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Deaths rise as junior doctors go on strike

Junior doctors have been accused of putting “politics above patient safety” as figures showed excess deaths almost tripled after their strikes.

Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures showed the number of deaths above average increased significantly in the two weeks during and after the first round of industrial action by the British Medical Association (BMA).

Junior doctors walked out for 72 hours between March 13 and 15, with more than 175,000 appointments and operations cancelled. Health experts said the walkout around that time could be linked to the rise.

A government source said: “The militant leaders of the BMA junior doctors committee seem willing to put politics above patient safety. They have adopted increasingly hardline tactics whilst demanding a completely unrealistic 35 per cent pay rise. 

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Source: The Telegraph, 13 April 2023

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Deaths rise as A&E crisis leads to ambulance delays

On Monday, September 20, 2021, Michael Wysockyj felt unwell and did what any gravely sick person would do: he put his life in the hands of the ambulance service. The 66-year-old from Norfolk was whisked by paramedics to the Queen Elizabeth hospital in King’s Lynn at 6.28pm. Nearly four hours later, he was still trapped inside the vehicle. The hospital was too full to take him. He died at 4.42am.

So great were the concerns of the coroner, Jacqueline Lake, that she took the unusual step of issuing a “prevention of future death” notice. “The emergency department was busy at the time and unable to offload ambulances,” she said in her report. “An x-ray cannot be carried out in an ambulance and must wait until the patient is in [the emergency department].”

This episode should be an anomaly in the failure of emergency services. It is not.

The crisis is “heartbreaking”, according to Dr Ian Higginson, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. “If you call for an ambulance and you’re waiting many hours for one and you have a serious condition, that is going to have an impact on your outcome. It would be reasonable to assume the long delays that patients are subjected to waiting for ambulances at the moment will filter through into excess mortality.”

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Source: The Times, 21 August 2022

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Deaths review ordered after hospital infection outbreak

A hospital trust has ordered a review of potential death and harm caused by an outbreak of a serious healthcare-acquired infection, which is resistant to many antibiotics.

Frimley Health Foundation Trust has seen outbreaks of carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales (CPE) at both its Frimley Park and Wexham Park sites, starting in the middle of last year, it has emerged. In total, it identified 94 new CPE cases in 2023–24 compared with just 20 in total in 2022–23.

It is not clear what the outcomes were for patients infected with CPE, which is associated with a high mortality rate but often infects patients who are already seriously ill. The trust has commissioned a mortality and morbidity review but refused to answer any questions about it before publication.

CPE bacteria are resistant to many antibiotics, including carbapenems, which are broad-spectrum drugs used to treat serious infections. CPE infections pose a particular risk to vulnerable patients and can spread rapidly in hospitals. There has been increasing concern about them in the UK, with reporting requirements increasing and screening and testing of patients stepping up.

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Source: HSJ, 4 July 2024

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Deaths of two children spark ‘urgent’ investigations at leading trust

  • Five serious incidents, including the deaths of two children, spark “urgent” investigations at specialist trust
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital FT has linked the incidents partly to what it described as a “faulty” batch of a type of glue used to close wounds during surgery
  • Supplier says it followed the correct recall processes for the product

Five serious incidents, including the deaths of two children, have sparked ‘urgent’ investigations into the processes through which clinicians are alerted to potential safety concerns over medical products used on patients.

Great Ormond Street Hospital Foundation Trust has been investigating the incidents which happened between December 2020 and April 2021. The trust has linked the incidents partly to what it described as a “faulty” batch of a type of glue used to close wounds during surgery. The glue, called Histoacryl, is produced by B. Braun Medical Ltd, and the company issued three separate “field safety notices”, relating to different batches of the product, in March and April this year. The company has stressed that it followed the correct recall processes throughout.

According to a report to GOSH’s public board meeting on 29 September, Histoacryl has been used for the endovascular treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations for more than 30 years, but earlier this year batches of the product were identified as hardening less rapidly than expected. The trust told HSJ in a statement: “A comprehensive serious incident investigation has been carried out to determine the impact of the faulty glue on all patients treated with it.

“The investigation found that whilst the passage of glue through the intended vessel may have been contributory in some instances of harm, it was unlikely to be the sole or main factor. “Both patients who died had serious and complex medical conditions and the procedure to correct these always carries a high degree of risk which is discussed extensively with the families before any treatment takes place.”

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Original source: Health Service Journal

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Deaths of people with learning disabilities deserve proper scrutiny

The critical finding at the inquest into Laura Booth’s death raises alarming concerns about the failing system of investigation into the deaths of people with learning disabilities.

Initially, Laura’s death was said to be expected and was attributed to natural causes on the basis of a death certificate signed by a hospital doctor. Without the determination of Laura’s family and the intervention of the media, this inquest would never have happened, and the truth about her death from malnutrition and neglect would not have been uncovered. 

The concerns about how many other avoidable deaths have not been scrutinised because there is no one to speak up on behalf of those who died or because families are obstructed in their search for answers by the prevailing assumption that people will die early. The premature deaths of people with learning disabilities (on average 30 years before their non-disabled peers) demand robust scrutiny particularly as when inquests do take place, they so often reveal basic failings in healthcare. The way in which the Booth family were so nearly failed by the coronial system is a sharp reminder of how urgently reform of these processes is needed.

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Source: The Guardian, 2 May 2021

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Deaths of NHS staff from COVID-19 analysed

In recent weeks, there has been sustained public and media interest in the death from COVID-19 of health and social care workers. Both mainstream and social media outlets have been reporting on these deaths individually or collectively, but there has been no formal analysis of this data. 

The deaths of 119 NHS staff have now been analysed by three leading clinicians and the results are been published by HSJ.

HSJ highlights three key findings from the analysis:

1. The disproportionately high rate of BAME individuals among those who have died;

2. The absence of those members of staff considered at high risk of viral exposure and transmission; and

3. The overall rate of fatalities compared to the population.

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Source: HSJ, 22 April 2020

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Deaths of 56 babies at Leeds hospitals may have been preventable

The deaths of at least 56 babies, and two mothers, at an NHS trust over the past five years may have been prevented, the BBC has found.

The two maternity units at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust are rated "good" by England's healthcare regulator, but two whistleblowers have told the BBC they believe the units are unsafe.

Bereaved parents say they are concerned that the trust's chief executive during the period most of the deaths occurred is now leading the regulator, saying this could affect its independence in investigating LTH Trust.

In a statement, the trust told the BBC the vast majority of births at Leeds were safe, and deaths of mothers and babies were fortunately very rare.

It added that Leeds cares for a higher volume of babies with complex conditions as it is one of a "handful of specialist centres" in the UK.

The families describe a "tick box" and "wait and see" culture at the trust, plus a lack of compassionate care.

This has been echoed by whistleblower Lisa Elliott, who worked at the two sites in 2023. Describing the care as "appalling", she highlighted a failure to listen to patients. "That's when disasters happen, and a lot of them can be avoided," she said.

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Source: BBC News, 17 January 2025

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Deaths of 4,600 NHS patients linked to safety incidents

Safety incidents at hospital, mental health and ambulance trusts were linked to more than 4,600 patient deaths in the last year, data shows.

The types of patient safety issues recorded by the National Reporting & Learning System (NRLS), which compiles NHS data, include problems with medication, the type of care given, staffing and infection control.

In total 4,668 deaths were linked to patient safety incidents, of which 530 deaths specifically linked to mental health trusts and 73 to ambulance trusts.

Guidance accompanying the data from the NRLS, which was set up in 2003, states deaths are not always “clear-cut” and cannot always be attributed to patient safety incidents. However, under the “degree of harm” section recorded on the system, there were 4,688 cases listed as death. In total, 4,356,277 reports of patient safety incidents were reported between November 2018 and October 2019. They are described as issues where unintended or unexpected incidents which could have – or did – lead to harm of a patient under the care of the NHS.

Other safety incidents had links to consent, paperwork, facilities, and in some cases patient abuse by staff or a third party.

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Source: The Guardian, 9 December 2019

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Deaths linked to new crisis care policy

Coroners have issued multiple warnings about deaths linked to police refusing to respond to people in mental health crisis, prompting fresh concerns about “gaps in support”.

Several coroners have raised concerns about the “Right Care, Right Person” (RCRP) policy – agreed across the police force and NHS – since it was introduced nationally in 2023. This includes two new Prevention of Future Death reports issued during the same week.

The policy was introduced despite concerns in the NHS and from patient groups, after police forces said they were attending far too many incidents of people in mental health crisis. They argued they were under huge demand pressure and that these calls should be the responsibility of the NHS. However, health services are also often unable to respond.

Rebecca Sutton, assistant coroner for County Durham and Darlington, said in her report into the death of Sophie Cotton that there was “a refusal to the request that the police attend, even when a family member was expressing the view that there was a real and immediate risk to life”. Ms Cotton died by suicide in January this year, and was found after her family forced entry into her house, hours after they raised serious concerns about her welfare.

Ms Sutton also said the RCRP advice to contact mental health services “appears to have disregarded the fact that the mental health crisis team do not have the power to enter locked premises”.

In response to the recent coroners’ concerns, a National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson told HSJ: “We are closely monitoring any comment from coroners on RCRP to ensure that if there is any learning for policing or our partners, that it is disseminated nationally.”

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Source: HSJ, 24 June 2025

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Deaths linked to antibiotic-resistant superbugs rose 17% in England in 2024

The number of deaths linked to superbugs that do not respond to frontline antibiotics increased by 17% in England last year, according to official figures that raise concerns about the ongoing increase in antimicrobial resistance.

The figures, released by the UK Health Security Agency, also revealed a large rise in private prescriptions for antibiotics, with 22% dispensed through the private sector in 2024.

The increase in private prescribing is partly explained by the Pharmacy First scheme, a flagship policy of Rishi Sunak’s government that allows patients to be prescribed antibiotics for common illnesses without seeing a GP, raising questions about whether the shift in prescribing patterns risks contributing to the rise in resistance.

“Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest health threats we face,” said the UKHSA’s chief executive, Prof Susan Hopkins. “More people than ever are acquiring infections that cannot be effectively treated by antibiotics. This puts them at greater risk of serious illness and even death, with our poorest communities hit the hardest.”

The emergence of drug-resistant strains is an inevitable consequence of natural selection. Whenever the drugs are used they wipe out some bugs, but any survivors multiply and are transmitted.

Limiting the use of antibiotics to when they are most needed is one of the most effective ways of combatting the spread of resistance, which it has been predicted could cause as many as 10 million deaths a year globally by 2050.

The latest surveillance data found that the number of antibiotic-resistant infections in 2024 equated to an average of nearly 400 newly reported cases a week.

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Source: The Guardian, 13 November 2025

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Deaths linked to ‘overwhelmed’ department

At least eight cancer patients were harmed – and in some cases potentially died – because of operational and admin failures in an “overwhelmed” hospital department, HSJ  has learned.

A thematic review of 15 cases from the urology department at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust said several of the patients had died, in some cases having developed metastatic cancer, following missed or late diagnoses. Others had suffered psychological harm as a result of delays.

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Source: Health Service Journal, 2 April 2026

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Deaths inquiry will exclude dozens of concerning cases, says whistleblower

An inquiry into alleged efforts to cover up care failings at an ambulance trust has been criticised by a key whistleblower for being too limited in scope.

NHS England recently commissioned the inquiry into North East Ambulance Service, which has been accused of withholding key details from coroners in a number of deaths. Whistleblowers have raised concerns about disclosure in more than 90 cases.

Draft terms of reference for the review, seen by HSJ, say it will examine cases which occurred over a 12-month period up until December 2019.

Paul Calvert, a coroners’ officer at NEAS who raised concerns about the issues, said this effectively means only five cases will be scrutinised.

He added: “The terms of reference are clearly designed to not include the ongoing malpractice, only focusing on a limited time period and limited cases."

“The fact that the [inquiry] has chosen such a narrow time window and a handful of cases, is designed to perpetuate that after 2018 and 2019, the mistakes of the past were remedied. This is simply incorrect, misleading and dishonest to suggest.”

He said concerns about information being withheld continued “well into 2021” and the terms of reference risked “continuing the cover up of univestigated deaths”.

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Source: HSJ, 13 October 2022

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Deaths inquiry thrown into doubt as only 11 staff agree to give evidence

The chair of an inquiry into hundreds of deaths at a mental health trust has revealed she may not be able to deliver it in its current form following a ‘hugely disappointing’ lack of staff coming forward to give evidence.

Former national clinical director for mental health, Geraldine Strathdee, chair of the non-statutory inquiry into deaths at Essex Partnership University Trust, has penned an open letter warning just 11 of 14,000 staff contacted said they will attend evidence sessions. 

It was meant to report in spring 2023. However, after raising concerns with ministers, Dr Strathdee said she believes the inquiry will not be able to meet its terms of reference with a non-statutory status.

The inquiry was announced in 2021 and last year chiefs revealed they were probing 1,500 deaths of people in contact with Essex mental health services between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2020.

However, without statutory powers, staff are not compelled to give evidence under oath. Many bereaved families, of which just one in four has engaged with the current probe, are campaigning for a statutory inquiry into deaths.

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Source: HSJ, 13 January 2023

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Deaths inquiry extended to last three years

A statutory inquiry into deaths of mental health patients will now cover fatalities that took place as late as December 2023.

The inquiry’s investigations are focused “on the trusts which provide NHS mental health inpatient care in Essex”. This includes: “Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust, and the North East London Foundation Trust and their predecessor organisations, where relevant.”

NELFT was not specifically mentioned in the original terms of reference although the inquiry told HSJ it had been within the original scope. The inquiry will also now cover deaths of NHS patients from Essex who died when under the care of private sector providers.

The inquiry’s previous terms of reference covered a period ending in 2020. However, the inquiry’s chair, Baroness Kate Lampard, proposed extending the inquiry’s scope last year due to “ongoing concerns” over services at EPUFT. 

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Lampard Inquiry: Terms of reference

Source: HSJ, 11 April 2024

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Deaths in mental health hospitals double as COVID-19 spreads

Deaths in mental health hospitals have doubled compared to last year after 54 deaths linked to coronavirus in just three months, it has emerged.

The care watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has issued a warning to mental health hospitals that they must take action to protect vulnerable patients.

New data published by the regulator showed there was a total of 106 deaths of people in mental health hospitals between 1 March and 1 May compared to 51 in the same period in 2019. In total 54 of these deaths are from confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections.

The CQC has now written to all mental health hospital providers highlighting its fears over the spread of the virus within secure hospitals and units.

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Source: The Independent, 8 May 2020

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Deaths in England and Wales to be reviewed by senior doctor if not referred to coroner

The death certification system in England and Wales will get its biggest overhaul in decades next month, with a change designed to improve public protection.

Every death that has not been referred to a coroner will have to be referred to a medical examiner from 9 September, under regulations laid before parliament in April.

The new system will provide independent scrutiny and an opportunity for the bereaved to speak about care and treatment in the lead-up to a death. It is intended that the overhaul will give assurance to relatives and reduce the risk of NHS scandals or malicious action by medical practitioners.

Dr Alan Fletcher, the national medical examiner for England and Wales, said: “I am delighted that medical examiners will soon review every death in England and Wales not investigated by a coroner. The death certification reforms are a significant step towards ensuring serious issues are identified quickly and passed on for action.”

Medical examiners will be part of a national network of trained independent senior doctors, scrutinising all deaths that do not fall under a coroner’s jurisdiction. They will ensure the accuracy of the death certificate, establish whether the death should be referred to a coroner and whether there are any clinical governance concerns.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 August 2024

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Deaths in care homes: what do the numbers tell us?

The Chief Scientific Adviser reportedly warned the government in January that the care homes sector in the UK was particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 – and that has unfortunately proved to be the case.

With care home deaths now being reported daily, what do the numbers tell us about this group? Have care home residents been disproportionately affected? And is there a chance the crisis could belatedly mark the start of better times for a sector in danger of collapse?

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Source: Nuffield Trust, 1 May 2020

 

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Deaths blamed on health board improvement failures

Families have warned a health board that more patients could die if lessons about poor mental health care are not learned.

A report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists found less than half of 84 recommended improvements to a hospital trust’s mental health department have been made.

In the past 10 years, four separate reviews have outlined changes to be implemented by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. Patient watchdog Llais said people had continued to die during this time.

At a meeting in Llandudno on Thursday morning, the health board, which runs the NHS in north Wales, apologised to families and said it was committed to improving.

Problems with mental health services at the health board first became public in December 2013 when the Tawel Fan dementia ward at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd near Rhyl was closed. A report said elderly patients there were treated "like animals in a zoo".

Before that, the board was aware of problems at Hergest mental health unit at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor. An investigation found a culture of bullying and low morale, which meant patient safety concerns were not addressed.

During the meeting earlier, Phill Dickaty, who’s mother Joyce Dickety died on Tawel Fan in 2012, told the board families felt “let down again".

"As things stand, despite the passage of time and false reassurances offered by BCUHB, the Tawel Fan families have a real and significant concerns over the lack of progress," he said. "Be it patient or otherwise, nobody should ever have to endure a situation like Tawel Fan and the atrocities that took place. As well as the disappointment felt at the lack of progress, the risk of history repeating itself again in the future weighs heavily in the minds of Tawel Fan families."

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Source: BBC News, 29 May 2024

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Deaths at home: More than 26,000 extra this year, ONS finds

More men than normal are dying at home from heart disease in England and Wales and more women are dying from dementia and Alzheimer's disease, figures show.

More than 26,000 extra deaths occurred in private homes this year, an analysis by the Office for National Statistics found.

In contrast, deaths in hospitals from these causes have been lower than usual.

The Covid epidemic may have led to fewer people being treated in hospital or it may be that people in older age groups, who make up the majority of these deaths, may be choosing to stay at home – but the underlying reasons for the figures are still not clear.

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Source: BBC News, 19 October 2020

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Deaths among the double vaccinated: what is behind the Australian statistics?

On Tuesday, there were 356 COVID-19 patients being treated in intensive care wards throughout Australia. Of those, 25 were fully vaccinated.

While the data points to the extraordinary efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing people from becoming severely unwell, being hospitalised and dying, it does raise the question: why do a small number of people become seriously ill and, in rare cases, die, despite being fully vaccinated?

An intensive care unit staff specialist at Nepean hospital in Sydney, Dr Nhi Nguyen, said those who are fully vaccinated and die tend to have significant underlying health conditions. Being treated in intensive care, where people may be on a ventilator and unable to move, added to any existing frailty, especially in elderly people, she said.

“If we think about intensive care patients in general, whether they are there due to COVID-19, pneumonia or any other infection, we know that those who have underlying disorders, those who are frail, and those with co-morbidities will have a higher risk of dying from whatever the cause of being in intensive care is,” she said.

“Being fully vaccinated against Covid protects you from getting severe disease, yes, but it doesn’t completely protect you from getting Covid. So if you are someone with chronic health conditions, what might be a mild disease or mild infection in a young person or a person who is in good health, will have a greater impact on you.”

She said this was why the Australian Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation (Atagi) had recommended boosters for those people who are severely immunocompromised. On Wednesday the government said it intended booster shots to be rolled out to the aged care sector within weeks, and to be available to the whole population by the end of the year.

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Source: The Guardian, 20 October 2021

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Death toll of autism and learning disability patients revealed

Fourteen patients with autism or learning disabilities have died since 2015 while detained in psychiatric facilities in Scotland, figures reveal. 

The statistics were released for the first time by Public Health Scotland (PHS) following a parliamentary question by Scottish Conservative MSP Alexander Burnett, who has campaigned to end the “national scandal” of otherwise healthy people being locked up for months or years due to a lack of community-based support. 

The PHS report does not detail the causes of death, but does show that seven of the deaths occurred in patients who had been resident at an inpatient psychiatric facility for between 91 and 365 days, with six (43%) in patients whose stay had exceeded at least one year. 

Rob Holland, acting director of the National Autistic Society Scotland, said the data was a “step forward in understanding the experience of autistic people and people with a learning disability within inpatient psychiatric facilities”.

He added: “While it does not shine a light on the reasons for the deaths it does highlight how almost all of those that died had been within institutional care for more than 30 days with 6 people having been there for more than a year.

“Hospitals are not homes and it adds further impetus to the Scottish Government’s ‘Coming Home’ strategy to reduce delayed discharge and support people to live in homes of their own choosing.”

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Source: The Herald, 18 May 2022

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Death toll from toxic cough syrup in India rises to 20 children as WHO demands answers

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked India for urgent reassurances after at least 20 children died from contaminated cough syrup.

The deaths have all taken place in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, and were confirmed by the deputy chief minister Rajendra Shukla on Tuesday after he visited a hospital treating the children. “Two of them died in the past 24 hours,” he said.

This is only the latest incident of child deaths from Indian cough syrup. Toxins found in Indian-made syrups have killed at least 141 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since 2022, and another 12 children in an incident in India in 2019, damaging the country’s image as one of the world’s biggest producers of pharmaceuticals.

The latest victims had reportedly been suffering from fever and cold before taking a cough syrup called Coldrif, after which they experienced vomiting and difficulty urinating. The first death was reported on 2 September.

The syrup was produced by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, based in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, in southern India.

Authorities have since banned the formulation in eight Indian states and territories – Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Puducherry.

The WHO told Reuters it was seeking clarification from the Indian government on whether the cough syrup involved in the deaths has been exported to other countries.

The UN’s health agency, which advises against the use of all cold syrups for young children, suggested it could issue a global warning over Coldrif depending on the Indian government’s response.

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Source: The Independent, 8 October 2025

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Death risk doubles for long A&E waits

Patients who spent more than 12 hours in A&E were twice as likely to die within 30 days as those treated, transferred or discharged within two hours, a landmark study has found.

From April to December this year there have been over 1.2 million instances of patients spending 12 hours or longer in A&E – a 19% rise on the same period the year before. Twelve-hour waits from arrival were relatively rare until recent years, and data was not previously published by NHSE.

The study revealed that, for patients who spent 12 hours or more in the department, the risk of post-discharge death was 2.1 times higher than those who spent two hours or less.

Mortality was 1.9 times higher for those who spent nine hours in A&E, 1.6 times for those who spent six hours, and 1.1 times for three hour stays, the ONS found.

The study also discovered the risk of death after 12 hours stays was greatest for older patients, those in the North East of England, those who presented with airway and breathing difficulties, and those who were admitted to inpatient care. 

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Source: HSJ, 17 January 2025

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Death review backlog still growing despite NHSE commitment

A backlog of thousands of deaths of people with learning disabilities awaiting official review has grown further, despite NHS England committing in spring last year to “address” the buildup. 

Information obtained by HSJ shows the number of incomplete reviews increased slightly between May and November last year – from 3,699 to 3,802.

The “national learning disabilities mortality review” programme – known as LeDeR – was launched in 2016 and is meant to review all deaths of people aged four and over.

Mencap head of policy and public affairs, Dan Scorer, said: “It is unacceptable that thousands of deaths have still not been reviewed despite NHS England announcing further funding to make sure all reviews were carried out quickly and thoroughly. These latest figures show that little progress has been made; the programme is still failing to address outstanding reviews as well as keep pace with incoming referrals."

“Behind these figures are families whose loved ones’ deaths may have been potentially avoidable and they have a right to know that health and care services are learning and acting on LeDeR reviews’ recommendations.”

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Source: HSJ, 8 January 2020

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Death rates rise when NHS cuts back on nursing

Hospitals which have cut registered nurses or replaced them with lower-paid staff have seen a surge in death rates, a major study has revealed.
The research, which analysed staffing at 122 NHS trusts over four years, revealed dangerous variations.

Nicola Ranger, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said it proved degree-educated registered nurses were essential to patients’ safety and she called for NHS England to investigate trusts where deaths had risen. She demanded the government boost nurses’ pay and career progression, warning “the clock is ticking” for ministers to act.

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Source: The Times, 20 December 2025

 
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