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Access to contraception has got harder in England, top doctor says

Women are finding it harder to access contraception than they did a decade ago, resulting in more unplanned pregnancies, the women’s health ambassador has said.

They have been discouraged by bad experiences, a confusingly disjointed system and long delays for procedures such as the coil or implant insertion, according to Prof Lesley Regan, a leading gynaecologist who was appointed women’s health ambassador for England last year.

She said that “destructive” changes made to the NHS commissioning system in England in 2012, which siloed GP surgeries from hospitals, were failing women. “If you’re not commissioned to deal with the problem, there’s no incentive to do a job properly … Contraception has got to be everybody’s business and up until this moment it’s been nobody’s responsibility and no one’s been accountable for it.”

She added that the NHS preoccupation with cost was counterproductive as “contraception is the single most cost-effective intervention in healthcare”. She is pushing to get the progesterone-only pill, which took a decade to become available over the counter, made free in pharmacies so fewer women “fall through the cracks”.

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Source: The Guardian, 5 June 2023

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Abusive NHS patients to be banned from receiving non-emergency care

Patients who abuse NHS staff will be banned from receiving non-emergency care as new figures show more than one in four NHS staff have experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or members of the public.

The annual survey of more than 560,000 NHS workers found one in seven staff (15%) had experienced physical violence in the last 12 months while 40,000 staff (7.2%) had faced some form of discrimination during 2019 – an increase from 5.8% in 2015.

A total of 13% of staff reported being bullied, harassed or abused by their own manager in the past 12 months and almost a fifth (19%) said they had experienced abuse from colleagues.

The health secretary Matt Hancock has written to staff condemning the abuse and warning assaults on NHS workers will not be tolerated. Under new plans NHS England said that from April NHS hospitals will be able to bar patients who inflict discriminatory or harassing behaviour on staff from receiving non-emergency care. Previously, individual NHS organisations could only refuse services to patients if they were aggressive or violent.

Hospitals will be required to act reasonably and take into account the mental health of the patient or member of the public.

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Source: The Independent, 19 February 2020

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Abuse of staff at ‘dangerous level’, say NHS bosses

Healthcare leaders have written an open message to NHS staff, drawing attention to “the dangerous level” of abuse many are confronted with, “simply for going to work”.

In the message, more than 40 NHS leaders in London said that every year “tens of thousands” of NHS staff are “confronted with violence and aggression from patients”. 

“Now, the abuse is at a dangerous level, with many of our once hailed heroes fearing for their safety,” they said.

“We, leaders of the NHS in London, are speaking with one voice to say that aggression and violence towards our staff will not be tolerated.”

Signatories include Andrew Ridley, the NHS England London interm regional director, integrated care system leaders, leaders from general practice and community pharmacy, and many trust bosses from the capital, including Central and North West London FT chief executive and national director for mental health Claire Murdoch.

The message thanked NHS staff for continuing to care for people and encouraged the reporting of “all forms of verbal and physical abuse from patients, their families and friends so that we may take action”.

They also sent a message to patients and their families: “We will strive to do our best for you and your loved ones. People who are most unwell do need to be seen most urgently, but all our patients are important to us and will receive the care needed. While we are thankful for the support shown by so many, to those who show violence and aggression let it be known: abusing our staff is never ok.”

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Source: HSJ, 21 March 2022

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Abuse of disabled patients forces watchdog to close hospital

The Care Quality Commission has closed mental health hospital, Eldertree Lodge, in Staffordshire after inspectors saw evidence of patients being abused.

The hospital, which looked after 40 adults with learning disabilities and autism, was found to have unprofessional and abusive staff members, with incidents being recorded on CCTV where staff slammed doors on patients. Staff were also found to pull or drag a patient in an attempt to move them to a ward seclusion room.

Commenting on the latest report, Debbie Ivanova, CQC deputy chief inspector for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said, “In some cases, people were subjected to abuse and interactions that lacked compassion, dignity or respect. This is unacceptable and people deserved better. Additionally, the environment was unhygienic and poorly maintained, as well as blighted by blind spots, which undermined staff observation of patients.

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Source: The Independent, 11 August 2021

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Abuse became ‘normal’ at Birmingham care home, finds watchdog

A care home in Birmingham has been heavily criticised by the care watchdog after it found physical and verbal abuse of residents with learning disabilities and autism had become “normal”.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had put urgent restrictions on Summerfield House, in Birmingham, to stop any more people being admitted there.

The home was looking after four residents with disabilities in August when CQC inspectors found a string of concerns. Records revealed episodes of physical, verbal and emotional abuse of the residents with staff making threats to cancel activities or threatening to call the police.

The CQC found staff were not able to recognise abuse, citing an example where inspectors saw a person being hit on the head by another person with no action being taken.

The watchdog’s report said abuse was happening between residents and staff.

Debbie Ivanova, CQC deputy chief inspector for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said: “Our latest inspection of Summerfield House found a truly unacceptable service with a poor culture where abuse and people being placed at harm had become normal, with no action taken to prevent incidents from happening or reoccurring."

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Source: The Independent, 28 September 2021

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Absences hit 120,000 as military sends 200 staff to help hospitals

The government has announced 200 military personnel are being deployed to “support the NHS in London amid staff shortages due to COVID-19”. The 200 figure is equivalent to about 1.8% of the covid-related absences in acute trusts in the capital on Wednesday, and 0.2% of the national all-trust total of 120,000.

The Ministry of Defence will provide 40 defence medics and 160 general duty personnel, it said. The first were deployed this week, including in Whipps Cross in east London.

According to the minutes of an internal meeting held by senior leadership at the hospital, 10 general duty military personnel have been deployed. They do not have clinical training so cannot take blood, but will undertake general duties, such as feeding patients and communication with teams and relatives. 

Staff absences from NHS trusts hit nearly 120,000 on Wednesday after another increase, HSJ has learned.

Figures due to be published by NHS England are expected to show there were total absences across acute trusts of just over 80,000 on 2 January, down from more than 85,000 on 30 December. 

However, figures seen by HSJ show that, after the end of the new year bank holiday period, this acute trusts figure leapt to more than 92,000 by Wednesday (5 January).

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Source: HSJ, 7 January 2022

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About 400 million people worldwide have had Long Covid, researchers say

About 400 million people worldwide have been afflicted with Long Covid, according to a new report by scientists and other researchers who have studied the condition. The team estimated that the economic cost—from factors like health care services and patients unable to return to work—is about $1 trillion worldwide each year, or about 1 percent of the global economy.

The report, published Friday in the journal Nature Medicine, is an effort to summarize the knowledge about and effects of long Covid across the globe four years after it first emerged.

It also aims to “provide a road map for policy and research priorities,” said one author, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, the chief of research and development at the V.A. St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis. He wrote the paper with several other leading long Covid researchers and three leaders of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, an organization formed by long Covid patients who are also professional researchers.

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Read the research study, Long COVID science, research and policy

Source: New York Times, 9 August 2024

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About 20 terminally ill people in UK die in unrelieved pain each day, research finds

An estimated 20 terminally ill people in the UK die in unrelieved pain each day, according to a study by the independent Office of Health Economics (OHE).

According to its research, to be presented to MPs on Tuesday, one in four people receiving palliative care in England have “unmet pain needs”. The OHE said it used “the most conservative of estimates [suggesting] the true number is likely to be much larger”.

It calculated that, even with the “highest possible standards of hospice-level palliative care”, more than 7,300 people across the UK died with unrelieved pain in the last three months of their lives in 2023. In 2019, the comparable figure was nearly 6,400 people a year – a 15% increase over four years.

It also said that fewer than 5% of terminally ill people in England who needed hospice care in 2023 received it.

The OHE’s findings will feed into an intensifying debate over the legalisation of assisted dying ahead of a historic vote by MPs on Friday. 

The OHE said that irrespective of the outcome of Friday’s vote, investment in high-quality end-of-life care should be a “crucial component of the conversation around assisted dying”.

Prof Graham Cookson, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “Our research finds that even assuming the highest standards of care, there remains a group for whom no amount of pain relief will ease their suffering in the last few months of their life.

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Source: The Guardian, 25 November 2024

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About 12,000 fake STI kits seized in past four years, figures show

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has found around 2,000 products available to buy online since last October.

The fake test devices for HIV and other diseases can show negative results when the person is positive, resulting in an individual believing they are infection-free and unknowingly spreading an infection to others.

An MHRA spokesman said: “Medical devices that do not display the CE mark and four-digit number cannot be guaranteed to meet quality and safety standards and could lead to false negative results, potentially leading to STIs or blood-borne viruses to be spread further. Always purchase medical devices from a registered pharmacy or reputable retail outlet. If you have any concerns about your health, speak to a doctor or healthcare professional.”

The MHRA is running a #FakeMeds public health campaign to reduce the harm caused by purchasing fake, unlicensed or counterfeit medical products online. It comes after research found that more than half of all medical products bought online are either substandard or counterfeit.

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Source: The Guardian, 20 October 2019

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Abortion UK: Women 'manipulated' in crisis pregnancy advice centres

Women are being misled and manipulated about abortion by some crisis pregnancy advice centres in the UK, according to evidence from a BBC Panorama investigation.

The centres operate outside the NHS and tend to be registered charities.

Most say they don't refer women for abortions, but offer support and counselling for unplanned pregnancies.

But the BBC's investigation reveals more than a third of these services give misleading medical information or unethical advice, and sometimes both.

Pregnancy counselling is available through the NHS and regulated abortion providers, but searching online, Panorama identified 57 crisis pregnancy advice centres advertising.

The BBC decided to investigate after hearing from women who had been to these centres. One said she had been "traumatised" and that the centre had tried to "manipulate" her into not having an abortion.

Some 21 centres gave misleading medical information and/or unethical advice about abortion

  • Seven centres said having a termination could lead to "post-abortion syndrome" - a mental health condition likened to post traumatic stress disorder, which is not recognised by the NHS.
  • Eight centres linked abortion to infertility and problems carrying future pregnancies to term.
  • Five centres linked abortion to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Leading medic in the field of obstetrics, and director of an abortion provider, Dr Jonathan Lord, said women needed an "informed choice" which required "good quality unbiased information".

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Source: BBC News, 27 February 2023

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Abolishing patient watchdog leaves NHS 'marking own homework', councils warn

Abolishing the organisation which champions patient views on health and social care would leave the NHS "marking their own homework", a group representing local councils in England and Wales has warned.

Healthwatch is an independent body which represents the views of patients on their local health and social care providers to help improve the services they offer.

Speaking exclusively to BBC News, the Local Government Association (LGA) says that disbanding Healthwatch could create a "fragmented system" which would undermine accountability.

The Department for Health and Social Care says these changes will give patients a "stronger, clearer voice at the heart of health and social care".

The LGA says it's concerned by the lack of a plan for an alternative to Healthwatch, which currently challenges the NHS and providers of care services in the community, when patients or the public highlight problems.

They warn that disbanding Healthwatch would be a "significant step back" in accountability.

"Without an independent, locally rooted voice to challenge and represent communities, there is a risk of duplication and gaps in accountability," the LGA said.

It is calling on the government to "work with local government" and develop a "clear and workable model" which fulfills Healthwatch's role while maintaining independence.

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Source: BBC News, 30 May 2026

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Abbigail Smith: Woman’s death prompts fresh calls for public inquiry into scandal-hit mental health trust

The death of a young woman a day after she was discharged from a mental health facility has sparked renewed calls for a public inquiry into a scandal-hit trust.

Abbigail Smith, 26, who had autism and learning difficulties, was found dead in a park in Essex in February, 24 hours after she was allowed to leave the Linden Centre run by the Essex Partnership University Hospitals Foundation Trust (EPUT).

The trust has launched an investigation into the care she received before she died, according to a letter seen by The Independent, and Essex Coroner’s Court will examine her death.

The Independent can reveal 97 patient deaths have been declared by the trust between February 2021 and February 2022 under the national patient safety alert system.

The trust is already facing an independent inquiry into 1,500 patient deaths between 2000 and 2020. Deaths after December 2020 will not be looked at by that inquiry.

At least 68 families have called for a public inquiry into mental health services in Essex, led by Melanie Leahy, whose son Matthew died at the Linden Centre in 2012.

Nina Ali, a solicitor at Hodge Jones & Allen, which is supporting the Wolffs and other families, told The Independent: “It is worrying that the government has and continues to completely ignore the call led by Melanie Leahy, now supported by some 68 families and individuals, for the current independent inquiry to be converted to a full statutory inquiry on the basis that the current inquiry – which lacks the statutory power to compel relevant documentary evidence to be obtained and to compel witnesses to attend and give their evidence under oath – will ultimately prove to be a complete waste of time and money.”

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Source: The Independent, 25 April 2022

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Abandoned in the middle of clinical trials, because of a Trump order

The stop-work order on USAID-funded research has left thousands of people with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies, with no access to monitoring or care.

Zsanda Zondi received a startling phone call last Thursday, with orders to make her way to a health clinic in Vulindlela, South Africa, where she was participating in a research study that was testing a new device to prevent pregnancy and HIV infection.

The trial was shutting down, a nurse told her. The device, a silicone ring inserted into her vagina, needed to be removed right away.

The US Agency for International Development, which funded the study, has withdrawn financial support and has issued a stop-work order to all organisations around the globe that receive its money. The abrupt move followed an executive order by President Trump freezing all foreign aid for at least 90 days. Since then, the Trump administration has taken steps to dismantle the agency entirely.

Ms. Zondi’s trial is one of dozens that have been abruptly frozen, leaving people around the world with experimental drugs and medical products in their bodies, cut off from the researchers who were monitoring them, and generating waves of suspicion and fear.

In interviews, scientists — who are forbidden by the terms of the stop-work order to speak with the news media — described agonizing choices: violate the stop-work orders and continue to care for trial volunteers, or leave them alone to face potential side effects and harm.

In England, about 100 people have been inoculated with an experimental malaria vaccine in two clinical trials. Now, they no longer have access to the clinical trial staff if that vaccine were to cause an adverse reaction in their bodies. Had the trial not been frozen, the participants would be coming to a clinic routinely to be monitored for adverse physical effects, and to have blood and cell samples taken to see whether the vaccine was working. The participants are meant to be followed for two years to assess the vaccine’s safety.

An anonymous scientist who worked on the trial said: “It’s unethical to test anything in humans without taking it to the full completion of studies. You put them at risk for no good reason.”

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Source: New York Times, 6 February 2025

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A&Es to open dedicated areas for ‘extended stay’ patients

“Extended emergency medicine” areas will be opened in hospitals for A&E patients whose care can’t be turned around within the four-hour target, according to new national guidance.

NHS England has released new guidance on a “model emergency department” to provide a blueprint for A&Es to meet national targets.

The guidance – delayed since last year amid internal concerns about its usefulness – recommends the use of new “extended emergency medicine ambulatory care areas” (EEMACs).

They are intended for patients who are expected to be sent home following investigation and treatment, rather than admitted, but would likely be in A&E for more than four hours.

It is a similar approach to the “same day emergency care” units now running in many hospitals. However, SDECs are primarily run by specialists, rather than A&E staff, whereas EEMACs are for patients needing more general emergency attention.

If a patient is moved to an EEMAC within four hours, they will count as having met the headline waiting target, NHSE confirmed to HSJ. However, if they reach 12 hours, they will be counted as a breach against the 12 hours in the department measure. The same approach applies to SDEC.

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Source: HSJ, 9 February 2026

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A&Es not being overwhelmed by ‘low acuity’ patients, NHSE review finds

An NHS England review has found the proportion of ‘low acuity’ patients attending emergency departments is far smaller than expected.

During a trial of new acuity measures at 17 accident and emergency sites, NHSE found the proportion of patients with low acuity was just 4 per cent, when it had expected the figure to be between 20 and 40 per cent.

Low acuity cases are those which could often be seen by less specialist services, such as urgent treatment centres.

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Source: HSJ, 13 May 2024

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A&Es in ‘big trouble’ because of ‘normalised’ corridor care, says leading UK medic

Emergency departments across the UK are “in big trouble” owing to the way corridor care has been “normalised”, a leading medic has warned.

Dr Ian Higginson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), said there should be “howls of outrage” over deaths linked to long emergency department waits, with just a few hospitals around the UK managing to avoid caring for patients on trolleys in corridors.

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Source: Guardian, 30 December 2025

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A&E’s staff ‘not trained’ for mental health

Staff working in an understaffed A&E were unsure about who was responsible for the care of patients with mental health issues – potentially putting them at risk of harm, the Care Quality Commission has said.

In a letter to East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, the CQC warned there was a lack of clarity over who was responsible for patients with mental health issues at Colchester Hospital’s A&E – including over who should be completing their observations.

Inspectors also raised concerns about staffing levels, a lack of training, and monitoring of patients waiting in corridors.

The letter said: “We spoke with staff working in the emergency department who told us they did not have any special training for mental health patients. Staff told us this was concerning as they often cared for mental health patients.”

Staff also told the CQC they did not know what a corridor risk assessment was, despite a number of patients being cared for in corridors. The CQC warned of the problems in moving beds around in the corridor.

“If a patient were to deteriorate, it would be challenging to either take the patient to resuscitation or to get the resuscitation trolley to the patient,” the CQC said. Patients in corridor beds without call bells would not be able to summon help if they deteriorated, it added.

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Source: HSJ, 14 July 2025

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A&E will be swamped by half of England’s population every year unless NHS reformed, warns top doctor

England’s top doctor has warned the equivalent of half the country’s population will be attending emergency departments every year within a decade unless more work is done to move healthcare out of hospitals.

NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said if the health system wants to avoid a situation of overcrowded A&Es by 2034 then it “must go for broke” by moving more care into communities.

A&Es in England faced the busiest year on record in 2024, with 27.42 million attendances across the year, 7.1 per cent higher than in 2023, according to NHS England.

In a speech at Liverpool Medical Institution on Wednesday evening, Professor Powis said caring for more patients outside of hospitals was key to reducing pressure on accident and emergency departments long term.

“Because we know that if A&E attendances increase at the same rate as they have over the past 10 years – NHS staff will need to manage six million more A&E attendances every year from 2034,” he is expected to say.

“That would mean the equivalent of almost half the population attend A&E at least once every year – that is simply not feasible for a 21st-century health system.

“If the NHS is to avoid a situation of overcrowded A&Es in 10 years’ time – we must go for broke in moving care from hospital to the community.”

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Source: The Independent, 22 January 2025

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A&E waiting times in England at their worst on record

A&E waiting times are at their worst on record as the NHS comes under intense pressure before what doctors and hospital bosses fear will be a very tough winter for the service.

Less than three-quarters (74.5%) of people who sought care at A&E unit in England in October were treated and then discharged, admitted or transferred within four hours – the smallest proportion since the target was introduced in 2004.

That is far below the 95% of patients that ministers and NHS chiefs say should be dealt with by A&E staff within four hours.

“As political parties vie to prove their NHS credentials, today’s figures highlight that the NHS is desperately struggling to stay afloat,” said Dr Rebecca Fisher, a GP and senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation.

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Source: The Guardian, 14 November 2019

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A&E tents ‘borderline immoral’ and ‘dangerous’, claims royal college

The use of temporary treatment areas for patients arriving via ambulance at over-crowded A&Es is ‘borderline immoral’ and ‘a danger to patient safety and dignity’, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has warned.

The college said NHS England had told regional bosses to prepare to errect more of the so-called “tents” outside their major emergency departments as part of plans to get a grip on ambulance handover delays, which have reached record highs in the last two weeks.

Senior figures also told HSJ that trusts have been instructed by NHS England to call the overflow facilities “temporary external structures” and not tents – a move also criticised by RCEM president Katherine Henderson.

Dr Henderson told HSJ: “Using tents is just wrong on every level… We’ve been down this route before. It doesn’t work. It’s a huge distraction, and I think what upsets me the most about it is it creates the appearance that people are taking action when it’s not the action that will deal with the problem.”

In an opinion piece for HSJ, Dr Henderson says: “We find ourselves in the completely unacceptable situation where the ‘solution’ to ambulance handover problems is to put up tents or sheds in front of emergency departments – euphemistically being called ‘temporary external structures’.

“Trust leaders and NHS England must not be afraid to stand up and make this case – putting patients in tents is a bad, borderline immoral bodge job to treat the symptom rather than cause, and our patients need to see some real leadership to protect them."

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Source: HSJ, 25 March 2022

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A&E target set to be raised, despite NHS missing lower bar

NHS England and government are set to raise their target for four-hour A&E performance, despite most hospitals failing to meet the current ask.

HSJ understands officials are likely to use 2024-25 planning guidance to raise the “interim” target for four-hour performance from the 76% which trusts were asked to hit in 2023-24.

A new objective of 80% by March 2025 has been discussed, several sources said, but is not confirmed.

The 76% target has not been met during any month of 2023-24 so far, and most acute trusts are consistently falling well short of it.

Well-placed sources told HSJ  the target was likely to be increased despite “some doubts” among senior NHSE officials. One senior NHSE source said: “The target should be increasing incrementally as overall NHS A&E performance improves, [but] it hasn’t really improved this year.”

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Source: HSJ, 5 January 2024

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A&E target missed despite tough line from NHSE

The headline A&E target was missed in March despite NHS England’s controversial last-ditch attempts to deliver it.

Four hours A&E performance was 74.2 per cent in March—1.8 percentage points lower than NHSE’s 76 per cent threshold—but up from 71.5 per cent in the same month last year.

NHSE’s attempts to improve four hours performance ahead of a year-end deadline—which included new cash incentives, asking directors to sign personal commitments, and encouraging trusts to focus on less sick patients—saw March performance 3.3 percentage points higher than 70.9 per cent in February.

Around a third of acute trusts (38 of 119) met the 76 per cent target in March–more than double the number of trusts above the threshold in February (15).

An interim ambulance response time for category 2 incidents, set at 30 minutes, was also missed in 2023-14—despite some improvement, and despite the government providing significant extra funding.

The average response time across the year was 36m 23s—better than 2022-23 when it was 50m—but much worse than the pre-covid average of 21m 47s in 2018-19 and 23m 50s in 2019-20.

Many ambulance trusts have continued to struggle with delays in handovers to A&E departments and South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust – which has seen some of the worst delays over the winter—averaged 45m 54s for category 2 incidents in March.

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Source: HSJ, 11 April 2024

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A&E staff warn patients they face 13 hour waits and no hospital beds

A struggling A&E told patients they had no beds in the hospital and would face waits of 13 hours, The Independent has learned.

NHS staff at Harlow A&E, run by Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust, warned patients on Monday: “We’ve got 170 patients in the department, there are 90 patients waiting to be seen at the moment…our current wait time for a doctor is seven and half hours I will estimate by the time I go home in the morning at 8 ‘clock some of you will still be waiting because the waits will get up to 13 hours.

“There are currently no beds in the trust we’re trying to make space if we can but if people are admitted there’s a chance they’ll stay in A&E overnight."

“We will do our best to make you comfortable but please don’t expect you will be going direct to a ward because that might not happen.”

The staff member asked relatives to leave as the department was so busy.

Speaking with The Independent an emergency department consultant from the Midlands said they were “fed up”.

He added: “It’s just so unfair on patients and staff. The best ones are burning out and wanting to leave. The only way to survive seems to be to stop caring/trying It’s just so unfair on patients and staff. The best ones are burning out and wanting to leave. The only way to survive seems to be to stop caring/trying.”

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Source: The Independent, 8 June 2022

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A&E staff ordered to receive ambulances ‘in all instances’

Directors of a major hospital have ordered their accident and emergency staff to continue receiving ambulance patients into their department “in all instances”, following angry exchanges with paramedics.

Hospital staff and ambulance crews have clashed at the new Royal Liverpool Hospital since its opening last month, after ambulance crews were prevented from bringing patients inside accident and emergency department when it was deemed to be full to capacity.

The problems were escalated to hospital directors and North West Ambulance Service Trust earlier this month, resulting in new instructions being issued to the emergency department.

In a letter to managers in A&E and the other divisions, seen by HSJ, the three most senior directors at the Royal Liverpool, wrote: “As you are aware we are currently experiencing long delays in accepting handover of patients from ambulance crews.

“This phenomenon is not unique to us at the Royal Liverpool, nor is it particularly new, but our recent challenges have undoubtedly been exacerbated due to teams still familiarising themselves with working in a new environment and the patient flow challenges we have been experiencing on site.

“However, what has changed has been the extent to which we have managed these pressures by continuing to hold patients in the back of ambulances, which we collectively agree is an unacceptable situation. Whilst providing corridor care is not what any of us would aspire to, we have to recognise and respond to the risk of patients awaiting response in the community.

“We have therefore today met with NWAS colleagues and agreed that, with immediate effect, we will, in all instances, continue to receive crews from NWAS into the hospital building.”

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Source: HSJ, 16 November 2022

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A&E staff in England struggling to spot abuse cases in infants, says watchdog

Staff in hospital emergency departments in England are struggling to spot when infants are being physically abused by their parents, raising the risk of further harm, an investigation has found.

Clinicians often do not know what to do if they are concerned that a child’s injuries are not accidental because there is no guidance, according to a report from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) that identifies several barriers to child safeguarding in emergency departments.

Matt Mansbridge, a national investigator, said the report drew on case studies of three children who were abused by their parents, which he said were a “hard read” and a “stark reminder” of the importance of diagnosing non-accidental injuries quickly, since these are the warning sign in nearly a third of child protection cases for infants under the age of one.

“For staff, these situations are fraught with complexity and exacerbated by the extreme pressure currently felt in emergency departments across the country,” Mansbridge said. He said the clinicians interviewed wanted to “see improvement and feel empowered” to ask difficult questions.

“The evidence from our investigation echoes what staff and national leads told us – that emergency department staff should have access to all the relevant information about the child, their history and their level of risk, and that safeguarding support needs to be consistent and timely/ Gaps in information and long waits for advice will only create further barriers to care,” he said.

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Source: The Guardian, 13 April 2023

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