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An ‘explosion’ in nurse lecturer cuts risks nursing jobs and patient safety

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is warning that a rapid rise in the number of nurse lecturer redundancies and severances shows the higher education financial crisis is spreading through nursing courses in England and posing a risk to domestic workforce plans.

This comes just days after the UK government announced immigration plans which could lead to an exodus of international nursing staff, and poses a serious risk to patient safety.

The RCN believes the UK government must take action to protect all nursing courses. The capacity and state of the educator workforce must be a key consideration in nursing workforce planning. The RCN say the crisis in higher education is a real threat to the supply of nurses into the workforce and poses a serious risk to patient safety, potentially derailing the government’s new NHS 10-Year Health Plan due to be published this summer.

A nurse educator workforce strategy and funded action plan which addresses recruitment and retention issues is needed, alongside those planned for the NHS and NHS workforce.

Freedom of Information requests, sent by the RCN to universities in England offering nursing courses, have revealed nurse educator jobs decreased in 65% of institutions between August 2024 and February 2025.

Nurse educators have a critical role to play in ensuring we have a nursing workforce that's sufficiently able and equipped to deliver high quality, innovative, safe and effective care to meet current and future population needs. They're essential to growing the nursing profession and keeping patients safe.

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Source: RCN, 15 May 2025

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Immigration changes a huge risk for social and healthcare provision, say sector leaders

Sweeping changes to immigration rules could cut the “lifeline” of international recruitment for the UK care sector and negatively impact the NHS, leaders have warned.

The government unveiled its Restoring Control over the Immigration System white paper on 12 May in which it said it would close social care visas to new applications from abroad because of “significant concerns over abuse and exploitation of individual workers.”

“The agreements will move the UK away from dependence on overseas workers to fulfil our care needs,” said the paper, which aimed to tackle longstanding levels of low pay and poor working conditions in the sector in other ways, such as through establishing fair pay agreements.

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Source: BMJ, 13 May 2025

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A surgeon was flagged as dangerous — she kept operating for ten years

Hospital bosses were warned about an NHS surgeon almost nine years before she was eventually suspended over botched operations on children.

A joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Sky News has discovered a confidential report written for managers at Cambridge University Hospitals Trust in 2016 that identified problems with the surgical technique and practice of Kuldeep Stohr, a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon.

A series of recommendations were made in the report but Stohr was allowed to continue operating. Managers at the hospital told staff the investigation into Stohr had not raised any concerns.

Almost a decade on, Stohr has been suspended by the trust after a new review identified at least nine children whose care “fell below the standard” expected. The trust has begun a review of 800 other patients, including around 560 children, 140 adults and 100 emergency patients, who were operated on by Stohr. It has also commissioned an investigation into what action was taken after the 2016 report.

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Source: The Times, 10 May 2025

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Baby death NHS trust reaches 'turning point'

Two maternity units in Kent have shown signs of improvements three years after a damning independent review found up to 45 babies might have survived if they had received better care, a report has said.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report rated maternity services at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate as good, two years after they were downgraded to inadequate.

The CQC said "significant improvements" had been made at both units to safety, leadership, culture, the environment and staffing levels.

Tracey Fletcher, chief executive of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said the report was "an important milestone in our continuing work to improve our services".

Serena Coleman, CQC's deputy director of operations in Kent, said: "We found significant improvements and a better quality service for women, people using the service and their babies.

"This turnaround in ratings across both services demonstrates what can be achieved with strong and capable leaders who focus on an inclusive and positive culture."

Kaye Wilson, chief midwife for the South East at NHS England, said: "This report marks a turning point for services at East Kent and is the result of the commitment, determination and sheer hard work of midwives, obstetricians and the whole maternity team."

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Source: BBC News,15 May 2025

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Top doctor warns government ‘neglecting’ old people as figures suggest thousands of A&E patients died waiting for bed

The UK's top A&E doctor has accused the government of “neglecting the oldest and sickest patients” as figures suggest a record 320 people a week may have died needlessly in A&E last year due to waits for hospital beds.

Dr Adrian Boyle, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine president, has warned that current government policy on A&E is focused on cutting waits for “cut fingers and sprained ankles” while neglecting older people, who are most likely to die and spend days on trollies.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) estimates there were more than 16,600 deaths of patients linked to long waits for a bed, an increase of a fifth on 2023 and a record since new A&E data has been published.

The figures come after the NHS’s target to see 95% of patients within four hours was cut to 78% for 2025/26. There is no national target for the number of people waiting 12 hours, the length of time linked to excess emergency care deaths, but last year more than 1.7 million patients waited 12 hours or more to be admitted, discharged or transferred from A&E.

Dr Boyle said the figures were “the equivalent of two aeroplanes crashing every week” and were devastating for families.

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Source: The Independent, 15 May 2025

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Councils and trusts to help failing GP practices under ‘neighbourhood’ plan

Nominated “integrator” organisations – which could be NHS provider trusts or councils – will help GP practices “at risk of failure”, under new plans for London’s neighbourhood health service.

Proposals were published this week by the capital’s five integrated care boards, NHS England’s London region, local councils, the Greater London Authority, London Health and Care Partnership, and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, with support from the Londonwide Local Medical Committees. The work was carried out jointly with the PPL consultancy.

Their plans say that “place partnership” teams – subdivisions of the ICBs, normally matching boroughs – will have to decide “footprints of neighbourhoods”, based on local information and data, such as mapping of capacity, demand, local assets and needs.

Many existing primary care networks (which are partnerships of GP practices) are likely to have to “re-align”, it indicates, as neighbourhood team “boundaries [will] not automatically be defined by existing PCN footprints, except where these boundaries align with recognisable neighbourhoods”. Some PCNs that don’t match may agree ways to work across several smaller integrated neighbourhood teams (INTs).

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Source: HSJ, 14 May 2025

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System is failing people with simultaneous mental health and substance misuse problems

People who have both substance misuse problems and mental health disorders are being overlooked by the NHS, leading to avoidable harm and even suicides, say experts.

Better coordination between services, monitoring of outcomes, and training for clinicians on how to treat the conditions simultaneously are needed to tackle this problem, said the authors of a report1 on co-occurring substance misuse and mental health (CoSUM) disorders.

The report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists says people with CoSUM disorders experience poorer health, worse engagement with work, and higher mortality and rates of suicide than people who have either a mental illness or a substance misuse disorder.

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Source: BMJ, 13 May 2025

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USA: Columbia to pay $750m to hundreds of victims of gynaecologist

An ex-doctor is now costing Columbia University over $1 billion after a new sex abuse settlement with nearly 600 victims in a deal approved in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday.

Columbia University agreed to the record-breaking $750 million settlement with 576 victims of disgraced gynaecologist and convicted sex criminal Robert Hadden — with a per-case average of $1.3 million, the attorney for the victims announced. 

"This settlement is not about money — it's about accountability," said victim Laurie Maldonando.

"Columbia University enabled sadistic abuse," said Maldonando, who was a patient of Hadden’s for nearly a decade, "and now, they’ve been forced to face the truth."

In 2023, Hadden was sentenced to 20 years in prison for preying on — and sexually abusing — hundreds of vulnerable patients during his years as a gynaecologist at prestigious Big Apple hospitals, including ones associated with Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian.

"For far too long, Columbia and New York-Presbyterian have prioritized protecting their reputations over protecting their patients," said attorney Anthony T. DiPietro, who has battled with Columbia in court on behalf of hundreds of Hadden victims since 2012. 

DiPietro said he discovered a "smoking gun" that year — a letter penned by the then-head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia in 1995, apologizing for "Hadden’s assault" and undercutting the institution’s claims they were unaware — by digging around the Utah basement of a client.

The attorney had already secured $277 million in previous settlements against Columbia for Hadden victims, bringing the hospitals' total payouts to just over $1 billion with Monday’s agreement.

"We deeply regret the pain that his patients suffered, and this settlement is another step forward in our ongoing work and commitment to repair harm and support survivors," said a spokesperson for the university, who "commended" the survivors for their "bravery." 

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Source: Fox News, 6 May 2025

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The RCPsych cannot support the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for England and Wales in its current form

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) is calling on MPs to consider serious concerns about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for England and Wales, ahead of the pivotal Commons Report stage debate and Third Reading.  

With too many unanswered questions about the safeguarding of people with mental illness, the College has concluded that it cannot support the Bill in its current form. 

RCPsych is once again sharing its expert clinical insight to support MPs in making informed decisions ahead of the debate in Westminster on Friday 16 May 2025.  

During the Committee stage of the parliamentary process, the College raised questions about the assessments of the coordinating doctor and independent doctor, and is now raising further questions about the multidisciplinary panel (which would include a psychiatrist) being proposed by the Bill. 

Dr Lade Smith CBE, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: 

"After extensive engagement with our members, and with the expertise of our assisted dying/assisted suicide working group, the RCPsych has reached the conclusion that we are not confident in the Terminally Ill Adults Bill in its current form, and we therefore cannot support the Bill as it stands. 

"It’s integral to a psychiatrist’s role to consider how people’s unmet needs affect their desire to live. The Bill, as proposed, does not honour this role, or require other clinicians involved in the process to consider whether someone’s decision to die might change with better support. 

"We are urging MPs to look again at our concerns for this once-in-a-generation Bill and prevent inadequate assisted dying/assisted suicide proposals from becoming law."

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Source: RCPsych, 13 May 2025

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Charity boss slams 'reprehensible' health trusts

Health trusts have repeatedly tried to prevent coroners from issuing Prevention of Future Death reports in order to protect their reputations, an inquiry has heard.

Deborah Coles, director of the charity Inquest, told the BBC the "reprehensible" behaviour was a pattern "played out across the country" but was "exemplified" in Essex.

She gave evidence at the Lampard Inquiry, which is looking into the deaths of more than 2,000 people being treated by NHS mental health services in Essex between 2000 and 2023.

In her evidence to the inquiry, Ms Coles said the "lack of candour" on the part of mental health trusts in Essex was the reason a statutory public inquiry needed to be held.

"It's difficult to say how traumatising that is for families when they sit in at an inquest… and then see legal representatives try and effectively stop a coroner from making a Prevention of Future Deaths report, external, which is ultimately about trying to safeguard lives in the future - and I find that reprehensible," she said.

"We are talking here about trying to protect lives and also remember those who've died where those deaths were preventable."

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Source: BBC News, 13 May 2025

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GPs split over assisted dying plans, BBC research suggests

Family doctors in England are deeply divided on the issue of assisted dying, BBC research on plans to legalise the practice suggests.

The findings give a unique insight into how strongly many GPs feel about the proposed new law - and highlight how personal beliefs and experiences are shaping doctors' views on the issue.

BBC News sent more than 5,000 GPs a questionnaire asking whether they agreed with changing the law to allow assisted dying for certain terminally ill people in England and Wales.

More than 1,000 GPs replied, with about 500 telling us they were against an assisted dying law and about 400 saying they were in favour.

Some of the 500 GPs who told us they were against the law change called the bill "appalling", "highly dangerous", and "cruel". "We are doctors, not murderers," one said.

Of the 400 who said they supported assisted dying, some described the bill as "long overdue" and "a basic human right".

It comes as MPs will this week again debate proposed changes to the controversial bill, with a vote in parliament expected on whether to pass or block it next month.

If assisted dying does become legal in England and Wales, it would be a historic change for society.

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Source: BBC News, 14 May 2025

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Government has no clear plan for NHS England abolition, say MPs

The government is abolishing NHS England without a clear plan for how it will be achieved and how it will benefit frontline care, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.

Ministers announced in March that the body responsible for overseeing the health service in England would go, with its functions brought into the Department of Health and Social Care.

But the Public Accounts Committee said it was concerned about the uncertainty being caused and urged the government to set out a clear plan within the next three months.

The government said the move would eliminate "wasteful duplication" and that detailed planning had started.

Alongside the changes at a national level, the 42 local health boards responsible for planning services are also having to shed around half of their 25,000 staff.

Committee chair and Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the changes to NHS England and local health boards amounted to a major structural reform.

He said strong decision-making and experienced staff would be vital to manage a period of "huge pressure" for the NHS.

"It has been two months since the government's decision to remove what, up until now, has been seen as a key piece of machinery, without articulating a clear plan for what comes next – and the future for patients and staff remains hazy," he added.

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Source: BBC News, 14 May 2025

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NHS medical negligence liabilities hit £58.2bn amid calls to improve patient safety

The NHS’s total liabilities for medical negligence have hit an “astounding” £58.2bn amid ministers’ failure to improve patient safety, an influential group of MPs have warned.

The Commons public accounts committee (PAC) said the “jaw-dropping” sums being paid to victims of botched treatment and government inaction to reduce errors were “unacceptable”.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has set aside £58.2bn to settle lawsuits arising from clinical negligence that occurred in England before 1 April 2024, the PAC disclosed.

“The fact that government has set aside tens of billions of pounds for clinical negligence payments, its second most costly liability after some of the world’s most complex nuclear decommissioning projects, should give our entire society pause,” said Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the PAC chair.

“This is a sign of a system struggling to do right by the people it is designed to help,” he added.

The PAC urged ministers to take urgent steps to reduce “tragic incidences of patient harm” and to also end a situation where lawyers take an “astronomical” 19% of the compensation awarded to those who are successful in suing the NHS. That amounted to £536m of the £2.8bn that the health service in England paid out in damages in 2023-24 – its record bill for mistakes.

“Far too many patients still suffer clinical negligence which can cause devastating harm to those affected,” and the ensuing damages drain vital funds from the NHS, the report said.

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Source: The Guardian, 14 May 2025

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Should health systems disclose when they’re using AI?

Should health systems tell patients when they’re using AI? UC San Diego Health says yes.

The health system uses a generative AI tool from Epic that drafts MyChart patient portal messages for providers. But UC San Diego Health notifies patients when the responses are drafted by AI with the disclosure: “Part of this message was generated automatically and was reviewed and edited by [name of physician],” according to a May 9 NEJM AI article.

Members of the organisation’s AI governance committee debated whether it was necessary, as providers use other documentation shortcuts and generative AI could elicit concern from patients, but ultimately came to the same conclusion.

“Transparency is necessary, as AI-assisted replies may stand out to patients — especially if they differ from clinicians’ usual communication style,” wrote the authors, UC San Diego Health Chief Medical Information Officer Marlene Millen, MD, Professor Ming Tai-Seale, MD, and Chief Clinical and Innovation Officer Christopher Longhurst, MD.

Lack of transparency “could lead to patients questioning the authenticity of the replies, potentially damaging the crucial doctor-patient trust,” the authors wrote. “With tens of thousands of physicians nationwide using AI to support patient communication, now is the time to begin transparent disclosure.”

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Source: Becker's Health IT, 12 May 2025

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Doctor accused of falsifying artificial mesh records

A surgeon found to have left patients in "agony" after using artificial mesh to treat prolapsed bowels faces allegations he falsified medical notes.

Tony Dixon was suspended after the surgery was found to have caused harm to hundreds of patients at two hospitals in Bristol.

Now, a new hearing will examine Dr Dixon's records. He is accused of dishonestly creating patient records long after he was involved in their care, something he "strongly denies".

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) will begin Monday. It will examine claims medical records for seven patients contained false information, and were not created at the correct time.

A spokesperson for Dr Dixon said: "[He] always endeavoured to provide the highest standard of care to his patients.

"He strongly disputes falsifying any medical records and will provide his detailed evidence about those serious allegations to the tribunal, initially by way of a detailed witness statement which he has provided to the General Medical Council."

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Source: BBC News, 12 May 2025

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Asthma figures show ‘shocking’ health inequalities in England, charity says

People from minority ethnic backgrounds in the most deprived areas of England are up to three times more likely to need emergency treatment for asthma than their white counterparts, analysis has found.

Analysis of NHS statistics conducted by the charity Asthma and Lung UK found that Asian people with asthma from the most deprived quintile in England are almost three times more likely to have an emergency admission to hospital than their white counterparts. Black people with asthma in the most deprived quintile are more than twice as likely than their white counterparts to be admitted to hospital.

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) aged between 45 and 54 in the most deprived quintile are nine times more likely to be admitted as an emergency than those in the least deprived quintile, according to the analysis.

Sarah Sleet, the charity’s chief executive, said the figures highlighted “shocking health inequalities in our society”.

Sleet said: “The UK has the worst death rate in Europe for lung conditions and they are more closely linked to inequality than any other major health condition. The fact that people from the most deprived communities and from ethnic minority backgrounds are much more likely to reach crisis point is yet another wake-up call.

“Social disadvantages – including poor housing, mould, damp and air pollution – can both cause chronic lung conditions and make them worse. And it’s the poorest in society and those in ethnic minority communities who are more likely to be living in low-quality housing and in areas with high levels of air pollution.”

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Source: The Guardian, 12 May 2025

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People in mental health crisis waiting up to three days in A&E in England

Thousands of people in a mental health crisis are enduring waits of up to three days in A&E before they get a bed, with conditions “close to torture” for those in such a distressed state.

At one hospital, some patients have become so upset at the delays in being admitted that they have left and tried to kill themselves nearby, leading nurses and the fire brigade to follow in an attempt to stop them.

A&E staff are so busy dealing with patients seeking help with physical health emergencies that security guards rather than nurses sometimes end up looking after mental health patients.

The findings are included in research by the Royal College of Nursing. Its leader, Prof Nicola Ranger, called the long waits facing those in serious mental ill health, and the difficulties faced by A&E staff seeking to care for them, “a scandal in plain sight”.

The RCN’s research into “prolonged and degrading” long stays in A&E also disclosed that:

  • Some trusts that previously had no long waits for mental health patients now have hundreds.
  • The number of people seeking help at A&E for mental health emergencies is rising steadily and reached 216,182 last year.
  • The recruitment of mental health nurses has lagged far behind the rise in demand.
  • The number of beds in mental health units has fallen by 3,699 since 2014.

Rachelle McCarthy, a senior charge nurse at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust, said: “It is not uncommon for patients with severe mental ill health to wait three days. Many become distressed and I totally understand why. I think if I was sat in an A&E department for three days waiting for a bed I would be distressed too.”

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Source: The Guardian, 13 May 2025

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Trust’s corridor care death sparks CQC concerns

Vulnerable patients at a struggling A&E died or needed intensive care after their needs “were not met” while being cared for in corridors and waiting areas, inspectors have warned after an unannounced inspection.

The Care Quality Commission has raised concerns about how some of the “most vulnerable patients” were being treated in temporary escalation spaces at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, according to a document published in board papers this month.

NHSE has said systems should “consider reporting the number of patients” in temporary escalation spaces, which include corridors or makeshift wards. Its guidance followed the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary that included scenes of patients being neglected in corridors in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Published CQC reports have since raised concerns about corridor care, but senior figures told HSJ the findings at the Royal Cornwall were among the most severe of this kind.

The inspectors said one 96-year-old woman in a temporary escalation space died following a fall and staff “were unaware of the risk of falls due to lack of verbal handover”.

Another patient “with a history of delirium” suffered a fractured collarbone from a fall in the same area of the hospital.

In another case, an incontinent patient was transferred to a “fit to sit” area but by the end of the day “had deteriorated and was in intensive care”.

The CQC’s letter said: “We were concerned the most vulnerable patients were not having their needs met when cared for in a temporary escalation space.

“We weren’t assured that every ward is accounting for additional patients in the temporary escalation areas in terms of staffing numbers and skill mix.”

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Source: HSJ, 13 May 2025

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Nurse failed to manage dying patient's pain on last night of her life, tribunal told

A Northern Ireland nurse failed to properly manage a dying patient's pain on the last night of her life, a tribunal has heard.

Veteran staff nurse Bernard McGrail has been issued with a four-month suspension order over his failings in dealing with an end-of-life care resident while on a night shift at a Spa Nursing Homes Group facility in July, 2021.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness to practice panel said Mr McGrail's misconduct had caused "emotional distress" to the family of the woman, identified as Resident A.

It added: "There was a real risk of harm to Resident A through the inadequate management of their pain on their last evening."

A remorseful and apologetic Mr McGrail admitted a series of allegations including: a failure to appropriately manage Resident A’s pain; failure to investigate whether Resident A’s syringe driver was working correctly and a failure to escalate that the alarm on Resident A’s syringe driver sounded repeatedly.

Mr McGrail also admitted that without clinical justification, he administered a 5mg doses of Apixiban to Resident B on three dates on October 2020.

And on occasions between April 2020 and May 2022 failed to administer and/or record the administration of named medications to six other residents.

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Source: Belfast Telegraph, 12 May 2025

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'The NHS at its worst', ex-ombudsman tells inquiry

A former health ombudsman has condemned mental health services for their handling of two vulnerable young men who died in their care.

Sir Rob Behrens, who was parliamentary and health service ombudsman (PHSO) from 2017 to 2024, spoke at the Lampard Inquiry, which is examining the deaths of more than 2,000 people under mental health services in Essex over a 24-year period.

Sir Rob said it was "a disgrace" how Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) had failed in its care of 20-year-old Matthew Leahy, who died in 2012, and a 20-year-old man referred to as Mr R, who died in 2008.

"This was the National Health Service at its worst and needed calling out," Sir Rob said.

Sir Rob referred in his inquiry appearance to several reports made during his tenure, including "Missed Opportunities", which looked into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Mr Leahy and Mr R.

Mr Leahy was found unresponsive at the Linden Centre in Chelmsford. He reported being raped there just days before he died.

Sir Rob told the inquiry the PHSO identified "19 instances of maladministration" in Mr Leahy's case by North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust - a predecessor to EPUT - including that his care plan was falsified.

The former ombudsman said there had been "a near-complete failure of the leadership of this trust, certainly before it was merged" with South Essex Partnership Trust to become EPUT.

"This was an indictment of the health service," he added.

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Source: BBC News, 6 May 2025

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Hay fever sufferers warned against buying Kenalog medication online

Pharmacists are warning the public against buying unlicensed hay fever medication online, including the jab Kenalog, because of safety fears.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said people should not buy Kenalog, which can be advertised on social media sites or by salons and beauty clinics.

The organisation, which represents more than 6,000 independent community pharmacies, said health staff have been receiving more and more enquiries about Kenalog.

It is concerned that medication from unregulated sellers could be fake and poses a risk to patient safety.

The drug also has known side-effects, such as increased blood pressure, dizziness, severe abdominal pain, depression and mood swings.

Kenalog is a prescription-only medicine that is not licensed for the treatment of hay fever in the UK.

It contains triamcinolone acetonide, which is a steroid injection licensed for a number of conditions such as arthritis, but not for hay fever.

In 2022, the regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) issued a joint enforcement notice about the advertising of Kenalog injections.

They told all organisations offering Kenalog as a hay fever treatment to stop advertising it on any of their social media or website advertising.

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Source: ITVX, 10 May 2025

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AHCS Honorary Fellows 2025 now open - deadline 12 June 2025

The Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) has announced that Stage 1 of the Honorary Fellowships 2025 is now open.

The AHCS Honorary Fellowships set up in 2016 to recognise the work, vision, support and input individuals who have supported AHSC in theirdevelopment and growth, in one or more of the below key areas:

  • To the formation, development, running or ideals and standards of the AHCS.
  • To the promotion and development of key aspects of Healthcare Science.
  • In areas relating to Healthcare Science and your help in promoting the professions and raising public awareness of Healthcare Science
  • In providing excellence in UK healthcare in your capacity as Presidents of Royal Colleges, medical journalists, civil servants, manufacturers, etc.

Nominations are received and reviewed by the Honorary Fellows Nominations Group and their recommendations submitted to the Professional Council for approval.

Eligibility criteria for an individual to be considered for Honorary Fellowship are an outstanding contribution:

a) To the formation, development and operation of the AHCS and/or

b) To the development and delivery of Healthcare Science in the UK. International nominations can be considered if the contribution has influenced the delivery of healthcare science in the UK and/or

c) To the significant promotion within the profession and/or in raising public awareness of the contribution of Healthcare Science in the UK and/or

d) By individuals who have worked for the AHCS, either as staff members or in a voluntary capacity.

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Source: AHCS.

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Nottinghamshire families left unaware of babies’ blood test results in second NHS error

Hundreds of families in Nottinghamshire have potentially been left unaware of whether their babies may be carriers of certain genetic blood disorders, the second such NHS error to come to light since the start of this year.

About 300 families whose children were born between 2004 and September 2024 in Bassetlaw and mid-Nottinghamshire were identified by the NHS as being affected.

Changes in how genetic testing results were communicated to families meant they may not have been informed of whether their child was a carrier of a trait for sickle cell disease or for an unusual haemoglobin gene.

NHS England said it has contacted the families affected directly by letter so that they understand what being a carrier means for them and their children.

The NHS has also said that since the error, changes have been made to the way blood results are communicated within the area to make it more robust.

In January, the Guardian reported that an error by the NHS led to more than 800 families in Derbyshire not receiving the results of a heel prick test given to babies after birth, meaning they did not know whether their child was a carrier of a trait for sickle cell disease or for an unusual haemoglobin gene. NHS officials apologised “wholeheartedly” to the families affected, saying the error “shouldn’t have happened” and that an investigation had been launched.

John James, the chief executive of the Sickle Cell Society, said: “It is unacceptable that, once again, families have not been informed of their children’s newborn screening results. The fact that this issue has now emerged in another area, over a 20-year period, highlights a catastrophic weakness in the NHS’s system for communicating test results – with distressing consequences for parents and individuals who remain unaware of this vital information.

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Source: The Guardian, 11 May 2025

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NHSE to slash targets in latest performance regime overhaul

NHS England is revising its new performance framework yet again, with a focus on slashing 77 indicators down to core priorities.

Its board signed off a version of the NHS Performance Assessment Framework just six weeks ago for consultation.

But HSJ understands engagement on that iteration was delayed as officials wanted to overhaul it again.

The March version moved integrated care boards’ regulatory performance management role to regional teams, and promised to “prevent providers being bombarded with conflicting instructions”. But it still listed 77 “delivery metrics”, covering operating objectives; finance and productivity; public health and patient outcomes; quality and inequalities.

New proposals expected this week will include significantly stripping the measures down, to primarily focus on headline performance and delivery asks in the 2025-26 planning guidance. That document axed numerous targets and asked,  which health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said would allow more local autonomy.

The new version will also seek to further clarify the changing roles of ICBs, providers, regions and the centre. 

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Source: HSJ, 12 May 2025

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Managers are being ‘re-educated’ after losing skills, says Mackey

Managers are having to be “re-educated” after losing skills in recent years, the chief executive of NHS England has said.

Speaking at the Medical Journalists’ Association’s annual lecture on Thursday, Sir Jim Mackey was asked whether he was satisfied with the calibre of managers in the NHS.

He said “generally people that work in the NHS really care about what they do” and that managers were working in highly challenging circumstances, and often in “really horrible jobs where all the risk is managed”.

But he also acknowledged a concern expressed by other NHS leaders that many managers had become “deskilled at some things”, in part due to the coronavirus pandemic and how systems have worked in the recovery period since then.

Sir Jim said: “We are having to re-skill [and] train people again in things like waiting list management, some stuff on flow and ED management, those sorts of things.

“So, they are being rebuilt, and people are being re-coached and re-educated.”

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Source: HSJ, 9 May 2025

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