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Nearly 2,000 young patients left waiting a year or more for specialist mental health care in Scotland

Nearly 2,000 children and teenagers have been left waiting for specialist mental health care for at least a year in Scotland, according to official figures branded “damning” by psychiatrists.

New NHS Scotland data has revealed that, at the end of September, there were 1,978 patients who had been waiting 52 weeks or more for a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) appointment.

That is more than double the 959 young people who were waiting that long the previous September – despite efforts by Nicola Sturgeon’s government to meet its own 2023 target for 90% of young people to receive help within 18 weeks.

Ahead of the Holyrood Budget on Thursday, the figures prompted calls from service providers for a “radical transformation of our mental health services” enacted with the same zeal as the response to the coronavirus pandemic and with a focus on earlier interventions to prevent young people “giving up on their futures”.

According to the latest figures, there were a total of 11,816 young people waiting for an appointment by the end of September – just 78% of them who had been seen within 18 weeks.

Dr Helen Smith, chair of the CAMHS faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said the long waits for help highlighted the “many problems” with these services “across the length and breadth of the country”.

“The fact that our vulnerable children and young people are still waiting to be seen is, frankly, not good enough,” Dr Smith said. “We need them to be able to access the right support at the right time, from the correct services.”

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Source: The Independent, 8 December 2021

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Staff who refuse covid vaccination may see ‘impact upon their pay and pension’

NHS staff who have to be redeployed because they refuse to be vaccinated against covid may be forced to ‘compete’ for a new role and could find their pay and pensions affected if their transfer becomes permanent, according to new NHS England guidance.

Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid announced last month that all patient-facing NHS staff would need to have received two doses of the covid vaccine by 1 April 2022.

This includes non-clinical staff who may have face-to-face contact with patients, such as receptionists, porters and cleaners.

Guidance published this week urged organisations to identify options for potential redeployment to non-face-to-face roles, but advised against taking formal action until the new rules receive Parliamentary approval.

The guidance said: “Employers should consider the possibility of redeployment for staff in scope of the regulations and who remain unvaccinated on 1 April 2022.”

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Source: HSJ, 8 December 2021

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Female ambulance staff subjected to ‘macho and sexualised’ culture

A ‘macho’ culture within ambulance trusts is leading to widespread abuse of female staff.

HSJ has been told of multiple cases including sexual misconduct, harassment or abuse against staff in the last two and a half years. These include:

  • women being told that giving sexual favours would help them get on to paramedic training
  • a woman who was told she would pass her driving course if she gave oral sex to a superior
  • a student on placement who could not take off her jacket without comments being passed on her breasts, and therefore would wear it even on the hottest days
  • a student given a lift by her supervisor who then proceeded to rub his hands up and down her legs during the journey.

In a freedom of information request, the 10 ambulance trusts in England were asked for the number of incidents in which allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment or abuse had been made against staff.

The trusts reported 221 cases since April 2019, of which at least 27 resulted in dismissal and at least 44 resulted in other disciplinary action, with some cases still under investigation.

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Source: HSJ, 7 December 2021

 

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Doctors report 13,000 cancelled operations in UK over two months

UK hospitals have cancelled at least 13,000 operations over the last two months as they struggle to cope with record demand for NHS care and people sick with Covid-19.

Figures collected by A&E doctors showed that 13,061 planned surgeries had to be called off during October and November because of shortages of beds and staff.

However, the cancellations occurred at just 40 of the several hundred NHS hospitals across the four home nations, so those 13,061 are likely to be a major underestimate of the scale of the problem.

Dr Adrian Boyle, a vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), which published the data, said the cancellations represented “a stark warning for the months ahead”.

He also warned that A&E units across the NHS are “verging on crisis” because of their growing inability to provide timely care to the increasing numbers of patients seeking help. “Urgent and emergency care is verging on crisis and it is impacting and derailing elective care, meaning surgery for patients with serious conditions is delayed,” he added.

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Source: The Guardian, 7 December 2021

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‘Sheer desperation’ felt by A&E staff admitted by trust

An investigation into whistleblowing claims which described patients “hanging off trolleys” and “vomiting down corridors” in a crowded emergency department has upheld most of the concerns.

It comes after a staff member at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust wrote to the chief executive and trust’s commissioners after working a weekend shift within the emergency department at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.

In their original email, sent in January 2020, the anonymous whistleblower said they were writing out of “sheer desperation for the safety of patients”.

They added: “I have never in my whole career seen patients hanging off trolleys, vomiting down corridors, having [electrocardiograms] down corridors, patients desperate for the toilet, desperate for a drink. Basic human care is not being given safely or adequately…"

“Your hospital is full, your A&E department is over-flowing, you are expecting staff to manage treble the amount of patients in majors and resus than they would do normally, without breaks, this is not safe. They cannot provide that care – which is evident.”

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Source: HSJ, 7 November 2021

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Patients face ‘inevitable rationing’ as one in four psychiatry posts not substantive

Psychiatry is facing a ‘double whammy’ of chronic consultant shortages where patient care is being rationed and under-pressure doctors are working with ‘hands tied behind their backs’, a leading clinician has warned.

As the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ official 2021 census reveals consultant vacancies are up by more than a third (35 per cent) since 2017 with nearly one in 10 posts going unfilled, current Dean Professor Subodh Dave told HSJ the current situation impacts “very adversely” on achieving NHS long-term plan goals.

In an exclusive interview, the Derbyshire-based liaison psychiatrist told HSJ one in four (24%) of the country’s 7,782 consultant posts are not substantive and are currently dominated by locums, typically on shorter-term contracts.

Professor Dave said current workforce gaps are having a knock-on effect with “inevitable rationing” of patient care to keep services running.

“If you design a service that has to meet NICE standards then clearly you need the workforce to deliver that standard of care,” he added.

“To do that with your hands tied behind your back is frankly impossible.”

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Source: HSJ, 6 November 2021

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Republic of Ireland: Most HSE staff felt negative change at work during pandemic

The vast majority of HSE staff in the Republic of Ireland felt supported during the COVID-19 pandemic but more than half felt there has been a negative change in their working environment, a new survey has found.

Staff across the health service were asked about their work, and responses from almost 13,000 staff showed a mixed impact since the pandemic with staff saying they were more enthusiastic about their job than in 2018 but were less optimistic about their future in the health service.

Three in 10 said they had been subject to assault from the public in the past two years. One in three felt more positively towards the HSE since before the pandemic began.

The survey found there had been an increase in the satisfaction with the level of care delivered since 2018 but almost 4 in 10 felt the service delivered was deteriorating.

There was a strong sense of job security among staff, but satisfaction levels have fallen back on the previous survey three years ago. A third said they were dissatisfied at present.

Despite the fact that an anti-bullying taskforce was set up after the previous survey, the same number of staff reported experiences of being bullied by a colleague as in 2018. Three in 10 said they had experienced bullying or harassment at work from a manager, team leader or other colleagues.

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Source: The Irish Times, 6 December 2021

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Man fitted with stoma after 'unnecessary' surgery

A patient who suffered internal bleeding from surgery following an incorrect diagnosis, said he has "nightmares" about how he was treated.

The public services ombudsman for Wales said it was "completely avoidable" and recommended health officials make a redress payment of £10,000.

The man was initially referred to Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales with appendicitis. But, after a number of tests and scans, it was wrongly determined he had Crohn's disease, and colon surgery was recommended which led to a series of complications.

The man, known as Mr D in the ombudsman's report, suffered internal bleeding from the initial surgery and required a stoma, despite being told the chances of that were "very, very slim".

He also developed a hernia which required further surgery, and a mesh to be inserted.

"I try and do things that wouldn't have been a problem for me years ago, and find I struggle," he said.

"Sometimes I wake up still in pain from some of the scars. I sometimes have nightmares."

The man, who has Asperger's syndrome, also said it was not taken into proper consideration during consultation.

"I don't think there's a lot of things where people do take into account neurodiversity," he said.

Ombudsman Nick Bennett called the case "regrettable" after investigating the man's complaint.

"Physicians responsible for Mr D's care should have employed a watch and wait approach in which his condition would probably have settled without surgical treatment," he said.

"Instead, Mr D, a vulnerable individual, faced completely avoidable trauma of unnecessary surgery and post-treatment complications - a trauma which saw him seek mental health support."

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said it accepted the findings.

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Source: BBC News, 7 December 2021

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USA: It's not just doctors and nurses reporting burnout. Support staff are feeling stressed

The vast majority of front-line clinical support staff are reporting moderate to extreme burnout, and nearly two-thirds have considered quitting, a new US survey found.

"While much has been reported on doctor and nurse burnout, less attention has been paid to the front-line clinical support staff who have been working tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure high-quality patient care was maintained," Meg Aranow, senior vice president and platform evangelist for patient experience vendor Well Health, told Fierce Healthcare.

"We recognize the critical role clinical support staff play in provider organizations—this study further validates the cascading impact clinical support staff have on the patient experience and so many facets of our healthcare system," Aranow said.

Well Health surveyed 320 clinical support staff who are primarily responsible for communicating and coordinating with patients, mostly through phone calls, which can be time-consuming. According to the survey results, the patient-communication coordination process is overwhelming staff to the point of wanting to quit, with 82% saying that contacting and coordinating with patients about their appointments, follow-ups and health issues via phone, email, text or live chat is a direct cause of their burnout.

The survey found that 58% of clinical support staff believe their burnout has negatively affected a patient’s quality of care, and 60% report poor or ineffective patient communication has negatively affected a patient’s health outcomes.

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Source: Fierce Healthcare, 20 October 2021

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Covid: Doctors' leaders back postponed health checks

Doctors' leaders have welcomed plans to allow GPs in England to defer some services to deliver Covid booster jabs instead.

Practices can postpone minor surgery and routine health checks for over-75s and new patients until 31 March. 

All adults in England are expected to be offered boosters by the end of January in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant. A further 75 Omicron cases were confirmed in England on Friday.

On Saturday the UK reported a further 42,848 cases of coronavirus and 127 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test while 372,557 booster jabs were administered on Friday.

Dr Farah Jameel, the GP committee chair of the British Medical Association, said the new measures would release GPs from "filling out paperwork" and chasing unnecessary and often undeliverable targets.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We have been struggling with significant prevailing workforce pressures - backlog pressures, winter pressures, pandemic pressures.

"Whilst these changes make a difference and start to create some time, I think every single practice will have to look at just how much time it does release."

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Source: BBC News, 5 December 2021

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Evidence is insufficient to back mandatory NHS staff vaccination, says House of Lords committee

A House of Lords committee has raised several concerns about the proposed legislation to make vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory for all NHS staff in England, particularly whether the benefits of vaccinating the remaining 8% of NHS workers were proportionate and how the NHS would cope with losing the 5.4% who don’t want to be vaccinated.

The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee said that the government’s plans had not been thoroughly thought through, leaving the House of Lords unable to scrutinise the proposed legislation.

On 9 November England’s health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, announced that all staff who work in health and social care settings regulated by the Care Quality Commission will have to be fully vaccinated by 1 April 2022.2 “We must avoid preventable harm and protect patients in the NHS, protect colleagues in the NHS, and protect the NHS itself,” he said.

But in a report published on 30 November the committee said that the benefit of increasing the protection from vaccinating staff who had not yet taken up offers of the jab “may be marginal” and that the government had failed to publish any contingency plans on how it would cope with the loss of staff who do not want the vaccine.

The report said that of the 208 000 NHS staff who weren’t currently vaccinated 54 000 (26%) would take up the vaccine under the law and 126 000 (61%) would leave their jobs.

“Given the legislation is anticipated to cause £270m in additional recruitment and training costs and major disruption to the health and care provision at the end of the grace period, very strong evidence should be provided to support this policy choice. DHSC [Department for Health and Social Care] has not provided such evidence,” it said.

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Source: BMJ, 3 December 2021

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Jailed women in UK five times more likely to suffer stillbirths, data shows

Women in prison are five times more likely to have a stillbirth and twice as likely to give birth to a premature baby that needs special care, new data collected by the Observer shows.

Following two baby deaths in prisons since 2019 there have been increasing concerns about safety for pregnant women and their babies.

Figures obtained through freedom of information requests made to 11 NHS trusts serving women’s prisons in England show 28% of the babies born to women serving a custodial sentence between 2015 and 2019 were admitted to a neonatal unit afterwards – double the national figure, according to data from the National Neonatal Research Database.

The findings come as the House of Lords prepares to vote this week on proposed changes to bail and sentencing laws that would improve the rights of pregnant women and mothers facing criminal charges.

A report published in September examined the circumstances of a baby’s death at Bronzefield prison in Surrey where an 18-year-old was left to give birth alone in her cell. 

When Anita rang her cell bell at 5.30am when she went into labour the guards said they would send somebody. It was only during the morning rounds at 7.30am that a nurse was called. She was transferred to hospital at 10.30am. Anita said: “Despite being in active labour the guards would not remove my handcuffs and ignored me when I asked them to call the baby’s father and my mum – who were eventually contacted by a doctor.”

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Source: The Guardian, 5 December 2021

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Widespread gaps in ‘gold-standard’ eating disorders service a year on from launch

More than half of England has limited or no access to a ‘gold standard’ eating disorder programme proven to halve the need for intensive treatment, a year after NHS England funded 18 pilot projects in the wake of five women’s anorexia deaths, HSJ analysis reveals.

Last November NHSE announced it would scale up the first episode rapid intervention in eating disorders (FREED) service – a successful scheme shown to help people aged 16-25 in London – in 19 initial areas before promoting it country-wide.

The brainchild of King’s College London’s Professor Ulrike Schmidt, FREED sees teenagers and young adults living with a condition for less than three years being contacted within 48 hours of seeking help – with treatment beginning as soon as two weeks later.

Now it has emerged that just 16 of England’s mental health trusts, out of more than 54, have fully adopted the FREED service, which experts say has halved the need for intensive treatment from 12.5% to 6.5% in early pilots – saving the NHS around £4,400 per patient.

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Source: HSJ, 6 December 2021

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Stillborn baby's parents receive £2.8m from Nottingham hospital trust

A couple whose child died in the womb after mistakes by maternity staff have received a £2.8m settlement.

Sarah Hawkins was in labour for six days before Harriet was stillborn at Nottingham City Hospital in April 2016.

Hospital bosses initially found "no obvious fault", but an external inquiry identified 13 failings in care.

Solicitors representing Mrs Hawkins and husband Jack said it was believed to be the largest payout for a stillbirth clinical negligence case.

Mrs Hawkins was nearly 41 weeks' pregnant when Harriet was delivered, almost nine hours after dying. The couple were first told their child had died of an infection but refused to accept this and launched their own investigation.

A Root Cause Analysis Investigation Report published in 2018 concluded the death was "almost certainly preventable".

The report said errors included a delay in applying appropriate foetal monitoring, the important omission of information on an antenatal advice sheet and a failure to follow the Risk Management Policy for maternity. It also found failures to record or pass on information correctly, failure to follow correct guidelines and delays in administering the correct treatment.

Following the report's publication, the hospital trust apologised and said major changes would be made.

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Source: BBC News, 6 December 2021

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‘Challenged’ trust plans to move patients to chairs to free up beds

An acute trust in the Midlands is planning to move patients to chairs on wards to free up beds for people waiting in its emergency department, following one of its “most challenged” days.

In an email sent to staff at Nottingham University Hospitals on Tuesday, interim chief operating officer Rachel Eddie and chief medical officer Keith Girling wrote: “We are asking wards to transfer [patients confirmed as ready for discharge] to the discharge lounge, or if that isn’t possible, move them to a chair on the ward so that a patient waiting for a bed in ED or in an emergency pathway assessment area can be brought up.”

“This is referred to as going ‘one over’,” the email added. “We will ensure that on each ward that has been designated as being able to go ‘one over’, a chair has been added to their Nervecentre ward layout so patients are all visible.”

The email describes how Monday was one of the “most challenged Mondays we have seen” and confirmed the trust remains in ‘Opel 4’, the most severe level of operational pressure.

It also said nursing staff have “shared concerns” about the amount of time they are able to spend with their patients.

“This does mean that at times you will be asked to work at a higher patient to nurse ratio than we would like,” the email said. “We know this isn’t where any of us want to be, but it is unfortunately the reality of balancing risk.”

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Source: HSJ, 1 December 2021

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CQC threatens to suspend licence of ‘large scale’ GP provider

A major GP group in Plymouth covering tens of thousands of patients could have its licence removed after failing to make ‘substantial improvements’ ordered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

In August, the CQC rated the Mayflower Medical Group “inadequate” and last month the regulator said it had served a “letter of intent” on the group after another inspection. Such a letter is the last step the CQC takes before a provider’s licence is suspended.

Licence suspension would affect around 40,000 people (a sixth of Plymouth’s population), who live in one of the highest areas of deprivation in the country – according to Public Health England (now the UK Health Security Agency).

Among the CQC’s concerns were safety fears about the way medicines were prescribed, poor management of high-risk patients, coding issues, limited monitoring of the outcomes of care and treatment, and patients experiencing difficulties accessing care and treatment.

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Source: HSJ, 2 December 2021

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NHS forecasts 230,000 extra cases of PTSD in England due to Covid

The NHS is forecasting there will be 230,000 new cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in England as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, official figures show.

COVID-19 has increased exposure to events that could cause PTSD, an anxiety disorder triggered by very stressful, frightening or distressing events, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It says the NHS is already facing the biggest backlog of those waiting for mental health help in its history.

Forecasts cited by the college from the NHS strategy unit, which carries out NHS analysis, show there could be as many as 230,000 new PTSD referrals between 2020/21 and 2022/23 in England, which suggests a rise of about 77,000 cases a year on average.

Prof Neil Greenberg, expert editor of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ new resource tool for patients with PTSD, said: “It’s a common misunderstanding that only people in the armed forces can develop PTSD – anyone exposed to a traumatic event is at risk.

“It’s vital that anyone exposed to traumatic events is properly supported at work and home. Early and effective support can reduce the likelihood of PTSD and those affected should be able to access evidence-based treatment in a timely manner. Especially our NHS staff who are at increased risk as a result of this unprecedented crisis.”

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Source: The Guardian, 3 December 2021

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GPs in England may stop monitoring vulnerable patients

Ministers may allow GPs in England to halt regular monitoring of millions of patients with underlying health problems as part of the urgent new blitz on delivering Covid booster jabs.

Sajid Javid and NHS bosses are locked in talks with GP representatives at the British Medical Association (BMA) about relaxing rules which mean family doctors undertake checks on people with diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions that mean they are at higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

It came as the health secretary announced the government has secured contracts to buy 114m more vaccine doses for next year and 2023. The deals, accelerated in the wake of the Omicron variant, will see the UK purchase 54m more Pfizer/BioNTech jabs and 60m from Moderna to “future-proof” the inoculation programme, Javid said.

The BMA, the doctors’ union, has been lobbying Javid for months to suspend or scrap the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF), which it says is “bureaucratic” and interferes with GPs’ right to judge how they care for patients.

Officials with knowledge of the talks told the Guardian that those involved spent much of Tuesday discussing the suspension of part or all of the requirements under QOF. “They’re talking about a partial suspension of QOF. But they may well just bin it,” one said.

However, sources stressed that ministers are nervous about approving a move that could lead to claims that vulnerable patients could see any deterioration in their condition go undetected by GPs.

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Source: The Guardian, 1 December 2021

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Dental patients 'might never' get 6-month check-ups again

Dentists may never catch up with the backlog of patients waiting for check-ups, a leading dentist has warned.

Dr Russell Gidney said around 6,000 of his patients had not been given a routine check-up in the past year because of Covid restrictions.

NHS Wales figures show courses of dental treatment dropped by over three quarters in 2020-21. The Welsh government said dental services would get an extra £3m this year to support pandemic recovery.

Dr Gidney said fatigue among colleagues and recruitment problems threatened the return of regular appointments.

At his practice in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, he said check-ups have not been going ahead because patients who need urgent treatment were prioritised. 

Dentists are limited in number of patients they treat because of increased safety measures - such as wearing more PPE and cleaning between patients.

New operating procedures were announced last week, relaxing the safety measures for patients who show no signs of respiratory illness, such as colds and flu. But Dr Gidney said although new guidelines may increase patient volumes, they will "barely make a dent" into the "unprecedented backlogs".

Wales' Health Minister Eluned Morgan said there have been "long-standing issues" with access to dentistry, due to practices experiencing difficulties with recruitment and retention of dentists.

She said these issues were "impacting on the provision of NHS dental services".

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Source: BBC News, 2 December 2021

 

 
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HSIB launches national investigation into ambulance delays

The national patient safety watchdog has launched an investigation into the “significant patient harm” caused by ambulances being forced to wait with patients outside of A&E.

The Health and Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) has confirmed it intends to launch an investigation after it received several alerts expressing concerns over the issue of ambulance delays this year.

The investigation comes after The Independent revealed 160,000 patients had either died or come to harm as a result of delayed ambulance response times during 2020-21, which were being driven by delays in paramedics being able to hand over patients to hospitals.

The damning report, from the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, included examples of severely ill patients not being treated properly, being forced to go to the toilet in ambulances, and being denied food and drink, as well as antibiotics and fluids.

There have been multiple reports of patients dying while waiting for ambulances or while waiting outside of A&Es on the back of ambulances.

In a statement to The Independent, HSIB said: “We recognise that handover delays pose a serious safety risk, potentially leading to significant patient harm and impacting on the wellbeing of NHS staff. We welcome the review by AACE as they have provided detailed insight and highlighted key safety concerns. HSIB has already received several referrals expressing similar concerns, which will be taken forward to a national investigation. We will work with AACE and others across the NHS to provide systemic safety learning to help address the challenges created by handover delays.”

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Source: The Independent, 2 December 2021

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Race watchdog says trusts must be held to account for progress on health inequalities

Efforts to end health inequalities should be ‘in the mix’ of metrics used to determine the NHS’ progress against key performance targets, say race inequality experts.

In an exclusive interview with HSJ, NHS Race and Health Observatory (RHO) director Habib Naqvi said organisations’ performance on the issue should be scrutinised by an external body to ensure they are held accountable and “not marking their own exam answer”.

It comes as the RHO publishes a report that warns the appointment of health inequalities leads across the NHS risks becoming “tokenistic” if they are not adequately supported and held accountable.

The report by The King’s Fund think tank has recommended several actions to prevent the introduction of board-level leads from becoming a “hollow gesture”.

In August 2020, NHS England asked all NHS organisations to have a named executive board member responsible for tackling inequalities by October that year. The RHO estimates there to be more than 450 of these named leads across the country.

The report welcomed this but added “frameworks” of support and accountability should exist to “empower individuals and motivate change”.

The recommendations include putting inequalities on an “equal footing” with key performance metrics, as well as a long-term policy focus that puts addressing inequalities “at the heart of system development”.

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Source: HSJ, 1 December 2021

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Elizabeth Dixon: Lessons not learned after baby death cover-up, says family

The family of a baby who died after errors in her care have criticised the failure of the NHS to learn lessons.

Elizabeth Dixon died due to a blocked breathing tube shortly before her first birthday and a subsequent independent investigation found a 20-year cover-up.

A year on, Elizabeth's mother Anne told the BBC: "My daughter has not been a catalyst for change."

The Department of Health said it was working on the report's recommendations and will publish "a full response".

Elizabeth Dixon, known as Lizzie, was born prematurely at Frimley Park Hospital, in Surrey, in December 2000. But a series of errors by the hospital and by Great Ormond Street Hospital, which took over her care shortly after birth, left Elizabeth with brain damage and needing to breathe through a tracheostomy. She was further let down by Nestor Primecare, a private nursing agency, which was hired to support her parents when Elizabeth returned home. She died 10 days before her first birthday.

An official investigation, published last year, found a "20 year cover-up" by health workers, with some of those involved described as "persistently dishonest".

"I would have expected them to take it seriously," Mrs Dixon said in response to the lack of action.

She believes that if a similar incident happened today, there would be a danger it would also be covered up.

"That's the default option - if its bad enough, they'll cover up," she said.

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Source: BBC News, 1 December 2021

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Israeli doctor believes he caught Omicron variant of Covid in London

A doctor who was one of the first people in the world to become infected with the Omicron variant says he believes he caught the virus when he was in London for a major medical conference attended by more than 1,200 health professionals.

The disclosure from Elad Maor will raise fears that the variant may have been in the UK much earlier than previously realised – and that other medics could have been exposed to it too.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Maor, a cardiologist at Sheba Medical Centre near Tel Aviv, described how he returned to Israel on 23 November after the three-day meeting at ExCeL London, a large convention centre in Newham, east London. He began experiencing symptoms within days, and tested positive on 27 November.

The time from exposure to symptom onset (known as the incubation period) is thought to be up to 14 days, though symptoms typically appear within five days of exposure.

Maor has so far shown mild COVID-19 symptoms, including a fever, muscle ache and a sore throat.

The revelation will raise fresh questions about how early the new variant may have been present in the UK and Europe. Governments around the world are urgently scouring databases for recent cases of Covid infections, screening travellers and decoding the viral genomes of the new variant as they try to measure how far it has spread and where it originated.

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Source: The Guardian, 1 December 2021

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Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust told it must improve

Changes must be made across services at one of England's biggest NHS trusts following its first wide-ranging inspection, a health watchdog said.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust - which runs Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals - has been rated as "requires improvement".

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) turned up unannounced after concerns over standards were raised.

Philippa Styles, the CQC's head of hospital inspection, said they "found a mixed picture" of positive improvements and areas of concern.

"Following the trust's formation in 2020, leaders should now be able to work together effectively to ensure care is consistent across all services," she said.

"I recognise the enormous pressure NHS services are under... and that usual expectations cannot always be maintained, especially in the urgent and emergency department, but it is important they do all they can to mitigate risks to patient safety."

The report said:

  • Patients had not always been protected from harm.
  • Staff had not all received mandatory training.
  • There had been nine "never-should-happen" medical events.
  • Records were sometimes inaccurate and not kept securely.
  • Nursing and medical staffing was a "challenge across the trust", with shifts regularly below planned staffing numbers.
  • There had been a high number of whistle-blowers raising concerns.

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Source: BBC News, 1 December 2021

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Up to 740,000 cancer cases needing urgent GP referrals could have been missed since first lockdown

The NHS may be missing more than 9 million referrals, while patients face a “postcode lottery” for cancer treatment and routine operations, a parliament watchdog has warned.

Millions of patients have either avoided or been unable to obtain healthcare during the pandemic leaving the NHS with a potential unknown backlog of operations, which could push the national waiting list to 12 million by 2025.

A report from the government’s National Audit Office today also warned patients across England are facing a postcode lottery in terms of waits with some hospital waiting lists far larger than others following the pandemic.

Eve Byrne, head of campaigns and public affairs, at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “This report confirms what we hear day in, day out from people living with cancer. Chronic staffing shortages are already having a devastating impact on cancer patients, and we have major concerns that is only set to worsen without urgent action.

She said the government’s plan to tackle operations backlog must be backed up by steps to ensure enough nurses staff.

“Without these critical pieces of the puzzle, we risk increasing numbers of people facing later diagnoses, poorer care and potentially worse chances of survival. This has to change,” she added.

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Source: The Independent, 1 December 2021

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