Jump to content
  • articles
    9,848
  • comments
    83
  • views
    12,486,938

Contributors to this article

About this News

Articles in the news

‘No solution’ after firm’s closure leaves children waiting for diagnosis

A trust has paused autism assessments of primary school-aged children after being unable to find a “cost effective” provider.

Northampton General Hospital Trust has struggled to source an affordable provider for autism assessments for children aged 5 to 11 in West Northamptonshire after its previous provider, Target Autism, was shut at the end of August on the retirement of its owners.

The trust said in board papers that it has “currently no solution” for what it called a “significant challenge”, despite the provider’s closure being public since at least March.

Services for children with special educational needs in the county already face significant challenges, with families describing years-long waits for assessments. The Care Quality Commission identified “systemic failings” in West Northamptonshire’s SEND provision in March. 

Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board, in its own board papers, raised “serious concerns about the risk of reduced services and impact on children and families”. It said they are experiencing “pathway uncertainty” and “inadequate communication” about waiting times and service gaps. 

Many impacted families have already waited years for an assessment, and had not received adequate communication over the closure of Target Autism, according to feedback collected by a local parents and carers group, West Northants Voices in Partnership.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 23 October 2024

Read more

Copenhagen’s plan to end patient safety incident reporting system condemned as backward

The Danish government wants to abolish healthcare professionals' obligation to report unintentional incidents with patients, a system that has existed for 20 years and is still considered a success.

In its recent budget proposal for 2025, the Danish coalition government repeals the 20-year-old obligation for healthcare workers to report “unintentional incidents” to municipalities and regions, which then anonymise these reports and register them in the Danish Patient Safety Database.

The decision has sent shockwaves through the Danish health community since the system is considered effective.

“Yes, it is a success. The obligation to report errors has created a culture of patient safety that has led to more errors and cases being reported and learned from during the years,” Annette Wandel, Deputy Director at the Danish Patients Association, told Euractiv. She is afraid that the budget proposal would undermine this.

The move, which will also close the national database, is a part of the government’s de-bureaucratisation ambition to cut the number of civil servants in Denmark.

The Danish Nurses’ Association considers the implementation would send Denmark back 20 years.

“It is unique in Denmark that we have created a system where employees can safely report errors to prevent the same errors from happening again,” Harun Demirtas, deputy chairman of the Danish Nurses' Council, told TV 2.

Camilla Rathcke, chairwoman of the Danish Medical Association, called it a bombshell: “Improving patient safety through learning is an ongoing process - it's not something the health system will stop. If you want patient safety and a learning healthcare system."

She added: "It makes no sense to close the database. On the contrary, more effort should be put into learning from its data,” she told the union newspaper Ugeskrift for Laeger.

Read full story

Source: EURACTIV, 18 September 2024

Read more

Hundreds more babies in US died than expected in months after Roe was overturned

In the 18 months after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, leading more than a dozen states to implement near-total abortion bans, hundreds more babies died than expected, new research has found.

The study, which was conducted by researchers from the Ohio State University and published on Monday in Jama Pediatrics, compared data on infant mortality from the months before Roe’s downfall with data from afterward. Overall infant mortality, they found, rose by 7% in October 2022, March 2023 and April 2023.

On average, in those months, researchers found that there were roughly 247 more infant deaths a month than expected. In six out of those 18 months, mortality among infants with congenital anomalies rose by 10%. In those months, there were about 210 more deaths a month than expected.

Infant mortality rates never dropped lower than expected.

This study is the latest to examine how Roe’s demise has affected babies’ health. In June, another study estimated that, after Texas outlawed abortions past roughly six weeks of pregnancy, the number of infants who died in their first year of life rose by 13%.

The researchers behind that study also found that deaths among infants with congenital anomalies spiked.

These conditions can frequently be detected in utero and, in states where abortion is still legal, lead people to terminate their pregnancies, especially since they may be incompatible with life. However, that may no longer be an option for people living under abortion bans.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 22 October 2024

Read more

Hospital warned over safety and ‘undermining behaviour’

Regulators are carrying out “enhanced monitoring” of clinical radiology services at a major London hospital, after concerns about safety and “undermining behaviour”.

The General Medical Council introduced the special measures on the department at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow last month, it has emerged, after concerns were raised in the regulator’s annual survey by higher specialty trainees.

Enhanced monitoring is used when a department or hospital has failed to improve after concerns have been raised locally, and where the GMC feels the quality of training could affect patient safety or junior doctors’ ability to progress.

In relation to Northwick Park’s clinical radiology, issues highlighted included staff behaviour, whether there is a “supportive environment”, trainee safety, clinical supervision out of hours, educational supervision, and resources for trainers.

GMC medical director and director for education and standards Professor Colin Melville said it was concerned about “the quality of training in the department and undermining behaviours”.

He added: “We’ll continue to work closely with NHS England London to make sure an improvement plan is implemented. We will check that progress is being made to make sure trainees and registrants are working in a safe, supportive, and sustainable training environment.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 23 October 2024

Read more

Staff at care scandal trust have ‘little left to give’ as spending controls bite

Staff at a scandal-hit trust feel “undervalued and without any autonomy” due to newly imposed financial controls, according to internal emails.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust employees have told executives they have “little left to give” due to what CEO Ifti Magid called the “top-downism” of spending restrictions, according to an all-employee message.

The trust was criticised by the care watchdog earlier this year for a “series of errors, omissions, and misjudgements” in the case of Valdo Calocane, a patient with paranoid schizophrenia who killed three people in Nottingham last year.

In a message to staff sent this month and seen by HSJ, Dr Susan Elcock, deputy CEO and executive medical director, said: “It’s incredibly tough at the moment without any shadow of doubt and many colleagues have expressed feeling that they have very little left to give.

The email added: “…I have heard from a few colleagues about what a small act of kindness can do to help.”

“This then feels at real odds with how it is feeling being on the end of many restrictions and controls that have been put in place and are either being tightened or further restrictions added.

“In many instances, colleagues have fed back that this “top downism” that Ifti has coined the phrase of, leaves you feeling unvalued and without any autonomy.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 22 October 2024

Read more

Is the system letting down people who were harmed by Covid vaccines?

There is nothing in life that is free of risk. That includes vaccines. But the evidence is compelling that the benefits of getting immunised with those vaccines recommended in the UK far outweigh the possibility of serious side effects.

The level of benefit from Covid vaccines is well documented. And the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is credited with saving more lives, external in the first year of its use than any other - 6.3m globally compared to 5.9m for Pfizer/BioNTech’s jab.

However, we need to discuss not just the huge positives that Covid vaccines brought, but also the small minority left injured or bereaved by the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Around 50 families affected by rare blood clots have begun a group legal action for compensation under the Consumer Protection Act, arguing that the vaccine was not as safe as the public were entitled to expect.

They are a tiny fraction of all those vaccinated, but that is no comfort to the families affected, who feel like they have been airbrushed out of the pandemic and that their pleas for support have been ignored.

Those families include Jane and Ian Wrigley from Buckinghamshire. Jane, 62, used to run, ski and climb mountains. Now she can barely walk due to extreme weakness down her left-hand side.

Two weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021, Jane was admitted to hospital. She suffered blood clots in her brain and required emergency surgery to remove part of her skull. Jane’s medical records clearly state that she suffered these blood clots as a direct side effect of the vaccine.

Her husband Ian is now her full-time carer. Jane told me: “Before I had the vaccine I was a very independent, active woman doing half marathons and enjoying my life. Now I’ve lost every bit of independence.”

Her case, and those of others affected by blood clots, raises serious questions about whether the system is letting down those who have suffered serious harm as a result of taking Covid vaccines.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 23 October 2024

Related reading on the hub:

Read more

How to fix the NHS? Free waffles and a maximum BMI for nurses

A website launched by Sir Keir Starmer to hear the public’s ideas on how to change the NHS has been flooded with unusual responses, including a maximum BMI for nurses and free waffles for every patient.

Before the launch of the website on Monday, the prime minister said it was time to “roll up our sleeves and fix” the NHS, and asked the public for suggestions on how to do it. “We have a clear plan to fix the health service but it’s only right that we hear from the people who rely on the NHS every day to have their say and shape our plan as we deliver it,” he said.

In a video launching the website, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said: “We all owe the NHS a debt of gratitude … I’m calling on you to help us fix it. This government is launching a ten-year plan to turn the NHS around but we can’t do this alone.

“We want patients and NHS staff to have your fingerprints all over it. Whether you work in the NHS or use it as a patient, you see firsthand what’s great but what isn’t working and we need to hear your experiences of the NHS to get your ideas about how to change it.

“So please add your voice today by following the options below. It’s quick, easy and it’ll be worth it. Because if we get this right then together we can take the NHS from the worst crisis in its history, get it back on its feet and make it fit for the future. So get involved.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: The Times, 21 October 2024

Read more

AI to help doctors spot broken bones on X-rays

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to reduce the number of broken bones missed when doctors analyse X-rays, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The health assessment body says research suggests the technology is safe and could speed up diagnosis, relieving pressure on clinicians and reducing the need for some follow-up appointments.

AI will not be working alone - each image will be reviewed by a healthcare professional.

NICE says broken bones are missed in 3-10% of cases - it is the most common diagnostic error in emergency departments.

And the trained experts who perform and analyse thousands of X-ray images every day in the NHS are in short supply, with a huge workload.

Vacancy rates are 12.5% for radiologists and 15% for radiographers, according to the long-term plan for the NHS in England, external.

The solution, according to NICE, is to harness the power of AI to work alongside clinicians.

Mark Chapman, director of health technology at NICE, said it would make their job easier.

“These AI technologies are safe to use and could spot fractures which humans might miss, given the pressure and demands these professional groups work under," he said.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 22 October 2024

Read more

NHS delays mean ‘death sentence’ for some patients, says Wes Streeting

Some NHS patients have received a “death sentence” due to delays within the health service, Wes Streeting has said, as Keir Starmer stressed the need for more use of AI and technology.

The health secretary was speaking alongside the prime minister at the launch of what they described as the “biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since it was founded 76 years ago”.

But while Keir Starmer tried to take an optimistic tone, alluding to the benefits and opportunities that could arise from a public conversation, Streeting warned the NHS is in “such a poor state, I’m amazed we’re not still using carrier pigeons”.

Streeting said: “The NHS is going through what is objectively the worst crisis in its history, whether it’s people struggling to get access to their GP, dialling 999 and an ambulance not arriving in time, turning up to A&E departments and waiting far too long, sometimes on trolleys in corridors, or going through the ordeal of knowing that you’re waiting for a diagnosis that could be the difference between life and death.

“Worse still, receiving a prognosis that amounts to a death sentence that could have been avoided, because the NHS didn’t reach you in time.

“That is, I’m afraid, the daily reality in the NHS today.”

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 21 October 2024

Read more

AI does not necessarily lead to more efficiency in clinical practice

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in hospitals and patient care is steadily increasing. Especially in specialist areas with a high proportion of imaging, such as radiology, AI has long been part of everyday clinical practice.

However, the question of the extent to which AI actually influences workflows in a clinical setting remains largely unanswered. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn have therefore conducted a comprehensive analysis of existing studies on the effect of AI. They were able to show that AI does not automatically lead to an acceleration of work processes. Their results have now been published in the journal npj Digital Medicine.

Although AI is often seen as a solution for handling routine tasks such as monitoring patients, documenting care tasks and supporting clinical decisions, the actual effects on work processes are unclear. Particularly in data-intensive specialties such as genomics, pathology and radiology, where AI is already being used to recognise patterns in large amounts of data and prioritise cases, there is a lack of reliable data on efficiency gains.

"We wanted to find out to what extent AI solutions actually improve efficiency in medical imaging," explains Katharina Wenderott, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at the University of Bonn at the UKB's Institute for Patient Safety (IfPS). "The widespread assumption that AI automatically speeds up work processes often falls short."

"Our results make it clear that the use of AI in everyday clinical practice must be considered in a differentiated way," emphasises Prof. Matthias Weigl, Director of the IfPS at the UKB, who also conducts research at the University of Bonn. "Local conditions and individual work processes have a major influence on the success of implementation."

Read full story

Source: Digital Health News, 18 October 2024

Read more

Wes Streeting unveils plans for ‘patient passports’ to hold all medical records

Wes Streeting is to unveil plans for portable medical records giving every NHS patient all their information stored digitally in one place on Monday, despite fears over breaching privacy and creating a target for hackers.

The health secretary is launching a major consultation on the government’s plans to transform the NHS from “analogue to digital” over the next decade. It will offer “patient passports” containing health data that can be swiftly accessed by GPs, hospitals and ambulance services.

New laws are also set to be introduced on Wednesday to make patient health records available across all NHS trusts in England. It will speed up patient care, reduce repeat medical tests and minimise medication errors, he said.

The digital data bill will standardise information systems across the NHS, making it possible to share electronic records across all parts of the service, and bringing them together in a single patient record on the NHS app.

Streeting moved to allay patients’ fears over “big brother” oversight of private records, telling the Guardian that they would be “protected and anonymised” as the government pursued new technological opportunities.

He also defended the government’s plan to transform healthcare in England by working with big tech and pharma companies to develop new treatments, saying he would get the “best possible deal” for the NHS.

The health secretary told the Guardian the development “will mean the NHS can work hand in hand with the life sciences sector, offering access to our large and diverse set of data”.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 21 October 2024

Related reading on the hub:

Read more

White women most likely to get HRT prescriptions in England, study finds

Menopausal women of Chinese and black African backgrounds are about 80% less likely to receive hormone replacement therapy than white women, according to a large-scale study.

HRT is one of the most common treatments for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, poor sleep and vaginal dryness. It can also help maintain muscle strength and prevent osteoporosis.

But a 10-year study of nearly 2 million women in England has found worrying inequalities in women’s access to HRT.

Academics at the University of Oxford examined HRT prescriptions issued in England to 1,978,348 women aged 40 to 60 over a 10-year period.

Findings presented at the World Congress on Menopause in Melbourne on Monday revealed that between 2013 and 2023, almost six times as many white women were prescribed HRT than black women, and more than twice as many women in affluent areas were offered HRT than those living in socially deprived areas.

While previous studies have identified unequal access to HRT, the academics believe this is the first study to quantify the likelihood of receiving it, having adjusted for age, deprivation and ethnicity.

Over the 10 years they found that, compared with their white counterparts, women of Chinese backgrounds were 82% less likely, and those of black African backgrounds 79% less likely, to receive HRT. Women from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian backgrounds were respectively 70%, 64% and 61% less likely to be on HRT.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 21 October 2024

Read more

Ambulance staff told to leave patients in hospital corridors

A health minister has defended plans for ambulances to leave patients in hospital corridors after 45 minutes to be able to respond faster to 999 calls.

While emergency doctors have criticised the move, Stephen Kinnock, the care minister, said the policy had “worked very well” in London.

The Times revealed that NHS England has told ambulance services to think about adopting the “drop and go” system used in London, which is credited with cutting response times for heart attacks and strokes.

Ambulance bosses argue it is safer to leave patients in hospital — even if they have not yet been admitted — rather than risk delays in reaching life-threatening emergencies.

However, A&E doctors insist that it is “not acceptable” to abandon patients without a proper handover and assessment by hospital staff and warn of rows between staff as the health service anticipates a tough winter.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: The Times, 21 October 2024

Related reading on the hub:

Read more

Woman died of sepsis after being ‘abandoned in hospital corridor’

A woman died of sepsis after being “abandoned” for ten hours on a hospital trolley in a busy A&E corridor, an inquest was told.

Tamara Davis, 31, was left to “fend for herself” as she coughed up blood in the corridor of the A&E department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in December 2022.

She had been taken to hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties and collapsing at home. Davis was diagnosed with a respiratory infection and initially placed in a resuscitation room and given oxygen. However, she was moved into the corridor when another patient needed the room and left on a trolley, even as her condition became progressively worse.

At one stage there were 20 patients being treated in the hospital corridor as there was “nowhere else to put patients”, the inquest at West Sussex coroner’s court was told on Monday.

When her condition deteriorated further she was moved back to a resuscitation cubicle and from there she was transferred to intensive care. She died the following day from sepsis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection or injury.

Joanne Andrews, the West Sussex coroner, said she would write to the Department of Health and NHS England to voice her concerns over the use of corridors to treat patients.

Recording a conclusion of death by natural causes, she said: “In relation to the use of corridors, this does to me create a substantial concern.”

However, she added: “There is no evidence of the patient having been placed in a corridor caused or contributed to her death in these circumstances.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: The Times, 15 October 2024

Related reading on the hub:

Read more
 

More babies harmed in Letby’s care, files suggest

New evidence seen by the BBC suggests more babies in Lucy Letby’s care were harmed – and in one case poisoned with insulin.

The former nurse was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others - including trying to kill two with insulin at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit between June 2015 and June 2016.

BBC One's Panorama has seen documents which suggest a third baby may have also been poisoned within hours of Letby taking over the boy’s care.

Medical records reveal the infant’s blood sugar level plummeted and lab results indicated he had suspiciously high levels of insulin.

Panorama has also discovered that potentially life-threatening incidents involving infants occurred on almost a third of Letby’s 33 shifts while she was training at Liverpool Women's Hospital in 2012 and 2015.

The programme’s revelations follow months of criticism of the prosecution’s case in her first trial. A number of experts have challenged the medical evidence used to convict Letby, as well as the way statistics were put forward in court.

In August 2023, the 33-year-old was sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole. Letby was then found guilty of attempting to murder a seventh baby at a second trial in July this year, and sentenced to a 15th whole-life prison term.

Panorama has examined mounting questions from leading statisticians and medical experts about the safety of her convictions.

But as part of the programme, new evidence has also emerged of other sick and premature babies potentially being harmed while in Letby’s care.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 21 October 2024

Read more

Only a third of NHSE staff think it has a ‘clear vision’

A survey showing only a third of NHS England staff believe it has a “clear vision” for the future has been described as ”not as challenging as could be expected” by the organisation. 

It is NHSE’s first full staff survey since its major restructuring and merger with Health Education England and NHS Digital, which has seen around 7,000 posts cut, and widespread irritation with how how the changes were handled.

The summary report from the 2024 staff survey (attached below), obtained by HSJ, highlights particular problems with morale, and failures to develop staff.  

Among NHSE’s worst scores were whether staff felt it had a “clear vision for the future” (33 per cent agreed), while only 26% “feel like I am part of my organisation’s vision for the future”, and just 36% agreed the organisation would address staff concerns if they spoke up.

However, an NHSE executive team presentation report on the results said: “This year’s results should be considered against the backdrop of ongoing organisational change, which can significantly impact staff engagement levels and decreased morale. 

“Independent feedback from our survey providers indicates that the results are not as challenging as could be expected, given the scale and complexity of NHSE’s change programme.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 16 October 2024

Read more

'Rules not followed' at home where 7 people died

Measures to protect residents from Covid at a care home where seven elderly people died were not “effectively or consistently” followed by staff, a coroner has ruled.

William Wilkinson, 102, Doris Lockett, 92, Roy Gilliam, 96, Jean Hartley, 81, Susan Skinner, 70, Ronald Bampfylde, 92, and Stanislawa Koch, 93, all died in March or April 2021 after contracting coronavirus at the Holmesley Care Home in Sidford, Devon.

The deaths all came at the height of the Covid pandemic when rules were in place intended to protect residents from infection.

After the inquest on Thursday, Mick Koch - son of Ms Koch - said he wanted to take the matter further and see it scrutinised at the national Covid inquiry.

Alison Longhorn, area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, said that while there were proper processes at the home these “were not effectively or consistently followed” by all the staff working there.

Earlier in the inquest, it was heard two staff members - manager Joanne Burchell and nurse Christos Provistallis - had been arrested on suspicion of ill-treatment or wilful neglect in connection with the deaths. CPS officials decided there was not a realistic prospect of conviction.

Allegations were heard during the inquest that Mr Provistallis refused to wear a face mask after claiming "Covid was a conspiracy".

Others alleged Ms Burchell had not sent sick staff home due to shortages and had ignored positive lateral flow test results.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 18 October 2024

Read more

'World-first' study examines period pain in teens

A new study will seek to identify changes in the brain when teenagers experience period pain and whether it is linked to developing chronic pain in later life.

In what is described as a world first, researchers at the University of Oxford will conduct a trial of 11 to 20-year-olds using a range of tests including MRI scans.

Half of the 120 volunteers recruited into the RoADPain, external project will suffer from period pain and half will not.

Dr Katy Vincent, Professor of Gynaecological Pain, said not enough was known about severe period pain despite it being "incredibly common".

"I think it's really important that we take period pain seriously," she said.

"About 30% to 40% of teenagers and young women will have periods that are so painful that they can't go to work, can't go to school, can't do their normal activities.

"If we can reduce the risk of people developing chronic pain in the future, that would be so much easier than trying to treat it once it's developed."

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 17 October 2024

Read more
 

Repair bill for crumbling NHS buildings in England soars to almost £14bn

The cost of repairing crumbling NHS buildings in England has soared to almost £14bn, prompting warnings that patients and staff are at risk from falling roofs and faulty equipment.

The repair bill faced by the health service to make its estate fit for purpose has more than trebled from £4.5bn in 2012-13 to £13.8bn last year, according to NHS England data.

The latest bill means that, for the first time since records began, it would cost the NHS more to eradicate its maintenance backlog than the £13.6bn it spends on running its entire estate.

“Vital bits of the NHS are literally falling apart after years of underinvestment nationally. The safety of patients and staff is at risk,” said Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 17 October 2024

Read more

Trust eliminated year-long waits ‘by employing an administrator’

A community trust cut waiting times for one of its children’s services from a year to seven weeks, in large part by employing a dedicated administrator, it has said.

A Kent Community Health Foundation Trust board report said it had employed what it initially described as a “business manager” to take burden off clinicians in its East Sussex children’s therapies service.

CEO Mairead McCormick’s report said this had “resulted in a fall in waiting lists from an average of one year to seven weeks”.

She said: ”This freed up time in the initial assessment and ongoing sessions for the therapist to deliver best practice and concentrate on working with the child, rather than discussing wait times and when the next appointment may be.

“It also gave families peace of mind and managed their expectations as a schedule of sessions was provided immediately.”

The claim generated huge interest on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday when shared by HSJ, with many of the posts highlighting the importance of investing in non-clinical staff and management.

However, some clinicians suggested the reduction had probably involved the trust removing people from the wating list.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 16 October 2024

Read more

A mother blamed herself for her baby’s death for a decade. Now the hospital has admitted it made fatal errors

For a decade after her baby Kaiden was stillborn, Hayley Brunt blamed herself for the child’s death.

The “deep grief” in believing she had been to blame for her baby’s death sent Hayley’s mental health into a spiral so bad she made multiple attempts to take her life, and caused her extreme anxiety during later pregnancies.

Now Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has admitted that its own mistakes led to the death of Kaiden in 2013.

Ms Brunt, 27, is one of almost 2,000 families whose maternity care will be scrutinised by an inquiry led by Donna Ockenden. The probe was launched by Sajid Javid, then the secretary of state for health and social care, after The Independent revealed in 2021 that dozens of babies and mothers had been harmed as a result of poor care by NUH services.

The trust is also facing a criminal investigation into alleged failings in its maternity care.

Speaking with The Independent, Hayley—who has since had three more children—said that shortly after Kaiden’s funeral she was told by a hospital doctor that his death had been due to her placenta “not working”.

“This led to me blaming myself and my body for what happened to him. The inconsolable grief for Kaiden’s loss and the blame I felt caused my mental health to spiral. I began suffering awful nightmares about Kaiden and his delivery, which continue today. I became so depressed and low that it led to me making a number of attempts to end my life. I have had more children since Kaiden’s death, and each of the pregnancies has been plagued with anxiety and fear that history will repeat itself,” Hayley said.

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 16 October 2024

Read more

Covid XEC: What are the symptoms of new virus strain?

A new strain of Covid emerging in the UK is spreading as cases increase at a high rate, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.at a high rate, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

Called XEC, the strain is a combination of the KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 variants. Figures from the UKHSA show that the admission rate for patients testing positive for the new strain rose to 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to October 6. This was up from 3.7 a week earlier.

It is thought the XEC strain is more transmissible due to its numerous mutations, and presents symptoms similar to those of other Covid variants including tiredness, headaches, a sore throat and high temperatures.

Although self-isolation is no longer a legal requirement in the UK, the NHS has advised anyone who tests positive for Covid to avoid contact with others for at least five days. It is also recommended that contact with more vulnerable people be avoided for 10 days, to reduce the risk to them. As a general rule, it is advised anyone with symptoms at least wait for them to subside before returning to normal activities.

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 17 October 2024

Read more

British BAME and foreign doctors ‘suffer discrimination throughout careers’

British doctors of BAME origin and overseas-trained medics working in the UK experience “persistent and pernicious” inequality throughout their careers, the medical regulator has warned.

The General Medical Council (GMC) said too many doctors are still being reported by their employers for alleged misconduct compared with white British-trained medics.

Doctors also experience “discrimination and disadvantage” in their efforts to progress medical careers because of a hostile “culture” in too many parts of the NHS, it said.

The report, by the GMC’s chief executive, Charlie Massey, is intended to stamp out discrimination.

Massey said, "For too many doctors, medicine is a story of discrimination and disadvantage. From the early days of education and training, to the leadership positions of latter years, issues of inequality are persistent and pernicious. This unfairness is deep-rooted and longstanding. It undermines doctors’ morale and ability to perform at their best. And it shames our health services. Fair treatment is not the preserve of a select few – it is the right of all doctors, regardless of who they are.”

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 17 October 2024

Read more

Letby gave baby overdose two years before murders

Lucy Letby gave a baby 10 times the prescribed dose of morphine "in error" two years before her killing spree began, a public inquiry has heard.

The nurse was then unhappy at being told she could no longer administer controlled drugs at the Countess of Chester Hospital after the incident in July 2013.

The Thirlwall Inquiry, which is examining how she was able to kill and attack babies between June 2015 and June 2016, heard Letby received extra training after the incident. Yvonne Farmer, who was practice development nurse at the time, told the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall it was a "very serious error".

The mistake was spotted quickly and the baby suffered no ill-effects, the inquiry heard. Ms Farmer said Letby was not far into her nursing career at the time, but was outside the period of supervision required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Letby, of Hereford, was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, including one she tried to kill twice, and is serving 15 whole life prison sentences.

The inquiry continues.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 16 October 2024

Read more
 

Woman died after taking medicine from husband’s ‘identical’ dosette box

A Berkshire woman with cognitive impairment died after taking medicines from her husband’s dosette box rather than her own “for several days,” a coroner has found. 

A report by assistant coroner for Berkshire Katy Thorne found that Sewa Kaur Chaddha died on May 10 2023, five days after she was found collapsed at home in Slough. 

Both she and her husbands were taking “multiple prescribed conditions” as well as “cognitive impairment due to their age” according to the report. 

The coroner wrote: “It was discovered that she had been taking her husband’s medication instead of her own for several days, including diabetes medication. Her blood sugar levels were found to be extremely low.” 

The cause of death was principally attributed to hyponatraemia “caused by the necessary treatment for hypoglycaemia which was in turn caused by the accidental ingestion of hypoglycaemic medication”.

In her report – which was written in July but made public yesterday (October 15) – the coroner said that both Mrs Chaddha and her husband received separate multi-compartment compliance aids (MCAs) from their local pharmacy, which was then a branch of LloydsPharmacy, adding: “The two patients’ dosette boxes were identical to each other except for a small pharmacist’s label with small type with the relevant patient’s name.”

The inquest found both that there was no “well disseminated” guidance for pharmacies around issuing medicines to patients with dementia and that “dosette boxes of different colours or labels with different colours were not routinely given to elderly or cognitively impaired patients living at the same address”.

Read full story

Source: Pharmacy Magazine, 16 October 2024

 

Read more

© 2026 Patient Safety Learning. All rights reserved.

Patient Safety Learning is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission Registration number 1180689.

×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.