of communication and expression of number."

A spokesperson for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: "A comprehensive action plan is in place to ensure that lessons are learned from this incident."

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Source: 15 February 2022

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Radical action needed to tackle racial health inequality in NHS, says damning report

Radical action is needed urgently to tackle “overwhelming” minority ethnic health inequalities in the NHS, leading experts have said, after a damning study found the “vast” and “widespread” inequity in every aspect of healthcare it reviewed was harming the health of millions of patients.

Racism, racial discrimination, barriers to accessing healthcare and woeful ethnicity data collection have “negatively impacted” the health of black, Asian and minority ethnic people in England for years, according to the review, commissioned by the NHS Race and Health Observatory, which reveals the true scale of health inequalities faced by ethnic minorities for the first time.

“Ethnic inequalities in health outcomes are evident at every stage throughout the life course, from birth to death,” says the review, the largest of its kind. Yet despite “clear”, “convincing” and “persistent” evidence that ethnic minorities are being failed, and repeated pledges of action, no “significant change” has yet been made in the NHS, it adds.

From mental health to maternity care, the sweeping review led by the University of Manchester paints a devastating picture of a healthcare system still failing minority ethnic patients despite concerns previously raised about the harm being caused.

“By drawing together the evidence, and plugging the gaps where we find them, we have made a clear and overwhelming case for radical action on race inequity in our healthcare system,” said Habib Naqvi, the director of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, an independent body established by the NHS in 2020 to investigate health inequalities in England.

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Source: The Guardian, 13 February 2022

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