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Nottingham maternity scandal hospital data was ‘maliciously’ deleted, police say

A computer file containing the details of cases linked to the NHS’s largest maternity scandal was “intentionally” and “maliciously” deleted, a police investigation has found.

Nottinghamshire Police launched a probe earlier this year after records held by Nottinghamshire University Hospitals Foundation Trust (NUH) and linked to the alleged maternity failings were temporarily lost.

The data was later recovered and 300 more cases are expected to be added to the inquiry into the scandal after a discrepancy was noted by a coroner.

NUH is currently being investigated for potential corporate manslaughter after The Independent revealed babies had died or suffered serious injuries at its maternity units. The investigation into the deleted hospital data is not related to the corporate manslaughter probe.

The trust is also the subject of an inquiry led by top midwife Donna Ockenden, who is investigating the cases of 2,400 families who experienced maternity care at the trust, including deaths and injuries.

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Source: The Independent, 10 June 2025

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Millions more to have robotic surgery in NHS plan to cut waiting lists

Millions more people will have robotic surgery over the next decade under NHS plans to slash the huge waiting list for hospital treatment.

The move will mean a significant expansion in how often surgeons use robots when treating people for cancer, hysterectomies and joint replacements, as well as in medical emergencies.

The number of patients undergoing robot-assisted surgery is due to rise from 70,000 to 500,000 a year by 2035, the head of the NHS in England will announce on Wednesday.

“The NHS has pledged to return to shorter elective waiting times by 2029 and we are using every tool at our disposal to ensure patients get the best possible treatment.

“Expanding the use of new and exciting tech such as robotic surgery will play a huge part in this,” said Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England’s chief executive.

“Not only does it speed up the number of procedures the NHS can do, but it also means better outcomes, a faster recovery and shorter hospital stays for patients.”

By 2035, nine out of 10 keyhole surgery operations, in which the surgeon makes only small incisions into the patient’s body, will involve a robot, up from just one in five today. It will have become so common by then that it will be “the default” for many procedures, Mackey will say.

Evidence shows that a robot, either controlled remotely by a surgeon at a console using a 3D camera or when it has been pre-programmed, can be more precise than when a surgeon undertakes the same task and often helps the patient to recover faster and get home from hospital sooner. When surgeons control the robot, they guide the surgical instruments – which in keyhole surgery can be as tiny as 5mm – to undertake the work needed.

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Source: The Guardian, 11 June 2025

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New blood test for coeliac disease can diagnose autoimmune condition without need to eat gluten

Coeliacs may soon no longer need to eat large amounts of gluten – the very thing suspected of making them sick – to get an accurate diagnosis.

Australian research published in the journal Gastroenterology showed a blood test for gluten-specific T cells had a high accuracy in diagnosing coeliac disease, even when no gluten was eaten.

Around 1% of people in western countries have coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition in which gluten causes an inflammatory reaction in the small bowel.

Currently, every approved method to diagnose it requires people to eat gluten, the paper said.

Current testing methods – blood tests or a gastroscopy – require weeks of a person eating gluten, while often enduring symptoms such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating.

Despite the importance of early diagnosis, the researchers said many people are deterred because they do not want to get sick from the tests.

More than one in two cases of coeliac disease are either undiagnosed or diagnosed late, prior research has shown.

“There are likely millions of people around the world living with undiagnosed coeliac disease simply because the path to diagnosis is difficult, and at times, debilitating,” said Assoc Prof Jason Tye-Din, a senior author of the paper and head of the Coeliac Research Laboratory at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia.

The new research could be a “game-changer”, helping address “one of the biggest deterrents in current diagnostic practices”, Tye-Din said.

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Source: The Guardian, 10 June 2025

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USA: Stanford pilots ChatEHR

California-based Stanford Health Care is piloting an internally developed, AI-backed software designed to revolutionize clinician interaction with the electronic health record (EHR)

Nigam Shah, chief data science officer at Stanford Health Care, is leading the development team for ChatEHR, which allows clinicians to ask questions, request summaries and pull specific information from a patient’s medical record. ChatEHR is built directly into Stanford’s EHR to maximise clinical workflow.

The pilot is available to a small cohort of 33 physicians, nurses and physician assistants. The technology is secure and designed for information gathering; not medical advice.

ChatEHR, which has been in development since 2023, facilitates a more streamlined and efficient way for clinicians to interact with patient records.

“This is a unique instance of integrating [large language model] capabilities directly into clinicians’ practice and workflow,” said Michael Pfeffer, MD, chief information and digital officer at Stanford Health Care and School of Medicine, in a news release. “We’re thrilled to bring this to the workforce at Stanford Health Care.”

Stanford is still working on automation to evaluate tasks, such as determining whether to transfer patients between hospitals or units. Dr Shah and his team are using an open-source framework for real-world large language model evaluation, MedHELM, to evaluate ChatEHR. His goal is to scale ChatEHR to all clinicians and the team is working on more features to ensure accuracy.

“We’re rolling this out in accordance with our responsible AI guidelines, not only ensuring accuracy and performance, but making sure we have the educational resources and technical support available to make ChatEHR usable to our workforce,” said Dr Shah in the release.

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Source: Becker's Health IT, 6 June 2025

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USA: RFK Jr removes entire panel of CDC’s vaccine experts

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed all members of a vaccine advisory board to restore "public trust above any pro- or antivaccine agenda,” he announced in a Monday op-ed.

Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published late Monday afternoon that America is facing a “crisis of public trust…toward health agencies, pharmaceutical companies or vaccines themselves.”

To restore what Kennedy sees as Americans' distrust in the healthcare system and ensure that they receive “the safest vaccines possible,” the secretary announced that HHS will retire all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices.

The committee is responsible for evaluating the safety, efficacy and clinical need of vaccines and then presenting its findings to the Centers for Disease Control.

“The committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine,” Kennedy claimed in the op-ed.

The current members will be replaced with new members “currently under consideration,” HHS said in a statement.

“The new members won’t directly work for the vaccine industry. They will exercise independent judgment, refuse to serve as a rubber stamp, and foster a culture of critical inquiry—unafraid to ask hard questions,” Kennedy wrote in the Journal.

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Source: The Independent, 10 June 2025

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More testing needed for genetic cancer risk as too many women ‘missed’, experts say

A new study has revealed that families of some cancer patients are being denied the opportunity to learn about their potential cancer risk due to inconsistencies in genetic testing.

Academics have warned that the absence of adequate testing for Lynch syndrome is leaving some cancer patients unaware of their risk of developing other cancers.

Lynch syndrome, a rare hereditary condition, elevates the risk of cancers of the bowel, womb, and ovaries. It arises from a gene mutation affecting DNA error correction during replication, potentially leading to uncontrolled cell growth.

NHS guidelines stipulate that patients with bowel or womb cancer should undergo tumour assessments for Lynch syndrome markers.

The identification of these markers should prompt a referral for genetic testing, confirming the diagnosis and enabling access to support and guidance regarding cancer risks for both the patients and their families.

However, a new study by academics at the University of Edinburgh found not all womb cancer patients are being sent for genetic testing.

Researchers said those who were referred faced long waits, resulting in high dropout rates, meaning only 48 per cent of those eligible went on to get the test.

Experts from the university said gaps in testing mean some womb cancer patients with Lynch syndrome go undetected.

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Source: The Independent, 10 June 2025

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Thousands harmed and 87 dead after NHS equipment failures in England

Almost 100 people have died and 4,000 have been harmed after equipment malfunctions in the NHS in the past three years, prompting calls for more government funding to upgrade broken and obsolete medical devices.

A defibrillator advising paramedics not to administer a shock, an emergency alarm system on a neonatal ward failing, and the camera on an intubation device going dark were just three failures after which patients died.

They are included in figures released for the first time by NHS England that show patients were harmed after 3,915 equipment malfunction incidents – with 87 being followed by a death – since 2022.

Paul Whiteing, the chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, said: “These are shocking statistics. Behind these numbers are real people who are needlessly harmed, the impact of which will be life-changing and traumatic.

“The scale of the harm and loss of life that has resulted from basic equipment failures and malfunctions shows in stark relief the scale of the tragedy that has resulted from years of underfunding in the NHS.”

The vast majority of incidents, which were logged by doctors and nurses when a device was broken, not fit for use or didn’t perform as expected, caused a low level of harm. That meant patients were unlikely to need further treatment beyond dressing changes or short courses of oral medicine.

There were 522 moderate harm incidents, in which a patient’s independence could be limited for up to six months. Meanwhile, on top of the 87 deaths, 68 patients were severely harmed – meaning they could have received permanent damage from the incident, or had a reduced life expectancy.

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Source: The Guardian, 9 June 2025

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Australia: Monash IVF admits second bungled embryo implant

A second bungled embryo implant at Monash IVF has sparked a new investigation and the expansion of a review into the first incident, which led to a woman unknowingly giving birth to a stranger’s baby.

Monash IVF said in a statement on Tuesday that in June “a patient’s own embryo was incorrectly transferred to that patient, contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient’s partner”.

“Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,” the fertility company said.

The first error was announced in April. In that case, a patient at one of its Queensland clinics had an embryo incorrectly transferred to her, meaning she gave birth to a child of an unrelated woman.

The mistake was blamed on human error. Monash IVF asked senior counsel Fiona McLeod to investigate.

Lawyers described the incident as a legal and ethical nightmare while Monash IVF said it was confident it was an isolated incident.

The latest incident happened in a Victorian laboratory. The state’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, confirmed the Victorian health regulator was investigating.

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Source: The Guardian, 10 June 2025

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Cuts to UK’s global vaccination funding would risk avoidable child deaths, experts warn

Any cut in UK funding to a global vaccination group would damage soft power and could make Britain less resilient to infectious diseases, as well as causing avoidable deaths among children, leading vaccine and aid experts have warned.

Scientists including Sir Andrew Pollard, who led the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, said a major cut in money for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) could also make the UK less able to respond to a future pandemic.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not yet set out its future funding for Gavi, a Geneva-based public-private organisation that has vaccinated more than a billion children in developing countries.

The UK has previously been one of Gavi’s main funders, providing more than £2bn over the last four years. But with the UK aid budget cut back from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% and the focus shifting towards bilateral aid the expectation is that there will be a major reduction at Wednesday’s spending review.

Pollard, who leads the Oxford Vaccine Group, said that as well as continuing to save lives in poorer countries, there was a self-interested case for continuing with similar levels of support.

“It’s a safer place, obviously, for people who are in situations where they wouldn’t have been able to access these vaccines without the government support, but it also makes it a safe place for us, because it’s acting as part of the shield that we have against the spread of infectious diseases around the world,” he said.

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Source: The Guardian, 8 June 2025

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Blood test for Alzheimer's disease is highly accurate, researchers say

Researchers say a new blood test for Alzheimer's disease has been shown to be highly accurate in detecting people with early symptoms.

Scientists looked for two proteins - amyloid beta 42/40 and p-tau217 - and found the test was 95% accurate in identifying patients with existing cognitive impairment linked to the condition.

The US study involved 509 patients in an outpatient memory clinic in Florida and was published in the medical journal Alzheimer's and Dementia.

The test, which has already been approved by the US regulator, was also 82% accurate for specificity, which means it could rule out people without dementia.

Dr Gregg Day, who led the study, said the test was as good as existing, but more invasive, tests.

He said the next step was to extend the test to a wider range of patients, including those with early Alzheimer's who do not have any cognitive symptoms.

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Source: Sky News, 7 June 2025

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Experts warn that weight-loss jabs may need to be taken for life

Experts suggest that weight-loss jabs may require long-term use to achieve lasting benefits for both patients and the NHS.

These drugs, marketed under names such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, function by curbing food cravings. Currently, obese patients can access these injections through NHS prescriptions, following referrals to specialist weight loss clinics typically based in hospitals. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of individuals are obtaining the medication privately through pharmacies.

There have been warnings about buying potentially unsafe jabs online from unregulated retailers and potentially missing out on wraparound support.

Experts said the jabs should not be seen as the first option in weight loss and should be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes, such as eating more healthily and increasing exercise.

Professor Graham Easton, a GP who has been using weight loss jabs himself, said: “I think it’s a major issue about the proper funding and resourcing of not only the GPs in the surgeries but also the wraparound care we talked about.

“I think the other issue is that so far, to my knowledge, the NHS and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have talked about this being something you take for two years, and that’s probably related to data from research studies.

“But as we discussed, this is likely to be a lifelong commitment if it is going to be worthwhile to the NHS.

“There’s no point in most people taking it for a couple of years and then have the weight bouncing back.

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Source: The Independent, 8 June 2025

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Millions to receive NHS screening invitations and appointment reminders on their phones

Appointment reminders, invitations to health screenings and test results will now be received by patients on their phones.

The government says moving to a more digital-focused NHS will mean 50 million fewer letters need to be sent out by the health service, saving an estimated £200m over the next three years.

Instead, under the new plans, millions of people will be notified about appointments and other important notices via the NHS app on their phone or digital device.

The app is set to become the go-to method for the NHS to communicate with people, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

The changes will be backed by more than £50m investment. It will see a predicted 270 million messages sent through the app this year, an increase of around 70 million on the last financial year, the government announced.

The health secretary said: "The fact that people still get letters through the front door, sometimes multiple letters about the same appointment... The NHS has been stuck in the mud when it comes to the everyday technology we use to organise our lives. And that's why what we're doing with the NHS app is really exciting."

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Source: The Guardian, 7 June 2025

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NHS seeks 200,000 more blood donors in England to avoid threat to safety

The NHS needs to fill a shortfall of more than 200,000 blood donors in England to avoid a threat to public safety, officials have said.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) wants to hit a target of 1 million blood donors to meet growing demand as just under 800,000 people – 2% of the population in England – kept the nation’s blood stocks afloat last year.

An amber alert was issued last year over supply of blood for hospitals in England, and NHSBT said more was needed to avoid a red alert, meaning supply is so low that there is a threat to public safety.

NHSBT’s chief executive, Dr Jo Farrar, said: “Our stocks over the past 12 months have been challenging. If we had a million regular donors, this would help keep our stocks healthy – you’d truly be one in a million.”

The service said there had been a rise in the number of people who registered to be donors in the last year, but only 24% of these had gone on to donate.

The amber alert was triggered in July 2024 after a cyber-attack on London hospitals, and blood stocks have remained low ever since, officials said.

NHSBT said there was a critical need for more donors who have the so-called universal blood type, O-negative, which is needed for treatment in emergencies.

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Source: The Guardian, 9 June 2025

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Vaginal mesh particles ‘could trigger autoimmune response even after removal’

Microscopic particles left behind by vaginal mesh could continue to trigger the immune system to attack healthy tissue even after the material has been removed, according to researchers.

Experts suggest allergy testing patients before they are fitted with mesh may help to better understand why complications happen in some cases.

Campaign group Sling the Mesh said the majority of its members have developed a reaction they believe is down to the material, including autoimmune diseases, unexplained rashes and chronic fatigue.

Transvaginal mesh (TVM) implants are made from synthetic materials such as polypropylene, a type of thermoplastic, and have been used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence after childbirth.

However, they can cause serious harm to some women, with side effects including infection, pelvic pain, and incontinence.

The NHS restricted its use of TVM implants in 2018 and they are now used only as a last resort through a high-vigilance programme of restricted practice.

A new article led by Dr Nicholas Farr, published in the journal Nature Reviews Urology, analysed studies which suggest polypropylene is a material which causes autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (Asia).

Asia arises following exposure to substances that enhance the immune response in the likes of vaccines, silicone implants, or other foreign materials.

Symptoms can vary widely, but include chronic fatigue and chronic pain.

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Source: The Independent, 6 June 2025

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Hospital and manager guilty over patient death

A hospital trust and a staff member have been found guilty of health and safety failings over the death of a young woman in a mental health unit.

Alice Figueiredo, 22, was being treated at Goodmayes Hospital, east London, when she took her own life in July 2015, having previously made many similar attempts.

Following a seven-month trial at the Old Bailey, a jury found that not enough was done by the North East London Foundation NHS Trust (NELFT) or ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa to prevent Alice from killing herself.

The trust was cleared of the more serious charge of corporate manslaughter, while Aninakwa, 53, of Grays in Essex, was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter.

The jury deliberated for 24 days to reach all the verdicts, setting a joint record in the history of British justice, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Both the trust and Aninakwa were convicted under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

It was only the second time an NHS trust has faced a corporate manslaughter charge.

During the trial, prosecutors said that not only was Alice repeatedly able to self-harm while she was in hospital, but that these incidents were not properly recorded or assessed.

The court also heard there were concerns about Benjamin Aninakwa's communication, efficiency, clinical and leadership skills.

The trust had previously placed him on a performance improvement plan for three years, which ended in December 2014.

In addition, there was a high turnover of agency staff on the ward, the court heard.

Mrs Figueiredo says she raised concerns about her daughter's care verbally and in writing on a number of occasions to the hospital and to Mr Aninakwa.

After Alice died, she said the family found it very difficult to get answers about what happened.

For nearly a decade they gathered evidence and pressed both the police and the CPS to take action.

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Source: BBC News, 9 June 2025

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Woman who earned over £1m as a fake doctor ordered to pay money back to NHS or risk more jail time

A woman was imprisoned for falsely pretending to be a psychiatrist with the NHS for more than 20 years has now been asked to pay back over £400,000 to the health service or face even more jail time. The 62-year-old woman, Zholia Alemi was sentenced to seven years in jail after she was found guilty of committing a string of frauds.

Alemi had claimed that she got her qualifications from University of Auckland in New Zealand, however, a jury at Manchester Crown Court found that she had forged the degree certificate along with the letter of verification she used in 1995 to register herself with the General Medical Council.

The Manchester Crown Court was told that Alemi, who is from Burnley moved across the country to work in a series of positions, which included posts in Greater Manchester to make sure that 'the finger of suspicion' did not point at her.

Adrian Foster, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "We have robustly pursued the proceeds of crime with the NHS Counter Fraud Authority and have identified all the assets that she has available to pay her order. Alemi had little regard for patient welfare.

"She used forged New Zealand medical qualifications to obtain employment as an NHS psychiatrist for 20 years. In doing so, she must have treated hundreds of patients when she was unqualified to do so, potentially putting those patients at risk.

"Her fraudulent actions also enabled her to dishonestly earn income and benefits more than £1million, to which she was not entitled. She cheated the public purse and £406,624 will be paid in compensation to the NHS."

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Source: Wales Online, 5 June 2025

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'I'm terrified of food - but I can't get specialist eating disorder treatment'

A woman whose wait for a diagnosis of a lesser known eating disorder left her feeling like a "problem that cannot be solved" has called for reform of how the condition is treated by Northern Ireland's health service.

Sinead Quinn, from Londonderry, said binge eating compulsions had made her "a prisoner in her own home, afraid of food and afraid of herself".

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is not currently treated by eating disorder services in Northern Ireland - patients are instead referred to general mental health services.

The Department of Health said regional adult eating disorder services were commissioned to treat anorexia, bulimia and atypical presentations of these conditions.

BED is the second most common eating disorder in the UK, after atypical eating disorders, according to UK health assessment body NICE, external.

The Department of Health said it did not collate data on how many people in Northern Ireland are living with BED.

It also said there was no current review of the way the condition is treated.

Experts say specialist care within the health service is urgently needed to help people get a formal diagnosis and recover from BED.

Prof Laura McGowan, from the Centre for Public Health at Queen's University, hopes the recently announced roll-out of a regional obesity management service for Northern Ireland would include screening of eating disorders like BED.

"BED is simply not widely recognised and the services for it not widely commissioned," she said.

"For BED patients, especially those living with obesity, there is such an unmet need."

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Source: BBC News, 5 June 2025

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‘Blame shunting’ by providers leads to poor emergency care, says NHSE

The ‘inability or unwillingness’ of some NHS and social care providers to work together has contributed to an ‘unimaginable’ deterioration in emergency care performance, according to NHS England

The claim is made in the urgent care recovery plan for 2025-26, released by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care.

The plan includes a new target to reduce 12-hour accident and emergency waits and pledges to invest £370m of capital funding in improving urgent care and mental health facilities.

The plan said, “Each part of the system has responsibility for improving urgent and emergency care performance. However, blame shunting has become a feature in some poorly performing systems and can no longer be tolerated."

National urgent care director Sarah-Jane Marsh told HSJ that “the duty to collaborate and work together and do the best for patients is on all trust boards, and it shouldn’t rely on some overseer to make sure that happens. It’s a fundamental part of being a leader”.

Trusts will be told to ensure the proportion of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission, transfer or discharge from A&E remains less than 10%.

The 45-minute “maximum” ambulance handover time will become mandatory across all trusts ahead of winter, according to the plan. 

Chief executive of the College of Paramedics, Tracy Nicholls, said, “The plan sets out progressive structural proposals that have the potential to enhance public safety and strengthen paramedic autonomy. However, it may underestimate key challenges, including workforce readiness, the capacity of the mental health system, and practical implications of the Right Care, Right Person model. Without urgent alignment of funding, training, and alternative care pathways, there is a real risk that paramedics could be left navigating a reform process that shifts responsibility without equipping them with the necessary tools and support.

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Source: HSJ, 5 June 2025

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Trusts ordered to help with ‘heartbreaking’ diagnostic delays

NHS England has told trusts they must help neighbours to cut the number of children waiting for hearing tests, even if it affects their own performance.

NHS England co-medical director for secondary care Meghana Pandit has written to regional and integrated care board leaders warning that some areas have fallen behind in responding to serious concerns about paediatric audiology.

In 2023, an NHSE audit found that more than a thousand children might have been misdiagnosed or had problems missed. As of February, 1,374 children were still waiting to be seen, and of the 775 who had been assessed, 31 had suffered severe or permanent harm and another 76 moderate harm.

Trusts that have previously confirmed that children had diagnoses missed include Barts Health Trust, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust.

Professor Pandit said some areas had missed the national “ambition” of recalling and reassessing all patients by the end of March. They are then due to be discharged or have started treatment by the end of September.

ICBs now have until 20 June to submit detailed plans on how they will achieve this, and providers are expected to prioritise the reassessments.

The letter, written with chief scientific officer Sue Hill and diagnostics director Rhydian Phillips, said: “The risk of decline in an individual provider’s diagnostic six-week wait performance should not be a reason to decline support to this process. It has been agreed nationally that the review, recall and reassessment process should be prioritised in the short term.”

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Source: HSJ, 6 June 2025

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Weight loss drugs linked to higher risk of eye damage in diabetic patients

Weight loss drugs could at least double the risk of diabetic patients developing age-related macular degeneration, a large-scale study has found.

Originally developed for diabetes patients, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medicines have transformed how obesity is treated and there is growing evidence of wider health benefits. They help reduce blood sugar levels, slow digestion and reduce appetite.

But a study by Canadian scientists published in Jama Ophthalmology has found that after six months of use GLP-1 RAs are associated with double the risk of older people with diabetes developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration compared with similar patients not taking the drugs.

Academics at the University of Toronto examined medical data for more than 1 million Ontario residents with a diagnosis of diabetes and identified 46,334 patients with an average age of 66 who were prescribed GLP-1 RAs. Nearly all (97.5%) were taking semaglutide, while 2.5% were on lixisenatide.

The study did not exclude any specific brand of drugs, but since Wegovy was only approved in Canada in November 2021, primarily for weight loss, it is likely the bulk of semaglutide users in the study were taking Ozempic, which is prescribed for diabetes.

The study found that those who had been taking semaglutide or lixisenatide for at least six months had twice the risk of developing macular degeneration, compared with similar patients who were not taking the drugs. Patients who had been taking GLP-1 RAs for more than 30 months had more than three times the risk.

Marko Popovic, a co-author of the study and physician in the department of ophthalmology and vision sciences at the University of Toronto, said: “GLP-1 receptor agonists appear to have multiple effects on the eye, and in the case of neovascular age-related macular degeneration, the overall impact may be harmful.

“Based on our data, I would advise exercising particular caution when prescribing GLP-1 RAs to older [diabetic] patients or those with a history of stroke, as both groups were found to have an even higher risk of developing [the condition].”

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Source: The Guardian, 5 June 2025

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Labour pledges to end 'corridor care' and long waits with almost £450m NHS investment in England

Nearly £450m is being invested in the NHS in England to cut hospital waiting times and tackle persistently failing trusts, the health secretary has announced.

Wes Streeting says his NHS reforms aim to deliver around 40 new centres to fast-track treatment for patients, up to 15 mental health crisis assessment units and almost 500 new ambulances.

It is part of an attempt to shift patients away from A&E and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

"No patient should ever be left waiting for hours in hospital corridors or for an ambulance which ought to arrive in minutes," said Mr Streeting.

"The package of investment and reforms we are announcing today will help the NHS treat more patients in the community, so they don't end up stuck on trolleys in A&E," he added.

In an example of the challenge facing the health secretary, Sky News on Wednesday revealed the scale of England's mental health crisis, exacerbated by a shortage of specialist beds and an overwhelmed social care network.

The new Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for England says more needs to be done to drive down long waits, cut delayed discharges and improve care for patients.

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Source: Sky News, 6 June 2025

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Women and ethnic minorities less likely to be treated after diagnosis of deadly heart disease in England, study finds

Women, people from minority ethnic backgrounds, and those living in the most deprived areas of England are less likely to receive treatment after a diagnosis of a deadly heart disease, according to one of the largest studies of its kind.

Researchers at the University of Leicester analysed data from almost 155,000 people diagnosed with aortic stenosis – a narrowing of the valve between the heart’s main pumping chamber and the main artery – between 2000 and 2022 across England, from a database of anonymised GP records.

The study found that patients living in the most deprived areas were 7% less likely to be referred for secondary care after their diagnosis compared with patients in the least deprived areas, and 4% less likely to undergo a procedure to replace their aortic valve.

The analysis, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and presented at the British Cardiovascular Society conference in Manchester, also found that women were 11% less likely to be referred to secondary care, such as a hospital specialist, after their diagnosis than men. Women were also 39% less likely to have a procedure to replace their aortic valve.

The study also found that black patients were 48% less likely to undergo a procedure to replace their aortic valve than white patients, with south Asian patients being 27% less likely. Both groups were more likely to be referred to secondary care, although the researchers say that this could reflect referrals for other heart issues not related to their aortic stenosis.

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Source: The Guardian, 5 June 2025

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I had to beg doctors for help, sepsis patient says

A man said he was left "begging for help" from doctors after he suffered life-changing injuries due to sepsis caused by failures at his local hospitals.

Paul Robinson, 70, developed recurring sepsis for almost a year after being hospitalised on multiple occasions in Brighton and Worthing.

The company director from Goring, in West Sussex, said: "I've lost my freedom, confidence, business, very nearly my family home, and almost my will to live."

Mr Robinson was diagnosed with cancer in 2018.

He successfully had a lump removed from his lung. But during chemotherapy, he became unwell and was diagnosed with sepsis.

He said he went through several relapses with sepsis and was in hospital for 13 days.

"I was left for 11 months with recurring, untreated sepsis – despite begging for help," he said.

Describing his care at Worthing Hospital and Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, he said there was a breakdown in communication between nurses, doctors and departments.

He said there had been "systemic failures" and "ignored warnings" with his care.

"We asked for help 47 times, and we were ignored 47 times," he added.

"Every day I see NHS campaigns about spotting the signs of sepsis. We knew the signs, we pleaded for help, and nobody listened."

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Source: BBC News, 5 June 2025

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USA: Hospitals push back on low Leapfrog grades

Hospitals given “D” and “F” grades from The Leapfrog Group are rebuking the patient safety scores, arguing that Leapfrog’s grading was unfair. 

Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, S.C., Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital and Madison (Ala.) Hospital said the scores are not accurate representations of their safety and quality performance. The hospitals did not report data to Leapfrog’s biannual safety grade survey — a factor they say contributed to the misleading scores. 

Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog, told Becker’s that, of the approximately 2,500 general acute hospitals it evaluates, about 20% did not report to Leapfrog’s spring 2025 survey. Of those hospitals, more than 400 received a grade of “C” or higher. 

“It is perfectly possible to get a good grade and not report to the Leapfrog survey we use,” Ms. Binder said. “We use the Leapfrog survey when we have that data. We impute scores for the data when we don’t have it. I think the measures that the hospitals are concerned about are four out of the 30 measures we use in the hospital safety grade. So if these hospitals did well on more of those 30 measures, there would be no issue whatsoever. They’d be getting an “A,” “B” or “C,” but they are actually performing, in some cases, very poorly on some measures that come from CMS, so that’s an area where we would strongly encourage them to focus their attention.”

In a statement shared with The Herald, Piedmont claimed that “Leapfrog’s scoring system deceives patients and rewards hospitals that either pay them or supply free data for their flawed survey, while punishing those that do not participate with inaccurate scores based on fabricated data.”

Ms. Binder said this claim is “factually incorrect,” adding there is no “pay-to-play” for hospitals to participate in the survey or receive a grade. The organization also does not charge the public to access hospital safety data, she said. 

In April, five hospitals part of Palm Beach Health Network filed a lawsuit against Leapfrog, alleging the rankings are based on flawed methodology and damage hospitals’ reputations. The hospitals — two of which received a “D” and one an “F” — said Leapfrog penalises organisations that do not submit data by doling out low ratings. 

Ms. Binder described the lawsuit as an attempt to suppress critical safety information.

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Source: Becker's Clinical Leadership, 2 June 2025

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'I will fade away without vital pancreas medication'

A Kent man who has had three-quarters of his pancreas removed says he will "fade away" without a medication that there has been a nationwide shortage of since 2024.

Paul Elcombe, from Hartley, takes Creon three times a day, after major surgery three years ago left him no longer able to create enough enzymes to break down food.

As it stands, he has three and a half weeks worth of tablets left, having only had one prescription filled this year.

He said: "You need it to survive, without it [Creon] your body can't break down the food...it's as important as insulin is to a diabetic."

The nationwide shortage, which the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says is a "European-wide" supply issue, has forced the 63-year-old and his wife to spend time travelling to different pharmacies in a bid to get the medication.

He said: "I know it sounds dramatic, but without it you will just fade away...it's very scary."

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Source: BBC News, 5 June 2025

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