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ECRI acquires The Just Culture Company to transform healthcare patient and workforce safety

ECRI, a global nonprofit organisation improving the quality and safety of healthcare in the USA has announced that it has acquired The Just Culture Company, which specialises in transforming workforce culture in high-risk industries. 

The Just Culture Company assists organisations in deploying a balanced system of accountability between the organization and employee that fosters a fair, learning culture – referred to as a “just culture” – by implementing its proprietary algorithm through advisory services, educational programmes and coaching.  

Through the acquisition of The Just Culture Company, ECRI now operates a leading cultural transformation organisation.  

“Alarming rates of preventable harm are inflicted on patients every day. By offering Just Culture programs throughout ECRI’s global network, we can prevent harm before it happens,” said Marcus Schabacker, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI. “To create lasting change and improve patient and workforce safety, we must shift from evaluating accidents and errors after they’ve taken place, to designing systems and cultures that prevent harm from happening in the first place.” 

The Just Culture Company has partnered with healthcare providers, health departments and insurers to assess and improve workforce culture, from C-Suite to frontline staff, through a holistic systems-based approach. 

“Our just culture model is founded on the principle that workforce learning, holistic system design, mentoring, and coaching are stronger interventions than the ‘shame and blame’ culture that’s so prolific in healthcare,” said David Marx, CEO of The Just Culture Company. “Errors must be recognized and addressed in a way that become learning opportunities for all the people in the system.” 

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Source: ECRI, 2 December 2024

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Scottish NHS reform 'urgently needed'

"Difficult decisions" may need to be made about whether some services can continue to be provided by the NHS in Scotland, a spending watchdog has warned.

A review by Audit Scotland said a clear plan was lacking - and that fundamental change in how NHS services are provided is "urgently needed" to cope with growing demand.

The annual report into the health sector found that, despite increased spending and staffing in the NHS, Scotland is seeing fewer patients than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said the government did have a plan, which aimed to shift the focus towards preventative care.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "The plan is to shift the balance of care from the secondary services where we're currently seeing extremely high demand in to more preventative primary care, so investing in GPs surgeries, pharmacies and optometrists to ensure people are treated earlier.

"We recognise that for too many people, they're waiting for too long and there needs to be fundamental reform of the way our health service is delivered."

The report highlighted that Scottish government commitments to reduce waiting lists and times have been missed and that delayed discharge figures are at their highest on record.

It added that NHS initiatives to improve productivity and patient outcomes have yet to have an impact, and they lack clear progress reporting.

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Source: BBC News, 3 December 2024

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Pensioner, 95, left on cold pavement with broken hip for five hours told by 999 she’s ‘not a priority’

A 95-year-old woman was left on a cold pavement for more than five hours waiting for an ambulance after the emergency services told a bystander trying to help her that she wasn’t a priority.

Winifred Soanes fell and broke her hip on Christchurch High Street in Bournemouth on 25 November.

Her husband Andrew, 92, “wouldn’t leave her side”, and several people in the area tried to help out, with local businesses offering essentials to help Winifred.

Jennifer Baylis, who works at a nearby Prama charity shop, helped throughout the day. She said: “I can’t tell you how upsetting it was, she actually said, ‘I’m going to die here tonight’”.

Ms Baylis said a number of people attempted to call an ambulance to help Winifred, but they were given no timeframe and told she was not a priority by the emergency services.

Winifred was eventually taken to Poole Hospital for treatment and is waiting for an operation, he said.

David Lovell, a bystander who was the first to call for an ambulance, said: “I can’t describe how cold it was, and as it got dark, the temperature dropped really quickly.

“She was lying on the cold pavement, and we couldn’t move her because she was in huge amounts of pain”.

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Source: The Independent, 1 December 2024

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'Palliative care is not good enough - there's no plan to fix it'

Fixing the struggling palliative care system must be an immediate priority for the government, say senior doctors, after a proposed law on assisted dying has passed to the next stage of parliament.

The Association for Palliative Medicine (APM) says there is a risk the funding needed to pay for doctors and the courts to oversee assisted dying could divert money away from care for the dying.

“The UK is often held up as having the best palliative care in the world – but that is not the case any longer. We are not getting the funding we need," said Dr Sarah Cox.

MPs voted on Friday to back changing the law in England and Wales to allow assisted dying. It is just the first parliamentary hurdle the bill needs to pass, with months more of debate and voting to come.

This week the Office for Health Economics said an increase in palliative care funding was crucial, external, with the system struggling to meet the needs of an ageing population.

At least three-quarters of people require palliative care at the end of their lives – that is around 450,000 people a year across the UK.

But a recent report by end, external-of-, externallife charity Marie Curie, external cited data showing around 100,000 go without, with half of families unhappy about the care their loved ones receive when they die. There are reports of people left in pain and with too little support.

Audits show four in 10 hospitals do not have specialist palliative care services available seven days a week.

Hospices, which provide care for around 300,000 people a year, are struggling for money. Around a third of their funding comes from the NHS, with the sector having to raise the rest themselves. A parliamentary report has described this funding system as “not fit for purpose”.

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Source: BBC News, 30 December 2024

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Reforms of NHS don’t stand a chance unless recruitment is fixed, say top nurses

Top nurses have said that planned government reforms for the health service “stand no chance” if issues with recruitment and retention in the profession are not addressed.

They made the warning as new figures show the number of nurses and midwives registered in the UK has grown to a record high.

However, experts say the workforce is “increasingly inexperienced”, faces worrying shortages and still relies heavily on candidates from overseas.

Policymakers have been urged to consider measures such as student loan forgiveness schemes to ensure there are enough homegrown staff.

The latest mid-year report from the Nursing and Midwifery Council shows there were a record 841,367 professionals on the register as of the end of September, an increase of 14,949 compared with the previous six months and 22% higher than March 2017.

Nevertheless, Prof Nicola Ranger, the general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), called the figures “bad news for patients”.

She said: “Nurse recruitment is slowing, the numbers of new starters is falling and we are witnessing a devastating increase in people leaving within five years of joining. At a time of widespread vacancies, these trends are incredibly worrying for our NHS and the people that rely on its care. Across health and care services, international recruitment was utilised to plug rota gaps, but we are now watching as thousands of overseas staff choose to go elsewhere."

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Source: The Guardian, 2 December 2024

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Letby trust CEO ‘was fit and proper’, claims chair

The former chair of the Countess of Chester Hospital said its then chief executive did not meet the threshold for failing a “fit and proper person” test, despite criticism of his treatment of paediatricians and their concerns about Lucy Letby.

Sir Duncan Nichol was giving evidence to the Thirlwall Inquiry into Letby’s murder of babies on the hospital’s neonatal unit from 2015-16. He was chair from 2012-19.

He was asked about Tony Chambers — the CEO at the time — requesting paediatric consultants attend a mediation session with Letby. The doctors had raised concerns about a link between her and babies’ deaths, leading to a falling out, and as of early 2017, she had successfully raised a grievance, and was exploring a return to clinical work.

Sarah Sutherland KC, acting for a group of families of the infants, asked Sir Duncan whether Mr Chambers had sought to “coerce” the paediatricians into the mediation.

Sir Duncan, who was also the national NHS chief executive from 1989-94, said he did not believe the doctors had been forced.  

He told the inquiry hearing: “I don’t think Tony Chambers was not a ‘fit and proper person’. I think he was in the middle of a process. I don’t believe the paediatricians were coerced into mediation. I don’t fully subscribe to this point, to the level of saying Tony Chambers wasn’t a fit and proper person.”

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Source: HSJ, 2 December 2024

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Public services complaints in England soar by more than a third since 2016 – study

Complaints about public services have soared by more than a third since 2016 with substantial jumps in relation to benefits, prisons, the NHS and higher education, according to a leading thinktank.

Demos, a cross-party organisation, found that between 2015-16 and 2023-24 complaints across key public services increased steadily by evermore than 100,000 from 309,758 to 425,624 – aside from a sharp drop during the pandemic.

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Source: Guardian, 2 December 2024

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Anger as some infected blood payouts put on hold

Some victims of the infected blood scandal have been told interim compensation payments of £100,000 due to be made before Christmas have been put on hold.

It is thought at least 10 bereaved families have received letters saying applications approved this month cannot now proceed until they submit new paperwork.

More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after being given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

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Source: BBC online, 1 December 2024

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Alder Hey children’s hospital explores ‘data breach’ after ransomware claims

A ransomware gang claims to have stolen data from the Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, allegedly including patient records.

The INC Ransom group said it had published screenshots of data on the dark web that contained the personal information of patients, donations from benefactors and procurement information.

Sources confirmed that snapshots of spreadsheets purporting to be from Alder Hey’s systems had been displayed on the INC site carrying the message “evidence of large scale data”. There were 11 screenshots, understood to contain names, addresses, medical reports and financial papers.

The Alder Hey children’s NHS foundation trust said it was aware of the alleged leak and was working to verify whether the data belonged to the hospital.

“We are aware that data has been published online and shared via social media that purports to have been obtained illegally from systems shared by Alder Hey and Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital NHS foundation trust. We are working with partners to verify the data that has been published and to understand the potential impact,” the trust said.

Alder Hey treats more than 450,000 patients a year making it one of Europe’s busiest children’s hospitals. It said its services were operating as normal and patients should continue to attend appointments.

The hospital said it was working with the National Crime Agency to secure its IT systems and that the alleged data theft was not linked to another “cyber incident” that occurred this week at the nearby Wirral university teaching hospital NHS trust. 

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Source: The Guardian, 29 November 2024

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UK medicines watchdog alerted to 18 suspected weight-loss jab deaths

ITV News has discovered that the UK’s drugs regulator has been alerted to 18 deaths with suspected links to weight-loss injections over the past four years.

The deaths, when the drugs semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide were being used for weight management, were reported to the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) between June 2020 and November 2024.

In ten of the cases, the medication was being used for weight-loss only, and in eight cases it was being used for weight-loss alongside diabetes treatment.

Lorna Edgar bought weight-loss injections online from a registered pharmacy.

Within three weeks she had lost one stone but then suffered serious side effects.

“It felt like I'd had a car crash inside me," she told ITV News. "I just collapsed on the bathroom floor. I was screaming, I couldn't move.”

She developed pancreatitis, a potentially fatal condition that causes inflammation of the pancreas, spending five days in hospital and months recovering.

“I couldn’t walk, I was bedridden, I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t get down steps, I couldn’t go to the toilet, couldn’t take my kids to school,” she recalled.

Ms Edgar had to have her gallbladder removed and now lives with chronic bowel problems.

“People just think it’s a miracle injection and you get skinny. I don't think people really are aware that it can cause long-term medical conditions,” she said.

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Source: ITV News, 27 November 2024

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MPs back landmark bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales

MPs have taken a historic step toward legalising assisted dying in England and Wales by backing a bill that would give some terminally ill people the right to end their own lives.

Campaigners in favour of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill said it was a significant move towards giving people more choice over the way they die, after the Commons backed the bill by 330 votes for to 275 against.

Brought by the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, the bill would give terminally ill adults with less than six months to live the right to die once the request has been signed off by two doctors and a high court judge.

It still has further steps to go through before becoming law, and supporters believe assisted dying will not be an option for those with a terminal diagnosis for at least three years.

Figures involved in the hospice and end-of-life care sector who are neutral on the issue called for urgent funding and reform of palliative care to make sure patients have a real choice when dying.

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Source: The Guardian, 29 November 2024

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NHS England plans cyber risk rating platform

NHS England is planning to develop a platform for assessing and managing the cyber risk in healthcare organisations.

It has indicated that it is preparing to publish a tender document for a cyber risk rating platform, and has ran a market engagement event with potential suppliers on its plans.

It said the platform would enable NHS organisations to better understand their security posture and how to mitigate potential threats that could impact on their operational activities, including the availability and management of patient data.

The move reflects the increasing focus on cyber security in the NHS.

In September NHS England announced a plan to adopt the Cyber Assessment Framework as its main mechanism for assuring relevant standards, and in October the Government’s Budget provided £2 billion for technology in the health service with an indication that this should include spending on cyber security.

NHS England also publishes cyber alerts for organisations in the sector.

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Source: UK Authority, 27 November 2024

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1,500 patients may need retest over potential results error

Hundreds of patients are being contacted over potentially incorrect results at a second NHS trust, as more laboratories report concerns over diabetes tests, HSJ understands. 

Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust was the first to report an issue over blood tests earlier this year, saying up to 11,000 patients may have received the wrong results – including a misdiagnosis of diabetes. 

But the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has confirmed to HSJ that other laboratories across the country have reported concerns over the same device, which measure glucose control. 

The Hb1AC blood test is used to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes, as well as manage existing conditions. 

A spokeswoman said clinical care was unlikely to have been affected, but doctors were reviewing individual circumstances and patients would be contacted if they needed a new test. 

Several field safety notices have now been published for the Premier Hb9210 HbA1c analyser device, manufactured by Trinity Biotech.

Dr Janine Jolly from MHRA said the regulator was working closely with the manufacturer to ensure corrective actions were being put in place. 

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Source: HSJ, 27 November 2024

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UK will have men's health strategy, government says

The UK government has announced plans for a men's health strategy.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it would help tackle some of the "biggest issues affecting men of all ages".

This may include mental health and suicide prevention, heart disease and prostate cancer.

The strategy is expected to be published next year.

Men die nearly four years earlier than women, on average, and are disproportionally affected by a number of conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the government, external.

They are also less likely to seek help for mental-health issues.

Streeting also highlighted social-media pressures, saying men faced similar issues to women around their self-esteem and body image and he would not "shy away" from the need to focus on men’s health.

"Nothing frustrates me more than when men’s health and women’s health are somehow pitted in opposition to each other, as if by focusing on a men’s health strategy we are in any way detracting from the brilliant work that successive governments have been doing on women’s health and actually much more work we need to do," he added.

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Source: BBC News, 28 November 2024

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Chair’s ‘insidious’ bullying ‘drove out trust CEO’

An acute trust’s former chief executive was driven out by “manipulative and insidious” bullying by its current chair, she has told a tribunal.

Susan Gilby left the Countess of Chester Hospital Foundation Trust at the end of 2022 following a breakdown in relations with chair Ian Haythornthwaite.

She is claiming unfair dismissal against the trust and Mr Haythornthwaite, saying she was “bullied, harassed and undermined” by the chair.

Dr Gilby joined the Countess initially as medical director in August 2018. This was shortly after its neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, later convicted of murder and attempted murder of babies, had first been arrested, and with investigations ongoing. Dr Gilby was made CEO in 2019, and was in post throughout the peak covid periods, before being suspended in December 2022, and resigning shortly after.

According to court documents, issues first arose in late 2021 when a new chair, Mr Haythornthwaite, was appointed.

Mr Haythornthwaite made efforts to “assert control through his subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) bullying techniques”, according to Dr Gilby, a former intensive care consultant and medical director.

“He would often tell me that ‘people’ (who he refused to name) had ‘said things’ about me, but would refuse to elaborate further,” Dr Gilby wrote in her witness statement.

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Source: HSJ, 28 November 2024

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Rise in number of pregnant women in England not getting help they need, survey finds

More than a third of pregnant women in England do not always get help from maternity staff during labour or childbirth, the NHS care regulator has found.

Even more – almost half – do not always get help when they are in hospital after giving birth, a Care Quality Commission (CQC) survey of almost 19,000 women’s experiences of maternity care found.

A significant minority of women do not have confidence in the staff who look after them when they are receiving antenatal care (30%), during their labour and birth (23%) and after they have delivered their child (31%), the research also shows.

In addition, one in seven do not get the pain relief they feel they need during labour and birth and a quarter are unable to ask staff questions after their baby’s birth.

The worrying findings underline the already acute concern about the quality of care provided by NHS maternity services in England, many of which the CQC has deemed to be unsafe.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 November 2024

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First breakthrough in treating asthma attacks in 50 years hailed as a ‘game-changer’

A new way of treating serious asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attacks could be a “game-changer” and is the first leap in treatment for 50 years, researchers say.

Offering patients an injection is more effective than the current care of steroid tablets and cuts the need for further treatment by 30%, according to a study.

Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets specific white blood cells, called eosinophils, to reduce lung inflammation.

It is currently used as a repeat treatment for severe asthma at a low dose, but a new clinical trial has found that a higher single dose can be very effective if injected at the time of a flare-up.

Scientists at King’s said steroids can have severe side-effects such as increasing the risk of diabetes and osteoporosis, meaning switching to benralizumab could provide huge benefits.

Lead investigator Professor Mona Bafadhel, from King’s, said: “This could be a game-changer for people with asthma and COPD.

“Treatment for asthma and COPD exacerbations have not changed in 50 years, despite causing 3.8 million deaths worldwide a year combined.

“Benralizumab is a safe and effective drug already used to manage severe asthma.

“We’ve used the drug in a different way – at the point of an exacerbation – to show that it’s more effective than steroid tablets, which is the only treatment currently available.”

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Source: The Guardian, 28 November 2024

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Long wait for NHS mental healthcare has ‘stark consequences for children’s life chances’

One in three child and adolescent consultant psychiatrist posts in England are vacant, according to a “shocking” analysis laying bare the workforce crisis that experts say is fuelling “unacceptable” long waits for NHS care. Dr Elaine Lockhart, a consultant paediatric liaison psychiatrist who works in NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), describes the frustrating but rewarding daily battle to meet the soaring demand and to help those most in need.

At a time when children’s mental health is supposed to be a public policy priority, waiting times for children’s and adolescent mental health services are unacceptably long. Some children wait more than two years to be treated. And that delay can have stark consequences for their mental health and their life chances.

Some of our most vulnerable children are ending up in crisis, needing urgent referrals and emergency care when they should have been treated effectively months before and allowed to enjoy what they will miss out on: their childhood.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 November 2024

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Prisoners denied dignity while receiving NHS care, watchdog finds

A female inmate remained handcuffed to a male prison officer while she had a mammogram, in an example of prisoners being denied their dignity while receiving NHS care, a watchdog has revealed.

The incident is highlighted in a report by the Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) into the difficulties prisoners can face when they leave jail to see a GP or visit a hospital.

Some inmates are put on a long chain, with the prison officer guarding them staying just outside the room, while others are made to wait in cupboards for their appointments, it found.

A government spokesperson said the report’s findings, based on interviews with more than 120 prisoners, were “deeply concerning”, especially about problems experienced by female inmates.

The prospect that prisoners will not have the same dignity and privacy during NHS appointments as other patients is a key reason why more than half do not attend those which occur outside prison.

HSSIB found that “did not attend” (DNA) rates for outpatient appointments during 2024 for those in prison “were high, at 52% and 57% for males and females respectively. This compares to a DNA rate in the general population of 26% for both sexes”, it said.

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Source: The Guardian, 28 November 2024

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‘I acted in good faith’ says Letby trust CEO

A former trust chief executive at the centre of the Lucy Letby scandal has defended his actions, stating both he and other executives were “acting in good faith”.

Tony Chambers, who led The Countess of Chester Foundation Trust from December 2012 until September 2018, spoke publicly for the first time since Letby’s conviction last year, giving evidence to the public inquiry into the events.

Neonatal nurse Letby was convicted last year of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder seven more, from 2015-16, while working in the hospital.

Mr Chambers told the inquiry on Wednesday: “I stand by the decisions that we made. We were acting in good faith. I was acting in good faith. I listened to the doctors when they raised their concerns. I also listened to the nurses when they raised their support [for Letby].”

Since her conviction, Chester paediatricians have accused the executives of pushing back on concerns they raised, rather than taking them seriously. Part of their response was to commission several internal and external reviews.

Mr Chambers defended his actions. “I was being presented with things that, at times, felt quite binary. I never took a binary view. I listened to both. 

“Therefore, Letby was removed from frontline duties and therefore we also focused on the safety of the unit, redesignated [downgraded it so it did not take high-risk cases] and so forth, and all the inquiries that went through were done all in good faith.

“The biggest cause of unnatural, unexplained deaths in maternity and neonatal units is not deliberate harm, but failure in systems of care. There are many examples. The Kirkup report, the Ockenden report, many, many examples.”

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Source: HSJ, 27 November 2024

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‘Heroic leadership’ has prevented action on staff violence, says CEO

A “heroic” model of leadership has meant the NHS hasn’t made enough progress in tackling violence and aggression against staff and promoting sexual safety, a trust chief has said.

Sam Higginson, chief executive of Royal Devon University Healthcare Foundation Trust, said NHS leaders “probably haven’t done as much as we could have done in the past” to reduce violence and aggression and promote sexual safety.

In an interview with HSJ, Mr Higginson said these safety issues have been raised consistently in the RDUH’s staff surveys, and leaders need to talk about them “a lot more.”

In the latest NHS staff survey, the number of staff reporting physical violence from patients or members of the public was at 13.5 per cent nationally, and 12 per cent at RDUH. This proportion has been falling slightly in recent years but widespread concerns about staff safety remain.

A union has warned recently that NHS England is cutting several national initiatives aimed at reducing violence against staff.

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Source: HSJ, 27 November 2024

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Dallas anaesthesiologist convicted of tampering with IV bags sentenced to 190 years in prison

A Dallas anaesthesiologist who injected dangerous drugs into patient IV bags, leading to one death and numerous cardiac emergencies, was sentenced today to 190 years in prison.

Raynaldo Riviera Ortiz Jr., 60, was charged by criminal complaint in September 2022 and indicted the following month on charges related to tampering with IV bags used at a local surgical centre.

In April, following an eight-day trial, a jury convicted him of four counts of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of tampering with a consumer product and five counts of intentional adulteration of a drug. He was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge David Godbey for the Northern District of Texas, who found that Dr. Ortiz caused the death of his colleague and called his other conduct “tantamount to attempted murder.”

“The defendant betrayed the trust of patients by tampering with critical medical supplies, and the result was serious bodily injury,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of these offenses and should make clear that the department will work tirelessly to investigate and prosecute anyone who endangers patients by tampering with drugs.”

“This disgraced doctor acted no better than an armed assailant spraying bullets indiscriminately into a crowd. Dr. Ortiz tampered with random IV bags, apparently unconcerned with who he hurt. But he wielded an invisible weapon, a cocktail of heart-stopping drugs, concealed inside an IV bag designed to help patients heal,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas. “On at least nine separate occasions, he essentially attacked unconscious patients lying on an operating table, and even killed a colleague.  I am so proud of our office’s work in bringing Dr. Ortiz to justice and bringing a measure of solace to his victims and their families.”

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Source: Office of Public Affairs, 20 November 2024

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Bone-on-bone agony: the cruel reality of facing a three-year waiting list for a new knee

When Alexandra McTeare was told she might have to wait three years for knee replacement surgery, she felt desperate. “Because of how miserable your life is, how small it has become,” she says.

The problems with her knee started in 2017. “It was painful and would swell up, particularly in the heat.” She would take painkillers and keep her leg elevated when she was sitting down, and did stretching exercises for her muscles. But over the next few years, “it gradually got worse, the intervals between swelling episodes reduced and the pain increased”. It reached a point where it was no longer bearable.

Ten years ago, McTeare could get a GP appointment within a week. “Now, you phone up and you’re lucky if you get an appointment within a month, and nine times out of 10 it’ll be a nurse practitioner.” McTeare has nothing against nurse practitioners; she used to be a nurse herself and she was working for the NHS when they were introduced to GP practices. “But they’re not appropriate for everything,” she says. “People do need to be able to see a GP.”

Her knee didn’t get better. The opposite happened. “I didn’t believe it was a torn meniscus, it was going on and on, so I decided: to hell with it, I’ll pay and see somebody privately.” In March 2023, she saw an orthopaedic consultant, got an X-ray, was told she had arthritis in her knee and needed a total knee replacement. It took no more than half an hour and cost her £400. McTeare says she is lucky she could raise the money for a private consultation. But she wants to make something clear: “I have always despised private medicine.”

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Source: The Guardian, 27 November 2024

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NHSE board members face regulation under government proposals

A major consultation on introducing professional regulation of NHS managers and leaders proposes applying the measures to NHS England board members.

One of the questions in the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation on regulating NHS managers, published this afternoon, asks participants whether “appropriate board members at arms-length bodies (for example, NHS England)” should face a system of regulation.

However, the consultation does not ask participants whether NHSE employees should be included in plans for an individual statutory duty of candour, which could see managers face legal penalties for failing to report safety concerns.

Instead, it only asks if managers at Care Quality Commission-regulated organisations should face tougher legal accountability, and at which level this should be considered.

The consultation, set to run for 12 weeks, will consider the type of regulatory system that would be deemed appropriate, which managers should be in scope, what kind of body should be responsible for its regulation, and what types of standards managers should be required to demonstrate.

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Source: HSJ, 27 November 2024

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Plans to end NHS dental care crisis not working, warns spending watchdog

Plans to end the deepening crisis in access to NHS dental care are failing, leaving patients unable to get treatment, according to a warning from the government’s spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office’s (NAO) damning verdict on the “dental recovery plan” prompted patient groups to voice alarm that people’s struggles with decayed teeth represents “a serious public health concern”.

A pledge to provide an extra 1.5m treatments in England this year is in disarray amid falls in both the number of dentists doing NHS work and people receiving help from them.

There is “significant uncertainty” as to whether that ambition will be fulfilled because two key elements of the plan have not been achieved, an NAO investigation found. None of the promised new fleet of mobile dental vans has appeared and £20,000 “golden hellos”, to entice 240 dentists to work in areas of acute shortage, have only produced one extra dentist.

The plan, launched in February by the then Conservative government, promised that “everyone who needs to see a dentist will be able to do so” during 2024-25.

However, “based on initial analysis to date, the plan is not on track to deliver the additional courses of treatment,” the NAO concluded.

Even if the plan did provide what was promised, the NHS would still be offering 2.6m fewer treatments this year than before Covid hit in early 2020, it added.

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Source: The Guardian, 27 November 2024

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