Jump to content
  • articles
    9,853
  • comments
    83
  • views
    12,496,688

Contributors to this article

About this News

Articles in the news

NHSE pushing for four-hour target to be scrapped in April

System leaders are pushing for their new bundle of urgent and emergency standards to replace the four-hour target from April, HSJ has learned

Well-placed senior sources said the NHS is seeking to persuade the government that a new package of measures can be introduced from the start of 2022-23.

The new package of targets, which include ambulance response and handover times, as well as arrival to admission times, have some traction among ministers but have not yet got the green light from the top of government.

The new ‘bundle of ten standards’:

Pre-hospital

  • Response times for ambulances.
  • Reducing avoidable trips (conveyance rates) to emergency departments by 999 ambulances.
  • Proportion of contacts via NHS 111 that receive clinical input.

A&E

  • Percentage of ambulance handovers (from ambulance to A&E) within 15 minutes.
  • Time to initial assessment — percentage within 15 minutes.
  • Average (mean) time in department — for non-admitted patients.

Hospital

  • Average (mean) time in department — for admitted patients.
  • Clinically ready to proceed (time from when decision is made to admit or discharge, and patient is admitted or discharged).

Whole system

  • Patients spending more than 12 hours in A&E.
  • Critical time standards — aimed at ensuring the highest priority patients get care within a set timeframe such as an hour.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 18 November 2021

Read more

Campaigners say ‘decolonise the curriculum’ to help solve UK maternity inequalities

The increased risk of black and minority ethnic women dying during pregnancy needs to be seen as a whole system problem and not limited to just maternity departments, according to experts on an exclusive panel hosted by The Independent.

Professor Marian Knight, from Oxford University told the virtual event on Wednesday night that the health service needed to change its approach to caring for ethnic minority women in a wider context.

Campaigners Tinuke Awe and Clotilde Rebecca Abe, from the Fivexmore campaign, called for changes to the way midwives were trained and demanded it was time to “decolonise the curriculum” so it recognised the physiological differences between some ethnic minority women and white women.

Dr Mary Ross-Davie, from the Royal College of Midwives, said work was underway to ensure the voices of black women and other minorities were represented in its work and it was examining how it could deliver better training to midwives.

The data on maternity deaths in the UK show black women are four times more likely to die during pregnancy in the UK than white women. For Asian women, they are twice as likely to die.

Read full story and watch video of event

Source: The Independent, 18 November 2021

Read more

'Dads can get postnatal depression too'

Becoming a father can be the happiest time in a man's life, but for some it can bring unexpected feelings of anxiety, stress and guilt. Until recently, mental health concerns for new dads were little understood and, often, went unaired. But some men who have experienced postnatal depression hope telling their stories will encourage others to open up.

When Stephen's daughter was born five years ago he knew he was meant to feel happy but instead began to think his wife and newborn child might be better off without him.

"You don't get a chance to sit back, take it in, relax and enjoy it," he said. "I'd come home on a weekend after a long week, tired out, and my wife was back at work, working weekends."

"It just affects you, you don't see each other, you don't have the chance to enjoy it, and all the stress and anxiety builds up. I got to such a low point I considered my family were better off without me."

An international study in 2010 suggested that as many as one in 10 men struggle with postnatal depression (PND). More recently, in 2015, a survey by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) found one in three new fathers had concerns about their mental health.

The NCT has called for more recognition around mental health issues affecting new dads. It has set up Parents in Mind: Partners Project, which offers support to everyone who has an active role raising a child under two.

"Becoming a parent is an emotional rollercoaster," said Catherine Briars, who runs the project in St Helens.

"Fathers sometimes feel uncomfortable opening up about their feelings but we encourage them to do so if they're struggling. It's often the first step to recovering and regaining good mental health."

She said they encourage men to talk to someone they trust or their GP.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 19 November 2021

Read more

Covid: UK government wasn't ready for pandemic, report finds

The UK government was not properly prepared for a pandemic like COVID-19, a new report has found.

The report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said the government lacked detailed plans on shielding, job support schemes and school disruption.

The spending watchdog added that lessons needed to be learned.

In response, the government said the unprecedented pandemic had challenged health systems around the world - not just the UK.

The NAO said preparations for a flu pandemic or highly infectious diseases like Ebola were prioritised over diseases with similar characteristics to Covid.

The watchdog said the UK government did not have specific plans to tackle a disease like COVID-19, which has a lower mortality rate than Ebola but has the ability to spread in communities with asymptomatic infected people.

The report suggests the government had some mitigations in place for a pandemic, like a stockpile of personal protective equipment, but it lacked preparation for "wide-ranging impacts" coronavirus and other pandemic-inducing viruses can have on society and the economy.

A government spokesperson said: "We have always said there are lessons to be learned from the pandemic and have committed to a full public inquiry in spring.

"We prepare for a range of scenarios and while there were extensive arrangements in place, this is an unprecedented pandemic that has challenged health systems around the world."

Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister Fleur Anderson, said the report showed "Conservative ministers failed to prepare and they failed the public".

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 19 November 2021

Read more
 

Oral drug for spinal muscular atrophy to be available on NHS in England

The NHS is to introduce a revolutionary new treatment to tackle the leading genetic cause of death among babies and young children.

About 1,500 patients in England with certain types of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are expected to benefit from risdiplam, after a recommendation from the health watchdog. The drug, also called Evrysdi and made by Roche, is a syrup that can be taken at home and is the first non-injectable treatment for the condition.

SMA is a progressive neuromuscular condition affecting the nerves in the spinal cord controlling movement and can cause paralysis, muscle weakness and progressive loss of mobility.

The NHS England chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “In the last three years the NHS has revolutionised care for people with SMA, by securing access to a trio of innovative treatments – Spinraza, Zolgensma and now risdiplam – where three years ago clinicians had no effective medicines at all.

“Spinal muscular atrophy is a cruel disease and the leading genetic cause of death among babies and young children, which is why NHS England has been determined to make these treatments available to people as soon as possible to help transform the lives of patients and their families.”

Meindert Boysen, the deputy chief executive of NICE, said the watchdog was pleased to recommend a “convenient oral treatment for people with SMA that can be administered at home”.

He said: “This will not only be less burdensome, and therefore have a positive impact on the lives of both people with SMA and their caregivers, but it will also reduce the treatment administration requirements for the NHS.

“In practical terms, the availability of an oral drug should lead to greater adherence to treatment, along with giving access to a treatment to those who aren’t able to have other currently recommended options.”

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 19 November 2021

Read more

A third of women hide menopause symptoms at work

A third of women who have suffered symptoms of the menopause say they hid them at work, and many think there remains a stigma around talking about the subject, according to a survey of workers in five countries.

More than 5,000 women in the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and South Africa were interviewed about their experiences of the menopause and work in research for the mobile phone provider Vodafone.

In all of the countries except Italy, about a third said they had hidden symptoms, while in Spain more than half felt a stigma around the subject in the workplace.

South African women seemed most comfortable discussing the subject with colleagues, with 37% saying they thought there was a stigma, while in Italy the proportion who said they had hidden symptoms was lowest at 28%.

The survey found those who experienced symptoms before they were 45 were most likely to say that they were too embarrassed to ask for support in the workplace. Of those in the UK, 63% of adults under the age of 44 said they had shied away from asking for help, while across all ages the figure was 43%. The figures were similar in the four other countries.

In recent years, businesses have begun to introduce policies to help women who are suffering from menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, anxiety and fatigue. However, there are concerns that many women are still leaving the workforce because they struggle with some of the effects, and feel they are not supported by their employers. 

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 8 March 2021

Read more

Hormone replacement therapy: Northern Ireland shortage 'distressing' for women

The shortage of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in Northern Ireland is distressing for women and challenging for pharmacies trying to access it, according to a community pharmacist.

Loretto McManus advised women to leave plenty of time for ordering their prescriptions.

The Health and Social Care Board said there were "some treatments which are currently experiencing supply issues".

HRT helps many women control their often difficult menopausal symptoms. There is a national shortage of HRT with officials citing several reasons including manufacturing delays, an increase in demand and possibly Brexit.

Ms McManus said certain products were out of stock in pharmacies across Northern Ireland and that this was "distressing" for women who have become used to particular treatments.

"As a community pharmacist the utmost care of our patients is premium to us," she said. "Trying to source the prescribed product in a timely manner for the patient can be challenging."

Several women have told BBC News NI that they were being offered substitutes or had to source the medication themselves.

Kathryn Schreuder, part of a Northern Ireland menopause support group, said: "For a lot of women, their concern is, if their medication isn't available and they have just maybe spent six months to a year getting the right level of what they need, for that suddenly to be changed because of the limitation of what is available is very distressing."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 7 November 2021

Read more

Women have struggled to get help with the menopause for decades but it’s about to change

HRT used to be a dirty word. Now it’s a battle cry. Women will begathering in Parliament Square in London later this month to support the menopause bill to demand free prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy in England. The bill could help thousands more women to access this life-changing treatment and will put the menopause under the microscope.

For years, a combination of medical sexism, hysterical reporting and outdated science has held women back from asking for the health care they need. HRT replenishes the oestrogen, progesterone (and sometimes testosterone) that women lose when having the menopause. As a result of previous misleading reports linking the treatment to a risk of breast cancer and dementia, HRT has long been considered controversial.

Last week, however, a BMJ paper studying more than 100,000 HRT users over two decades in the UK found that there was no overall association between hormone replacement and an increased risk of developing dementia. Meanwhile, the science lumping the many different types of HRT together in one “causes-breast-cancer” basket is being questioned by menopause experts.

A sexist, ageist culture has kept the menopause – and the stigma associated with it – hidden for decades. In a TUC survey of 4,000 women, 85% said the menopause affected their working life. Many women have lost their health, jobs, relationships and even their lives at the time of their menopause, when rates of suicide peak.

But now, Labour MP Carolyn Harris is pushing the second reading of her menopause bill through parliament later this month. Aside from making HRT free in England (it’s already free in Scotland and Wales), the bill will also cover broader issues around menopause rights and education, particularly in the workplace.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 6 October 2021

Read more

World Menopause Day: "We have to better support women"

MP Carolyn Harris is part of a movement determined to smash the remnants of the menopause taboo, pushing a private member’s bill to turn up the volume on a debate about the menopause that is growing louder by the day.

As an increasing number of countries, businesses and individuals mark World Menopause Day today, Harris says she is ready to shame whoever stands in the way of progress.

Harris will lead a small army of supporters to Parliament Square in London before her bill, which is due to be heard on the 29 October, to demand free prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy in England – already available in Scotland and Wales. The government is said to be “interested” in the bill, with Harris adding that she has cross-party support from dozens of MP.

“In the last two years the narrative has completely changed,” says Harris, who adds that since the private members bill was announced she’s had calls from countries from Canada and the US, to Australia and Japan.

“People are waking up to the fact that we have to find a better way of supporting women through the menopause,” she says. “Women are enhanced coming through this process, but only if they get the support they need.”

The evidence suggests they all too often don’t. There are more than 13 million currently experiencing menopause or perimenopause in the UK. Menopause campaigners argue that medical sexism and a lack of training means many women are left to suffer the symptoms of menopause – which can include depression, anxiety, insomnia and brain fog as well as hot flushes.

Harris’s own experience with the menopause was brutal. Twenty years after losing her eight-year-old son in a road traffic accident she blamed herself for not processing her grief when she was hit by a deep depression. “It took me six years, having conversations with women, for me to realise I was going through the menopause,” she says.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 18 October 2021

Read more
 

Widow demands answers over Covid official's death

The widow of a top Scottish government official, who died after contracting Covid, believes the full details of his illness were concealed to protect the reputation of a troubled hospital.

Andrew Slorance, Scottish government's head of response and communication unit, in charge of its handling of the Covid pandemic, went into Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for cancer treatment a year ago.

His wife Louise believes he caught Covid there as well as another life-threatening infection. 

Andrew went in to the £850m flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QUEH) at the end of October 2020 for a stem cell transplant and chemotherapy as part of treatment for Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). 

He died nearly six weeks into his stay, with the cause of his death listed as Covid pneumonia. But after requesting a copy of his medical notes, Mrs Slorance discovered her husband had also been treated for an infection caused by a fungus called aspergillus, which had not been discussed with either of them during his hospital stay.

The infection is common in the environment but can be extremely dangerous for people with weak immune systems.

Mrs Slorance questions whether it may have played a part in her husband's death, and if so, why she was not told?

She told the BBC: "I think somebody and probably a number of people have made an active decision not to inform his family of that infection, either during his admission or post-death."

Mrs Slorance believes that officials wanted to protect the hospital, which is already the subject of a public inquiry, and its reputation, "no matter what the cost".

Mrs Slorance says a full investigation should take place into incidences of aspergillus at the hospital campus.

In response, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We are sorry that the family are unhappy with aspects of Mr Slorance's treatment, details of which were discussed with the family at the time.

"While we cannot comment on individual patients, we do not recognise the claims being made. We are confident that the appropriate care was provided. There has been a clinical review of this case and we would like to reassure the family that we have been open and honest and there has been no attempt to conceal any information from them."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 18 November 2021

Read more

Long-acting HIV jabs to replace daily pills in ‘great step forward’

The NHS has been given the green light to offer people living with HIV the first "long-acting injectable" to keep the virus at bay.

Charities have hailed the "incredible news" which offers an alternative to adults living with HIV who have to take daily antiretroviral drugs.

Many people living with HIV can keep the virus at very low levels by taking antiretroviral tablets each day. These drugs keep the number of virus particles in the blood - also known as the viral load - so low that it cannot be detected or transmitted between people.

But now an estimated 13,000 people will be eligible for the injectable treatment in England which means they no longer need daily treatment but will have two injections every two months. This means they can reduce the days they receive treatment from 365 to 6 per year.

Meindert Boysen, deputy chief executive NICE, said: "Despite scientific advances HIV is still incurable, but the virus can be controlled by modern treatment. However, for some people, having to take daily multi-tablet regimens can be difficult because of drug-related side effects, toxicity, and other psychosocial issues such as stigma or changes in lifestyle."

"We're pleased therefore to be able to recommend cabotegravir with rilpivirine as a valuable treatment option for people who already have good levels of adherence to daily tablets, but who might prefer an injectable regimen with less frequent dosing."

Read full story

Source: 18 November 2021

Read more

A&E overcrowding in UK ‘killing thousands a year’, say doctors

Thousands of patients a year are dying because of overcrowding in A&E units in Britain, and more fatalities will follow this winter, emergency care doctors claim.

An estimated 4,519 people in England died in 2020-21 as a direct result of people receiving less than ideal care while delayed in A&E waiting to start treatment in the hospital.

“To say this figure is shocking is an understatement. Quite simply, crowding kills,” said Dr Adrian Boyle, a vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM).

There have also been 709 deaths in Wales and 303 in Scotland so far this year for the same reason, according to a report by the college. Another 566 excess deaths caused by overcrowding occurred in Northern Ireland in 2020-21. The 4,519 in England “may be an underestimate”, it adds.

The four figures taken together mean the college has identified at least 6,097 deaths across the four home nations that it believes occurred because overcrowding hampered the person’s treatment.

“There’s a lot of human misery behind these figures. It’s uncomfortable and unbearable that people are being put through this. It’s impossible not to feel upset and angry about this,” Boyle said.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 18 November 2021

Read more
 

'Some progress' made at failing Shropshire hospital trust

An inspection at a failing hospital trust has identified "some progress" but its services are still inadequate.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) in August. The Trust has been in special measures since 2018 and its maternity services are subject of a review following a high rate of baby and maternal deaths.

The CQC said SaTH still had "significant work to do" to improve its patient care and safety standards.

Inspectors highlighted particular concerns around risk management at the Trust which it said was "inconsistent" and and urgent and emergency care where patients "did not always receive timely assessment".

The CQC also reported a shortage of staff working in end-of-life care and midwifery, however maternity staff were said to have "an exceptionally dedicated and caring approach".

"I recognise the enormous pressure NHS services are under across the country and that usual expectations cannot always be maintained, but it is important they do all they can to mitigate risks to patient safety while facing these pressures," chief inspector of hospitals, Ted Baker, said.

"While the trust continues to have significant work to do to provide care that meets standards people have a right to expect, it is providing more effective care overall.

"However, its risk management remains inconsistent and we are not assured it is doing all it can to ensure people's safety."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 18 November 2021

 

Read more

'It's not just physical': suicidal thoughts common in those living with spinal cord injury

Suicidal thoughts are three times as common in those living with a spinal cord injury in the UK, according to new research

And yet, it’s estimated that only one third of people living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) are getting access to mental health support, and of those, 68% do not feel that support services available are able to meet their needs.

These alarming statistics are taken from a new report, ‘It’s not just physical’ which was presented to parliament yesterday (17 November).  The report shines a light on the mental health problems faced by people with spinal cord injuries in the UK today.

It's calling on the NHS, government and other health policy makers to provide better mental health support services for people with spinal cord injuries – and their unpaid carers – as a matter of urgency.  Nik Hartley, Spinal Injuries Association CEO said:

“We are at risk of failing thousands of people in the UK living with a spinal cord injury. Our new report highlights that psychological damage caused by a SCI is, at best, considered as an afterthought, and at worst, completely ignored by the medical profession. We need urgent action and for services to be sufficiently specialised to support the thousands of people living with this type of injury before it is too late.”

Read full story

Source: Spinal Injuries Association, 17 November 2021

Read more
 

Bereaved left in limbo by report delays, says mum

The mother of a man who took his own life said bereaved families would be left "in limbo" by a mental health trust's serious incident report delays.

Local health officials have raised concerns over the "timeliness" of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust's (CPFT) reports.

Maria Nowshadi, whose son James died in 2020, said they should be done quickly "so there's answers for families".

Ms Nowshadi said: "These investigations should happen in a timely, quick manner so there's answers for families, but also in case there's any learning to be had... to make sure there's no further deaths that happen in the same way, because of any errors within the system."

She said when the original date the report was due to be completed passed, she "reached the stage where I was looking at the mailbox every day". She said she told a patient liaison officer: "This is actually starting to affect my mental health.

The chief nurse at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough's Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Carol Anderson, said there were "concerns... [around] serious incident processes and reporting" at CPFT.

A CCG spokeswoman added they had agreed an extension with CPFT "for the completion of serious incident reports due to additional pressures due to the pandemic and staff redeployment".

"Our overall concern is the timeliness of serious incident reporting, so that we can ensure that learning is put in place as soon as possible," she added.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 17 November 2021

Read more

‘Bullying, intimidation and reprisals’ undermined patient care at trust, review concludes

A ‘culture of distrust’ between consultants and the use of incident reporting as a tool of ‘reprisal’ impacted patient care at a trust’s cardiology department, a review has concluded.

An external review undertaken for Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust has made a series of recommendations after looking into allegations of bullying and several examples of poor care within its cardiology services.

In a report published in the trust’s board papers, the Royal College of Physicians reported a “perceived tendency to downplay clinical incidents, and, to undermine those who wanted to raise patient safety issues”.

It added: “We met a group of individual consultants who did not work well as a team. There is a culture of distrust, a lack of departmental cohesion and allegations of bullying in the department. All of which reinforce a clear divide between the interventional and non-interventional consultant cardiologists."

“There have been a number of allegations of belittling, intimidation and undermining…The review team heard accounts of a culture where datix has been used as a tool for possible personal reprisal along with ignoring/downplaying incidents that have been raised.”

The review concludes: “This behaviour is impacting on patient care and therefore, all medical staff should be reminded of good medical practice as the [General Medical Council] code of conduct of how doctors must work collaboratively with colleagues.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 16 November 2021

Read more
 

Hidden pandemic of antibiotic-resistant infections, health officials warn

UK health officials are warning of a "hidden pandemic" of antibiotic-resistant infections if people fail to act responsibly after Covid.

Cold symptoms will be more common this winter, with social mixing - but taking antibiotics is not the answer. This could encourage harmful bacteria to evade treatment and put everyone's health at risk, the UK Health Security Agency says.

One in five people with an infection in 2020 had an antibiotic-resistant one. And if the bacteria causing their infection no longer responds to treatment with these common medicines, this can cause serious complications and lead to hospital admission.

Antibiotics should be taken or prescribed only when really needed, for example to treat bacterial infections such as sepsis, meningitis or pneumonia. They can also help protect against infection during chemotherapy, Caesarean sections and other common surgeries.

However they are sometimes prescribed to treat coughs, earache and sore throats, on which they have little or no effect.

UKHSA chief medical adviser Dr Susan Hopkins said antimicrobial resistance was a "hidden pandemic" and it was important "we do not come out of Covid-19 and enter into another crisis".

Serious antibiotic-resistant infections "will rise once again if we don't act responsibly", she added.

"As we head into winter, with increasing amounts of respiratory infections in circulation, it is important to remember that antibiotics are not needed for many cold-like symptoms.

"Stay at home if you feel unwell," she said.

"Taking antibiotics when you do not need them only puts you and your loved ones at more risk in the future, so please listen to your GP, nurse, dentist or pharmacist's advice."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 17 November 2021

Read more

Artificial Intelligence plan to reduce harm to pregnant black women

Researchers are to use artificial intelligence (AI) in the hope of reducing risk to pregnant black women.

Loughborough University experts are to work with the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) to identify patterns in its recent investigations.

Research has suggested black women are more than four times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than white women in the UK.

The researchers plan to look at more than 600 of HSIB's recent investigations into adverse outcomes during pregnancy and birth.

The research team will develop a machine learning system capable of identifying factors, based on a set of codes, that contribute to harm during pregnancy and birth experienced by black families. These include biological factors, such as obesity or birth history; social and economic factors such as language barriers and unemployment; and the quality of care and communication with the mother.

It will look at how these elements interact with and influence each other, and help researchers design ways to improve the care of black mothers and babies.

Dr Patrick Waterson, from the university, who is helping to lead the project, said: "Ultimately, we believe the outcomes from our research have the potential to transform the NHS's ability to reduce maternal harm amongst mothers from black ethnic groups."

He added that in the longer term, the research could improve patient safety for all mothers.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 17 November 2021

Read more

Major COVID-19 booster trial looks at how best to improve immunity against coronavirus in vulnerable people

Researchers have launched a major clinical trial investigating whether people on long-term immune-suppressing medicines can mount a more robust immune response to COVID-19 booster jabs by interrupting their treatment.

The VROOM trial will have implications for people on immune-suppressing medicines, who are among the millions of clinically vulnerable patients advised to ‘shield’ during the pandemic. The study is funded by an NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC) partnership, and led by a team at the University of Nottingham.

Approximately 1.3 million people in the UK are prescribed the immune-suppressing drug methotrexate for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and skin conditions such as psoriasis. Many of them were among the 2.2 million clinically extremely vulnerable people advised to shield during the first phase of the pandemic, depending on specialist advice and on their risk factors.

While methotrexate is effective at controlling these conditions and has emerged as first line therapy for many illnesses, it reduces the body’s ability to generate robust responses to flu and pneumonia vaccines.

Researchers will recruit 560 patients currently taking methotrexate, to investigate whether taking a two week break in this drug immediately after they receive the COVID-19 booster jab improves their immune response to vaccination, while preventing flare-ups of their long-term illness. The study will take between one to two years to complete. All participants will have had the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as their third jab, as part of the national vaccination programme against COVID-19.

Professor Andy Ustianowski, NIHR Clinical Lead for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme and Joint National Infection Specialty Lead, said: “Although the vaccine rollout has saved many lives and helped drive down the effects of the pandemic, there are still groups of vulnerable people who can’t always mount robust immunity against the virus. "

“It’s important to establish if people can safely improve protection from their booster jabs by taking a break from their immune-supressing medicines, and this pivotal study will help develop our understanding of immune responses in people taking this widely prescribed medicine."

Read full story

Source: NIHR, 12 November 2021

Read more
 

Why India should worry about post-COVID-19 care

When 60-year-old Milind Ketkar returned home after spending nearly a month in hospital battling COVID-19, he thought the worst was over.

People had to carry him to his third-floor flat as his building didn't have a lift. He spent the next few days feeling constantly breathless and weak. When he didn't start to feel better, he contacted Dr Lancelot Pinto at Mumbai's PD Hinduja hospital, where he had been treated.

Dr Pinto told him inflammation in the lungs, caused by Covid-19, had given him deep vein thrombosis - it occurs when blood clots form in the body and it often happens in the legs.

Fragments can break off and move up the body into the lungs, blocking blood vessels and, said Dr Pinto, this can be life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated in time.

Mr Ketkar spent the next month confined to his flat, taking tablets for his condition. "I was not able to move much. My legs constantly hurt and I struggled to do even daily chores. It was a nightmare," he says.

He is still on medication, but he says he is on the road to recovery.

Mr Ketkar is not alone in this - tens of thousands of people have been reporting post-Covid health complications from across the world. Thrombosis is common - it has been found in 30% of seriously ill coronavirus patients, according to experts. These problems have been generally described as "long Covid" or "long-haul Covid".

Awareness around post-Covid care is crucial, but its not the focus in India because the country is still struggling to control the spread of the virus. It has the world's second-highest caseload and has been averaging 90,000 cases daily in recent weeks.

Dr Natalie Lambert, research professor of medicine at Indiana University in the US, was one of the early voices to warn against post-Covid complications.

She surveyed thousands of people on social media and noticed that an alarmingly high number of them were complaining about post-Covid complications such as extreme fatigue, breathlessness and even hair loss.

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in the US reported its own survey results a few weeks later and acknowledged that at least 35% of those surveyed had not returned to their usual state of health.

Post-Covid complications are more common among those who were seriously ill, but Dr Lambert says an increasing number of moderately ill patients - even those who didn't need to be admitted to hospital - haven't recovered fully.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 28 September 2020

Read more
 

India: When a ‘never event’ hits a patient

A young woman was left with a retained foreign object, after surgery in an India hospital. A checklist could have avoided her death. The response from the health officials was: “We have issued a show-cause notice to the staff seeking an explanation. We will initiate departmental action based on their replies and finding of our inquiry.”

In the fields of healthcare quality and patient safety, such punitive measures of “naming and shaming” have not worked.

T.S. Ravikumar, President, AIIMS Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, moved back to India eight years ago with the key motive to improve accountability and safety in healthcare delivery. He believes that we have a long way to go in reducing “preventable harm” in hospitals and the health system in general.  "We need to move away from fixing blame, to creating a 'blame-free culture' in healthcare, yet, with accountability. This requires both systems design for safe care and human factors engineering for slips and violations".

"Providing safe care without harm is a 'team sport', and we need to work as teams and not in silos, with mutual respect and ability to speak up where we observe any deviation or non-compliance with rules, says Ravikumar. Basic quality tools and root-cause analysis for adverse events must become routine. Weekly mortality/morbidity conferences are routine in many countries, but not a routine learning tool in India.

He proposes acceleration of the recent initiative of the DGHS of the Government of India to implement a National Patient Safety Framework, and set up an analytical “never events” or sentinel events reporting structure.

Read full story

Source: The Hindu, 12 January 2020

Read more

Germany’s doctors call for clear rules to “break chains of infection” as cases soar

Politicians and doctors in Germany have called for urgent action to control the spread of COVID-19 after a record number of cases were reported on 11 November.

Germany had 50 196 new confirmed Covid cases on 11 November, up from 39 676 cases on 10 November and 9658 on 1 November, showed figures from the Robert Koch Institute. A total of 235 Covid related deaths were reported on 11 November, up from 23 on 1 November.

Speaking in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, the federal vice chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that immediate steps must be taken to “winterproof” Germany against what is being described as the nation’s fourth wave of Covid-19. Scholz will meet next week with the prime ministers of Germany’s 16 states to discuss new measures to fight the pandemic.

“The virus is still with us and threatens the health of citizens,” Scholz said, adding that efforts must be intensified to convince unvaccinated Germans to become fully vaccinated and encourage those already vaccinated to have the booster shot."

Everything must be done, he said, to ensure “that millions of citizens get a booster—that is the task of the next weeks and months.”

Read full story

Source: BMJ, 12 November 2021

Read more
 

"Animals treated better": Patient made to sleep on hospital floor

A patient suffering a mental health crisis was made to sleep overnight on the floor of an NHS hospital because it had no spare beds, The Independent has learned.

On Sunday, Mr Ben Ashcroft was given a mattress on the floor at Barnsley Hospital where he had been admitted after waiting for 36 hours at a different mental health hospital.

He described the situation as being “treated like a prisoner”, adding: “An animal is treated better than this. I’m poorly and you think this acceptable to put me in room like this. This all I have in room. Rather be in prison.”

Mr Ashcroft was detained, earlier in the week, under the Mental Health Act at Calderdale Royal Hospital, in West Yorkshire.

But this hospital had no beds available and transferred him to another site in Barnsley where he was taken to a room with just a mattress.

In a statement to The Independent, the trust said demand for beds over the weekend was “exceptionally high” adding “with this level of demand we took short-term measures to ensure all our service users were kept safe”.

Read full story

Source: 15 November 2021

Read more
 

NHS bosses advise all hospitals to review security after Liverpool blast

NHS chiefs are advising all hospitals to review their security arrangements in the wake of Sunday’s terrorist incident at Liverpool Women’s hospital, the Guardian can reveal.

NHS England is finalising new guidance to send to all 213 health trusts in England, which between them provide services at more than 500 hospital sites.

It will tell them to check that their security measures are adequate and also to ensure that their staff know what to do and how to stay safe if their hospital is targeted by terrorists.

It is being finalised and will be sent imminently to hospital bosses, who are still taking in the implications of the taxi explosion outside Europe’s largest maternity hospital.

Many hospitals have beefed up their security over the last year in response to numerous incursions by Covid deniers and anti-lockdown activists and the growing abuse of frontline staff.

But Sunday’s incident has prompted NHS England to write to all trusts urging them to take any steps needed to ensure they are protected.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 16 November 2021

Read more
 

New children’s obesity clinics to open after pandemic shone ‘harsh light’ on crisis

NHS England is set to launch 15 new specialist clinics for children living with severe obesity after the Covid pandemic shone a ‘harsh light’ on the crisis among vulnerable young people.

Obesity currently affects one in five children in the UK. Each year, around one thousand children between the age of two to 18-years-old, and their family members, will benefit from the pilot scheme.

The scheme will also offer access to dietitians, psychologists, specialist nurses, social workers, youth workers and a children’s doctor.

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS in England, described the coronavirus pandemic said: “The pandemic has shone a harsh light on obesity - with many vulnerable young people struggling with weight gain during the pandemic.

“Left unchecked, obesity can have other very serious consequences, ranging from diabetes to cancer.

“This early intervention scheme aims to prevent children and young people enduring a lifetime of ill-health.

“The NHS Long Term Plan committed to take more action to help children and young people with their physical and mental health and these new services are a landmark moment in efforts to help them lead longer, healthier and happier lives.”

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 15 November 2021

Read more

© 2026 Patient Safety Learning. All rights reserved.

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

×
  • Create New...

Important Information

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