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"I have never seen this level of abuse"

The abuse of staff at GP surgeries has "no place in the NHS", a healthcare boss has said, following complaints it has risen during the pandemic.

Dr Joanne Watt, GP chairwoman of the Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said she understood patients' frustrations as surgeries battle with increased demand.

But she said the reports of abuse were "extremely upsetting and demoralising".

A receptionist told the BBC she had "never seen this level of abuse".

Claire, who works at Harborough Field surgery in Rushden and has been employed by the NHS for 34 years, said staff were being verbally abused on a daily basis and it was "becoming the norm and it shouldn't be". "We work within the rules we're given. It's very upsetting, we've been reduced to tears," she said.

The latest NHS staff survey found one in three staff claimed to have experienced at least one incident of bullying, harassment or abuse from service users, their relatives or other members of the public, in the year to March 2021.

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Source: BBC News, 7 October 2021

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Symptoms to watch for as 10% of secondary pupils suffer long Covid

More than one in ten secondary school pupils and over a third of school staff who had COVID-19 have suffered ongoing symptoms, figures suggest.

The most common symptom reported by staff and pupils was weakness/tiredness, while staff were more likely to experience shortness of breath than pupils, according to a small study of schools in England.

The survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that about 35.7% of staff and 12.3% of secondary school pupils with a previously confirmed Covid-19 infection reported experiencing ongoing symptoms more than four weeks from the start of the infection.

Among those experiencing ongoing symptoms, 15.5% of staff and 9.4% of secondary school pupils said their ability to carry out day-to-day activities had been significantly reduced.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This survey data reveals the largely hidden long-term effects of Covid on both students and school and college staff.

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Source: Wales Online, 28 September 2021

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Health secretary to act on racial bias in effectiveness of medical devices

Sajid Javid has said medical device manufacturers should check their products work well for people of all ethnic backgrounds, citing problems that those with dark skin have experienced when using pulse oximeters.

Several studies have found oximeters are not as good at identifying hypoxia in people with darker skin. The devices have been widely used during the covid pandemic to monitor people at risk of deteriorating at home. They are meant to trigger a response when needed. Official guidance was updated this summer to encourage caution in their use. 

The health and social care secretary has identified health inequalities as one of his priorities. He gave the issue as an example of racial bias in healthcare when speaking at the Conservative party conference on Tuesday evening.

He said: “It turned out that pulse oximeters, all of them that exist in the world, were giving often the wrong reading for people with dark skin, because they were designed by companies where basically all they were thinking about were white people. Why is that? Because the companies, their market was white countries with a majority of white people.”

Mr Javid, who has a British Pakistani background, continued: “They just weren’t thinking whether these things could work on people with a skin colour like mine or just darker skin, and that’s not right.

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Source: HSJ, 6 October 2021

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GPs in England failing to urgently refer patients with ‘red flag’ signs of cancer

GPs are failing to urgently refer patients with “red flag” signs of suspected cancer to a specialist, research suggests.

Six out of 10 patients in England with key symptoms indicating possible cancer did not receive an urgent referral for specialist assessment within two weeks, as recommended in clinical guidelines, according to a new study.

Nearly 4% of these patients were subsequently diagnosed with cancer within the next 12 months. The findings were published in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety.

In the study, researchers analysed records from almost 49,000 patients who consulted their GP with one of the warning signs for cancer that should warrant referral under clinical guidelines. Of the 29,045 patients not referred, 1,047 developed cancer within a year (3.6%).

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment is crucial to survival chances. Every four-week delay in cancer treatment increases the risk of death by 10%.

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Source: The Guardian, 5 October 2021

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A third of stillbirths in Cwm Taf maternity units 'could have been prevented', review finds

A third of stillbirths at two south Wales hospitals could have been prevented with better care or treatment, an investigation has concluded.

It emerged two years ago that more than 60 women suffered the heartbreak of a stillbirth at at the Royal Glamorgan, Llantrisant, and Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, and that many of these were never reported or investigated.

An independent panel set up by the Welsh Government to oversee improvements in these maternity units has now concluded that many of these babies could have been saved.

It looked at whether the care provided to women and their babies between January 2016 and September 2018 fell below the standards expected. The failures were split into different levels of severity, known in the report as "modifiable factors".

Their investigation looked at 63 stillbirths between January 1, 2016, and September 30, 2018, and discovered that 21 (33%) of them had at least one "major modifiable factor", meaning the stillbirth could potentially have been avoided.

More than half (59%) of the 63 had at least one "minor modifiable factor" while in three-quarters (76%) of them "wider learning" was required. In only four of the 63 stillbirths the panel found no modifiable factors.

The panel also discovered that "areas for learning" were identified in 59 of the 63 episodes of care reviewed.

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Source: Wales Online, 5 October 2021

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Government launches new mental wellbeing campaign for general public

As part of the UK Government’s efforts to tackle health problems, including mental health, earlier in the cycle, the newly-created Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has launched the latest Better Health – Every Mind Matters campaign to improve the general public’s mental wellbeing.

The new campaign aims to empower members of the general public to look after their mental health through tips and practical advice, helping to find what works for them in reducing stress and anxiety, boosting their mood, sleeping better, and feeling in greater control of their lives.

New research commissioned by OHID revealed nearly half of adults (49%) in England said the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on their mental wellbeing. In the same research, more than a third of all adults in England (34%) said they did not know what to do to improve their mental wellbeing. That equated to 15.1 million people. Younger adults were the most significantly affected group with their mental health, with 57% of 18-34 year olds suggesting the pandemic had negatively impacted their mental health. Just under half (44%) reported not knowing what to do to help improve it.

This is the first campaign delivered by OHID since being officially launched on October 1, 2021. They have been set up with the aim of tackling health inequalities across the country.

Minister for Care and Mental Health, Gillian Keegan, said: “The public showed great resilience throughout the pandemic, but it has served as a stark reminder that we all need to look after ourselves not only physically, but mentally. “There are simple steps we can all be taking to improve our mental wellbeing and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. For anyone who is unsure what they can do, I urge you to visit Every Mind Matters and take advantage of the expert advice and practical tips available to you.”

Claire Murdoch, NHS National Director for Mental Health, added: “The last year has taken its toll on people’s mental health but NHS staff have responded rapidly to treat more people with mental health issues than ever before – rolling out 24/7 crisis lines across the country and mental health support teams in schools during the pandemic. “The NHS is here for you, so if you’re struggling with anxiety and depression our rapidly expanding talking therapy services are available, while anyone who needs urgent help can access our 24/7 NHS crisis lines – available to people of all ages. “I would encourage everyone to look after their mental health, and by answering 5 simple questions, get a tailored ‘mind plan’ which will give you tips to help boost your mood, sleep better and deal with stress and anxiety.”

Over 3.4 million individual Mind Plans have already been created since the campaign was first launched in October 2019.

Original source: National Health Executive

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Enhancing patient safety and outcomes in high-risk surgery

A team of world-leading medical experts have collaborated to improve patient safety and outcomes following high-risk surgery.

The endeavour, which includes industry specialists such as anaesthetists, surgeons, and patient representatives, is called the Improving Patient Outcomes (ImPrOve) Think Tank. The ImPrOve team has recently published its European report that highlights and looks to address a severe patient safety and health issue in which death and serious complication rates in the 30-days following high-risk surgery are alarmingly high.

The insightful report outlines an array of practices and innovations in the health sector that can improve patient safety and outcomes. These include calling for better physician training on the latest guidelines, funding for modern digital monitoring, utilisation of data from current technologies in health policies, and the right for patients to be involved in the discussion of the management of their procedure.

Perils of high-risk surgery

Around 2.4 million patients undergo high-risk surgery annually in Europe alone, with UK evidence indicating that 80% of postoperative deaths occur in a 10% sub-population of high-risk patients. If this startling trend continues throughout Europe, it is estimated that a staggering 192,000 people will die within the 30-day period following their surgery, demonstrating the immense dangers posed to patient safety and outcomes. There is an array of challenges during high-risk surgery; however, the ImPrOve Think Tank believes that potentially the most alarming complication is haemodynamic instability, which manifests as drops in blood pressure (known as IOH).

Mitigating risks and increasing patient safety

Professor Olivier Huet, the ImPrOve Chair and Professor of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, said: “Our mission is to work collaboratively with patient representatives, clinicians and policymakers to improve perioperative patient safety and experience with the help of advanced haemodynamic monitoring technologies.

Full article here
Source: Health Europa

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50% rise in number of women in UK who have not had vital breast screening since services restarted

The number of women in the UK who have not had vital NHS breast screening, which can stop people dying from breast cancer, has risen by an estimated 50% - to nearly 1.5 million women - since services resumed, the leading UK breast cancer charity warns during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  

Breast Cancer Now reveals an alarming increase of around half a million women who haven’t been screened since services restarted in summer 2020, estimating that around 1,480,000 fewer women in the UK had breast screening between March 2020 and May 2021, compared to pre-pandemic levels. This comes a year after the charity reported that almost one million women had missed breast screening due to COVID-19 seeing services paused.

According to the charity, nearly 12,000 people in the UK could have been living with undiagnosed breast cancer at the end of May 2021, due to the impact of the pandemic on breast screening services and fewer women being referred to specialists with possible symptoms of the disease since March 2020 – a frightening prospect when early detection can stop people dying from the disease.

Full article here
Source: Breast Cancer Now

Also covered in the Independent

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New edition of The Journal of Patient Safety issued

The latest edition of the Wolters Kluwer Journal of Patient Safety has just been published.

Original studies include:

  • Is There a Mismatch Between the Perspectives of Patients and Regulators on Healthcare Quality? A Survey Study
  • The Ideal Hospital Discharge Summary: A Survey of U.S. Physicians
  • Impact of an Original Methodological Tool on the Identification of Corrective and Preventive Actions After Root Cause Analysis of Adverse Events in Health Care Facilities: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Detach Yourself: The Positive Effect of Psychological Detachment on Patient Safety in Long-Term Care
  • Patient Safety Activity Under the Social Insurance Medical Fee Schedule in Japan: An Overview of the 2010 Nationwide Survey
  • Sustaining Teamwork Behaviors Through Reinforcement of TeamSTEPPS Principles
  • Prescribing Errors With Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
  • Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Speaking Up About Patient Safety Questionnaire
  • Descriptive Analysis of Patient Misidentification From Incident Report System Data in a Large Academic Hospital Federation
  • Medication Errors at Hospital Admission and Discharge: Risk Factors and Impact of Medication Reconciliation Process to Improve Healthcare
  • Reducing and Sustaining Duplicate Medical Record Creation by Usability Testing and System Redesign

Full articles are payalled but the abstracts may be viewed free of charge.

Access the Journal here

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‘A bit of a nightmare’: fuel shortages starting to affect vulnerable patients

Patients are starting to suffer because health and care workers are unable to purchase fuel.

The fuel crisis is starting to have an effect on the care of vulnerable patients, community and mental health service providers have warned. Many petrol stations are running short of fuel as a result of panic buying, after the oil firm BP warned that it would have to close some of its petrol stations because of the lack of lorry drivers. Currently there is a shortage of about 100,000 HGV drivers.

Crystal Oldman, chief executive for the Queen’s Nursing Institute, which represents community nurses, told the journal HSJ that the fuel shortage was already affecting them: “This potentially means nurses cannot get to the patients they need to if they are unable to access fuel. At the very least, it will mean more time searching for petrol stations that have a supply, taking valuable time from their working day and more unpaid overtime will be undertaken as nurses will always prioritise their patient care.”

Patient transport has also been affected. A source at a patient transport provider in the West Midlands told HSJ that it had been “a bit of a nightmare”. The provider had had to turn down a request for a patient going to London because of the fuel shortage and because of climate protesters disrupting motorway transport: “Ultimately those patients are either at home and distressed carrying a big risk in the community or [accident and emergency] departments which [are not] the right settings.”

Read the full article here
Source: Future Care Capital

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The NHS is hiding delays to care for millions of patients

Covid has created an urgent need, and a unique opportunity, to get the true waiting list out in the open.

The English waiting list continues to break new records in the aftermath of Covid, and even the Secretary of State says it could reach 13 million patients. But the referral-to-treatment data – bad as it is – doesn’t reveal the full scale of the backlog, partly because not all waiting lists fall under RTT rules, but also because the RTT waiting list data is inaccurate and incomplete.

The scale of these hidden delays could be vast - millions of patients. Some could wait for years, some indefinitely, always taking second place to the swelling RTT waiting list and the targets that surround it. Some patients who need urgent care will end up with disability or death. Others are already in terrible pain. All deserve better.

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Source: HSJ (Paywalled). 20 September 2021

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Baby died after hospital’s ‘catalogue of failings’, NHS inquiry finds

Bristol Children’s hospital tried to ‘deceive’ Ben Condon’s parents about his death, NHS ombudsman says

An eight-week-old baby died after “a catalogue of failings” in his treatment at a children’s hospital, which then tried to “deceive” his parents about his death, an official inquiry has found.

Doctors failed to spot that Ben Condon was suffering from a deadly bacterial infection and did not give him antibiotics until an hour before he died, the NHS ombudsman said.

“We found that Ben and his family suffered serious injustice in consequence of the failings we found in his care and treatment,” the parliamentary and health service ombudsman said in a report that contained damning criticisms of Bristol Children’s hospital. The errors were all “lost opportunities” to help Ben recover from his illness and so increased the risk of him dying.

Read the full article here
Source: The Guardian
Also covered in the Independent

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UK launches new office to tackle health inequalities

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has been officially launched by the UK Government, aimed at preventing health disparities across the country and supporting people to live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

OHID will focus on stopping debilitating health conditions before they develop and represents a distinct step-change in focus from the Government towards a more preventative, rather than reactionary, approach to health.

One of the key intentions of this is to reduce the backlog and also put social care on a long-term sustainable footing, tackling health issues much earlier in their presentation, tackling the underlying causes of many of these, or preventing them altogether.

The new government office will see Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, provide professional leadership to the organisation.

Announcing the official launch of OHID, the Government pointed to some of the clear trends shown in recent figures, which highlight how geographical location can play a significant role in a person’s life expectancy and the years that they can expect to live a healthy life. For example:

  • men in the most deprived areas in England are expected to live nearly 10 years fewer than those in the least deprived. Women in the same areas can expect to live 7 years fewer
  • smoking is more prevalent in more deprived areas and one of the leading causes of inequalities in life expectancy; an international study found it accounts for half the difference in mortality between the least and most deprived men aged 35 to 69
  • obesity is widespread but more prevalent among the most deprived areas; prevalence is almost 8% higher among those living in the most deprived decile of local authorities (66.6%) compared to those in the least deprived areas (58.8%)

Under its new remit, OHID will work to coordinate across local and central government, the NHS and wider society – utilising expert advice, analysis, and evidence – to drive improvements in the public’s health which may be able to have preventative roles and level up health across the UK.

Preventative approaches to health can, it is intended, reduce the pressure on existing healthcare services, saving significant resource and money, and ensure that record investments into health and social care services can go further.

Source: National Health Executive

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said: “The pandemic has laid bare the health disparities we face not only as a country, but as communities and individuals.

“This must change, and this body marks a new era of preventative healthcare to help people live healthier, happier and longer lives.

“The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will be the driving force across government, supported by communities, academics, industry and employers, to level up the health of our nation, which will reduce the pressure on our NHS and care services.”

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Mental health services in the England are being ‘Uberised’ – and that’s bad for patients and therapists

There is a mental health crisis in England, with rates of depression doubling since the COVID pandemic began. Strategies of “speaking up”, mindfulness sessions at work, and national “happiness” campaigns have been touted as an effective approach to tackling mental health at work, but therapists are unconvinced.

But what of mental health services offered by the state? This has been equally unconvincing. Over the past decade or so, mental health services in England have been undergoing a process of “Uberisation”. This refers to how services are effectively treated as commodities marketed through online platforms, changing the way they are delivered as well as making the jobs of the people delivering them more precarious – similar to the effect of ride-hailing apps on taxi drivers.

Specifically, this has happened through the introduction of a standardised and digitalised model of therapy called Increased Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT). This Uberisation appears to be contributing to a mental health crisis within the therapy profession itself.

IAPT, which was introduced in 2008, provides psychotherapy for depression and anxiety to over a million people each year – the largest NHS programme in England. It uses a model of cognitive behavioural therapy – made up of short-term interventions of four to 12 sessions – that use techniques, such as relaxation exercises, to encourage positive mood and behaviour.

With extremely high levels of depression and anxiety among therapists, there is a genuine question about patient safety that is being overlooked. If the mental health model itself is broken, are services deepening the mental health crisis, rather than solving it?

Read the full article here
Source: The Conversation

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NHS trust apologises to families of patients who died after catching Covid at hospital

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn carried out a transparent review of 389 Covid infections

An NHS trust has apologised to hundreds of families whose relatives caught Covid-19 in hospital and died, after a review found a lack of private rooms contributed to the spread of the virus.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, has carried out a review of all 389 cases of patients who either definitely or probably contracted Covid while in the hospital between March 2020 and February this year. Of those, 151 patients died. 

The trust is the only NHS trust to have carried out a full and transparent review of hospital acquired infections of Covid-19 with staff speaking with each family to understand their concerns and views.

Read full article here
Source: Independent

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Government launches landmark review of health and social care leadership

The government has launched a review of leadership in health and social care. The review will be led by former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Gordon Messenger, and will report back to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid, in early 2022.

The Health and Social Care Leadership Review will look to improve processes and strengthen the leadership of health and social care in England. Working with the health and care systems, retired General Sir Gordon Messenger will have a team from DHSC and the NHS to support him led by Dame Linda Pollard, chair of Leeds Teaching Hospital.

The review comes as the government invests a record £36 billion to put health and social care on a sustainable financial footing and deliver the biggest catch-up programme in NHS history. Any recommendations made as the review progresses will be considered carefully and could be rapidly implemented to make every penny of taxpayer’s money count.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, said:

"I am determined to make sure the NHS and social care delivers for the people of this country for years to come and leadership is so important to that mission.

We are committed to providing the resources health and social care needs but that must come with change for the better.

This review will shine a light on the outstanding leaders in health and social care to drive efficiency and innovation. It will help make sure individuals and families get the care and treatment they need, wherever they are in the country, as we build back better."

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Source: Department of Health and Social Care, 2 October 2021

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£7.5m Covid-19 vaccine study for pregnant women launches in Manchester

The country’s largest clinical study is being launched in Greater Manchester to investigate the best gap between first and second Covid-19 vaccine doses for pregnant women.

Led by St George’s, University of London, the Preg-CoV study will provide vital clinical trial data on the immune response to vaccination at different dose intervals – either four to six weeks or eight to 12 weeks. This data will help determine the best dosage interval and reveal more about how the vaccine works to protect pregnant mothers and their babies against Covid-19.

Pregnant women are more likely to develop severe Covid-19 or die from the disease but are excluded from clinical trials with new vaccines. This means there are currently very limited clinical trial data on the immune response and side effects caused by the vaccines for these women.

Read the full story here
Source: National Health Executive

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Pent up demand for care risks further inflating NHS backlog

New analysis published by the Health Foundation shows that while the waiting list for hospital care continues to grow, so too does the number of ‘missing' patients who have not yet been added to the list. There were 7.5 million fewer people referred for routine hospital care between January 2020 and July 2021 than would have been expected based on numbers prior to the pandemic. These ‘missing patients’ are in addition to the record 5.6 million people already on the waiting list.  

This lower than expected number of people referred for hospital care, including for routine procedures such as hip or knee surgery, is likely to be due to a number of reasons. Some people may not have sought treatment for health concerns during the pandemic, while others may have seen their GP but not yet been referred due to the pressure on hospital services during the pandemic. In some instances, care may no longer be needed. 

The analysis comes alongside a BBC Panorama documentary (Monday 27 September) revealing the scale of the elective care backlog and the impact delays are having on people’s lives. The Health Foundation analysis, shared with Panorama, also shows that the pandemic had a much worse effect on the hospital care provided in some areas of England than it did in others. The analysis of 42 local integrated care systems (ICSs) shows that the pandemic significantly reduced the level of routine hospital care performed across the country – in the worst affected area routine hospital care dropped by 37% while in the least affected area there was a 13% reduction.  

Read the full article here
Source: The Health Foundation

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Mental health patients leaving hospital in first lockdown felt lonely and isolated

Mental health patients who were discharged from or admitted to acute mental health services during the first Covid-19 lockdown experienced loneliness and social isolation, according to a new study. Published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open the 34 patients, carers and clinical staff were interviewed by a team of researchers from The University of Manchester. 

Mental health service users also reported ‘working harder’ to avoid admission due to fears around environmental safety as a result of COVID-19.  “Even before the pandemic, there are lots of safety concerns associated with recent discharge from inpatient mental health services, for example suicide and self-harm,“ said lead author Dr Natasha Tyler, researcher at the GM PSTRC and The University of Manchester. Dr Tyler added: ‘Our patients and carers felt that because of the national need to free-up hospital beds, the quality of discharge and admission planning was compromised at times. “That meant discharging patients from hospitals who were not ready to cope in the community or not admitting patients who needed in-patient care. “The closure of most community support services meant patients had minimal opportunities for accessing care via alternative routes.  This worsened  their feelings of helplessness and loneliness.” 

Full article here
Source: Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre

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NHSX to fund and support innovations for 500k people at home

NHSX have revealed that they will fund and support 14 new projects across the country to help half a million people receive care at home using digital technology. This will include remote cardiac rehabilitation services and digital self-management systems, as well as parental support services for families of children with eating disorders.

Tara Donnelly, Chief Digital Officer at NHSX, said: “Through our Digital Health Partnership Award, these organisations will have access to the expertise and support they need to adopt or expand their digital capabilities safely and effectively, allowing many more patients with long term conditions to receive their care from the comfort of their homes rather than always having to attend primary and acute settings.”

In addition to innovation in digital technology, a number of the projects build on existing services to ensure more patients can benefit from remote services.

One of the projects also includes the expansion of secure video services at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, which will make it possible for patients and carers, as well as their doctors, to share seizure videos across their neurology service. Cambridgeshire Community Services are also expanding their remote health monitoring service.

Read the full article here

Source: National Health Executive

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GPs to fall under remit of new patient safety watchdog from 2023

GP practices will be included in the remit of a new patient safety watchdog, due to come in from 2023 under the new Health and Care Bill, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said. DHSC said that it expects the new Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) to be ‘fully operational’ in England from April 2023 – ‘subject to parliamentary clearances’. 

It confirmed that the statutory independent body will investigate NHS care in GP practices, although it said that the HSSIB’s ‘focus is likely to be predominantly on investigating patient safety incidents in NHS trusts’. The body will also investigate care provided by the independent healthcare sector.

RCGP vice-chair Dr Gary Howsam said: ‘It is important that we have further details about how this regulator will interact with general practice, and the expectations it will have of GPs and our teams, including ensuring GPs are not implicated for systemic issues out of their control.’

Read the full article here

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US news publishes new list of best hospitals in the USA

U.S. News has just released its list of the best hospitals with associated rankings and ratings.

Scores are based on several factors, including survival, patient safety, nurse staffing and more. U.S. News reviews hospitals performance in 15 adult specialties, 10 pediatric specialties and 17 surgical procedures and medical conditions affecting millions of people across the country.

Find all of the rankings and ratings here

 

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NHS needs to ‘radically simplify’ data sharing rules, says tech chief

A national tech chief has called for a ‘radical simplification’ of the way in which NHS patients can opt out of having their data shared.

NHSX chief executive Matthew Gould today said the current system was “overly complicated” with “too many different opt out mechanisms” and it needs to be made “super simple” for the public.

His comments come as NHSX, NHS Digital and the Department of Health and Social Care are working on the much-delayed and controversial GP data-sharing programme. The scheme was paused indefinitely this summer after backlash from GPs and campaigners.

Speaking at the Healthcare Excellence Through Technology conference, Mr Gould said the NHS had a “rich history of misfiring” on getting the public’s trust for data-sharing projects, which included the recent furore around the paused General Practice Data for Planning and Research.

He said: “Where we are at the moment is an overcomplicated overlap of too many different opt out mechanisms and we’re trying to work out how to radically simplify this."

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 28 September 2021

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Smokers up to 80% more likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid, study says

Smokers are 60%-80% more likely to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and also more likely to die from the disease, data suggests.

A study, which pooled observational and genetic data on smoking and COVID-19 to strengthen the evidence base, contradicts research published at the start of the pandemic suggesting that smoking might help to protect against the virus. This was later retracted after it was discovered that some of the paper’s authors had financial links to the tobacco industry.

Dr Ashley Clift at the University of Oxford and colleagues drew on GP health records, COVID-19 test results, hospital admissions data and death certificates to identify associations between smoking and Covid-19 severity from January to August 2020 in 421,469 participants of the UK Biobank study – all of whom had also previously had their genetic makeup analysed.

Compared with those who had never smoked, current smokers were 80% more likely to be admitted to hospital and significantly more likely to die from Covid-19 if they became infected.

Clift said: “Our results strongly suggest that smoking is related to your risk of getting severe Covid, and just as smoking affects your risk of heart disease, different cancers, and all those other conditions we know smoking is linked to, it appears that it’s the same for Covid. So now might be as good a time as any to quit cigarettes and quit smoking.”

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Source: The Guardian, 28 September 2021

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