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New York declares ‘imminent threat’ after first death from eastern equine encephalitis in decade

New York officials announced an “imminent threat” to public health this week after a resident died from the state’s first case of mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE, in nearly a decade.

The deceased individual was a resident of Ulster County, two hours north of New York City. The case, the state’s first human case since 2015, was confirmed earlier this month.

“We’ve been informed this patient has passed away from EEE, we extend our sympathies and our hearts go out to their family,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.

Eastern equine encephalitis is a rare but severe viral disease, spread by infectious mosquitoes. Approximately 30 percent of those who contract EEE die from the disease, and survivors are often left with neurologic problems. There are no vaccines or medications to treat or prevent it.

State Health Commissioner Dr James McDonald issued the declaration to unlock state resources and help support response to the virus, including continued efforts to spray for mosquitoes through the end of November.

Governor Hochul activated multiple agencies to expand access to insect repellent at New York parks and campgrounds, and to increase public awareness of the threat by placing signs at potentially vulnerable sites.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority,” Hochul said.

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Source: The Independent, 24 September 2024

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Mother wins decade-long battle for more than £10m over botched operation on child at NHS hospital

A mother has won a 12-year battle for compensation against an NHS hospital after successfully claiming her child suffered brain damage as a result of a botched surgery.

The toddler, now a teenager, was left wheelchair-bound as a result of the operation in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in 2012, with lawyers claiming the child was starved of oxygen.

A settlement has now been reached between the NHS Litigation Authority, which handles claims against the NHS for negligent care, and the family.

The trust that manages the Liverpool-based hospital has also apologised for the “failings in care”.

The mother said: “Ever since that day, my child has had to go to countless appointments, see countless therapists and doctors and specialists, and will do for the rest of their life. I am traumatised and exhausted, and I am on the defence all the time.

“I can’t cut any of them any slack after what happened 12 years ago. Twelve years is such a painfully long time.”

She also hit out at the process of claiming compensation through medical negligence claims.

She added: “It takes years and this length of time is not good enough. Parents commit suicide, marriages break down, they’re often too frightened to have more children. All because of how long it takes to get justice for your child, and how hard that is to achieve.” 

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Source: The Independent, 25 September 2024

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Women dying ‘unnecessarily’ of heart disease, say experts

Thousands of women are dying from heart disease worldwide because of the misconception that it is a “man’s disease”, doctors and scientists say.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the “number one killer” of women but, despite significant progress in its medical management, many were dying “unnecessarily” because they were underdiagnosed, undertreated and under-represented in clinical trials, the experts said.

A consensus statement drawn up by 33 leading health figures affiliated with the British Cardiovascular Society aimed to address unmet needs, ensuring parity of care and improving the health outcomes of women with CVD in the UK and worldwide.

Among other things, it called for dedicated women’s heart champions and heart hubs to prevent the “needless death toll” from an essentially preventable disease.

Conventional risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, were often not treated as promptly or as appropriately as they were in men, despite accounting for about half of all preventable cardiovascular disease deaths, the statement said.

Women also faced particular cultural, societal, and financial issues, which magnified their heart disease risks.

Healthcare professionals and the public mistakenly believed that women’s risk of CVD was lower than men’s, the statement said. “Myths and unconscious biases within clinical practices and societal perceptions further obscure the reality that heart disease does not discriminate by sex,” it said.

All too often women’s voices went unheard and their heart symptoms were not taken seriously enough, it added.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 September 2024

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The 22 areas testing radical changes to GP operating model

HSJ can reveal the 22 primary care networks taking part in an unprecedented national programme designing a new “GP operating model” set to influence the national GP contract.

The groups, spread across seven integrated care boards, will trial new “operating models” for GP provision, under an initiative announced by the ICBs and NHS England in May.

If successful, the project will influence future national care models for GP and “neighbourhood” services, and probably shape the core national GP contract, HSJ understands. They will also look to use their evidence to prove the case for more primary care investment.

The sites will initially test five types of “interventions”, with specific actions to be agreed by the PCNs and ICBs in coming months. 

  1. Optimising key aspects from the Primary Care Access and Recovery Plan
  2. Implementing digital methods for risk stratification and repetitive process automation tools to reduce administrative burden;
  3. Enhancing population health management, such as identifying patient searches for case or medication reviews;
  4. Defining and measuring the impact of multidisciplinary teams for complex cohorts; and
  5. Funding to increase clinical capacity as outlined in the long-term workforce plan.

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Source: HSJ, 25 September 2024

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Safety alert over 25 serious incidents linked to common drug

Maternity services have been issued with a national patient safety alert over inappropriate use of a common labour-inducing drug following a review of 25 serious incidents.

NHS England’s national patient safety team, backed by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Anaesthetists, has issued an official alert instructing all providers to stop pre-preparing oxytocin infusions at ward level, in all clinical areas.

Trusts must complete this and three other actions by 31 March 2025. Oxytocin is one of the most commonly used drugs in labour and childbirth and can be administered to initiate contractions. In a much higher dose, it can treat postpartum haemorrhage, severe bleeding after birth. 

The inadvertent administration of a postnatal dose of oxytocin before a baby is born can lead to significant harm to mother and baby.

Safety reports into deaths and harm in maternity services, including the Ockenden reports into Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust and the seminal case which prompted the East Kent inquiry, that of Harry Richford, mention inappropriate use of oxytocin.

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Source: HSJ, 24 September 2024

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‘Drug-resistant typhoid is the final warning sign’: disease spreads in Pakistan as antibiotics fail

From his sickbed, eight-year-old Ukasha could see his siblings play with a ball in the courtyard. His head hurt and his body felt too heavy to move. Ukasha had typhoid fever – an illness he should have recovered from in days. It had been a month.

At its worst, typhoid can kill. Ukasha’s family were anxious, even moving his bed outside to give him fresh air and sunlight.

Children across the village – on the outskirts of Peshawar, northern Pakistan – had been falling ill.

Typhoid, also known as enteric fever, is an infection caused by contaminated food or water. If left untreated, it kills one in five. But the cure is a simple course of antibiotics. Most people, if they get the drugs promptly, should start recovering within a few days.

But the antibiotics used to cure typhoid are now failing. The bacteria, Salmonella typhi, have developed resistance to the antibiotics meant to kill them. It’s a pattern repeated across the world; the problem of resistant infections is global and borderless.

“Typhoid was once treatable with a set of pills and now ends up with patients in hospital,” says Jehan Zeb Khan, a clinical pharmacist at Hayatabad Medical Complex, a hospital in Peshawar.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 September 2024

 

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RCGP vote opposes physician associates in General Practice

In a hardening of its previous stance, the governing council of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has voted to oppose a role for physician associates (PAs) working in general practice. 

The council also agreed to publish guidance to support GP practices already employing about 2000 PAs across the country. 

In June, the college urged practices to halt recruitment of PAs following a consultation suggesting that more than 80% of GPs believed they were having a negative impact on patient safety. 

At the latest council meeting, votes cast on a motion to oppose the role of PAs working in general practice were 61% in agreement versus 31% disagreeing, with 8% abstaining. 

Dr Helen Salisbury, senior medical education fellow in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care at the University of Oxford, told Medscape News UK after the council vote that the clause effectively gave exceptions to the scope of practice guidance, which "totally undermined the rest of it", and would have led to differential responsibilities among different PAs. 

She was "relieved" by the verdict. "For those of us who have been concerned about unrestricted scope of practice for PAs and the implications for patient safety, this is really good news."

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Source: Medscape News UK, 23 September 2024

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Nursing shortages in surgery increase risk of patient death

Surgery patients have a roughly 10% higher chance of dying on a ward with low nursing staffing levels, a new study has suggested.

The study, published by Oxford University Press and conducted by University of Southampton researchers, analysed data from 213,910 NHS hospital admissions of surgical patients between April 2015 and February 2020, to see the relationship between nurse staffing and adverse outcomes.

It found that both registered nursing and nursing support worker shortages on the surgery ward strongly correlated with increased risks of longer hospital stays, readmissions, hospital-developed conditions such as pressure ulcers and death.

According to the research, the relative risk of a surgical patient dying was increased by 9% for each day where registered nursing shortages were reported.

The study found evidence that registered nursing shortages correlated with a 5% increased risk of deep vein thrombosis, 6% for pneumonia and 6% for pressure ulcers.

Paul Meredith, lead author and senior researcher at the University of Southampton, said the research would act as a “timely reminder” about the impact of workload on patients outcomes.

“The safety of patients undergoing surgery is paramount and there is rightly a considerable emphasis on appropriate systems, policies, and procedures,” said Mr Meredith.

“This research is a timely reminder that workload is also a major driver of risk and that risks to surgical patients persist beyond the immediate operative period.

“Adequate nurse staffing on wards is vital to ensure the safety of patients undergoing and recovering from surgery.”

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Source: The Nursing Times, 24 September 2024

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NHS England instructs GPs to avoid hospital admissions this winter

GP practices should be working with complex patients to "actively avoid hospital admissions" this winter, according to NHS England.

In a letter to ICBs and trusts, NHSE set out the actions necessary to ensure delivery of "safe, dignified and high-quality care" this winter, which must be an "overriding priority".

There was a particular focus on the winter vaccination campaign, with NHS England urging providers to "make every possible effort" to boost vaccine uptake among patient-facing staff.

The letter also stressed the importance of promoting the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, which from this month practices began administering to over-75s and pregnant women as an essential service under the GP contract.

"This is a year-round offer but its promotion ahead of winter by health professionals is vital, particularly to those at highest risk," NHSE said.

NHS England also urged local commissioners to take a "whole-system approach to managing winter demand". 

The letter asked ICBs to "ensure the proactive identification and management of people with complex needs and long-term conditions so care is optimised ahead of winter". 

"Primary care and community services should be working with these patients to actively avoid hospital admissions," NHSE added.

These patients should also be offered ‘alternatives to hospital attendance’ as they may be "better served with a community response".

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Source: Management in Practice, 19 September 2024

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Hospital complaints fall after phone call scheme

The introduction of daily telephone calls from hospital wards to relatives has led to a drop in complaints, hospital managers have said.

The United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) claims it is the "first in the country" to introduce regular calls to a designated patient contact.

The trust, which started the calls as a pilot scheme two years ago, has now rolled the project out to 45 of 52 wards in Lincoln, Grantham and Boston.

The scheme has been nominated for recognition at The Patient Experience Network National Awards.

Patient experience manager, Jane Thompson-Burt, said: "Sometimes you get multiple members of the family phoning into the wards and you're trying to pass on information so staff are being taken away from their clinical role."

Since the introduction of the scheme, ULHT said the number of "avoidable complaints" regarding communication had reduced from 134 in the 2022/23 financial year to 51 in 2023/24.

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Source: BBC News, 24 September 2024

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Fears of fast spread of XEC Covid strain after many haven’t had vaccines in long time

The new Covid XEC variant could spread rapidly through the population as many people have not been vaccinated in a long time, an expert has warned.

Scientists believe the XEC variant will become the dominant Covid strain over the next few months, with a few mutations which may help it spread through autumn.

The variant, which derived from the omicron variant, is likely to take off in the next few weeks as it spreads through Europe after being first detected in Berlin in June.

An immunologist has told the The Independent that due to “reduced levels of  protective neutralising antibodies”, the XEC variant could sweep through the UK at a rapid rate.

Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunology expert at the University of Manchester, says protection may be lower for much of the population, after a long time without being vaccinated.

There is no indication that any further restrictions will need to be introduced “at this stage”, says Prof Cruickshank.

But preventative measures are vital in further reducing the need for future restrictions.

Track and trace, good ventilation, masks in clinical settings and paid-for vaccines for those who aren’t eligible for a free booster, would all help secure the UK’s health security.

“We have learned from the inquiry so far what not to do,” Prof Cruickshank said.

“Hopefully they will look at that, and learn and consider measures like track and trace or ventilation etc, to reduce the risk of the country needing to shut down.”

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Source: The Independent, 22 September 2024

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Hospital where baby died from infected feed had ‘entirely unsafe system’

An NHS trust that gave four newborn babies contaminated feed has admitted that it was operating “an entirely unsafe system” at the time they became infected.

The admission came during evidence by a senior doctor at Guy’s and St Thomas’ trust (GSTT), who led its investigation into the outbreak, during an inquest into how one of the very premature babies died.

Dr William Newsholme was answering questions last week at the inquest at Southwark coroner’s court in London into the death of Aviva Otte at St Thomas’ hospital on 2 January 2014.

Newsholme was questioned about why the results of tests carried out on samples of the baby feed on 26 December 2013 did not come back until 6 January, by which time the baby had died and three others were ill.

He was asked if he would agree that the long delay meant that “that this is an entirely unsafe system within which to be preparing parenteral nutrition for the most vulnerable cohort of patients in your hospital”.

Newsholme, a consultant in infectious diseases and the trust’s clinical lead for infection prevention and control, answered: “Yes, I would.”

The inquest is examining events surrounding the deaths of Aviva and of two other babies, nine day-old Yousef Al-Kharboush and one-month-old Oscar Barker, in an outbreak of Bacillus cereus five months later which also involved contaminated feed. Nineteen babies at nine hospitals were infected in that outbreak, three of whom died.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 September 2024

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Dozens more children harmed after care failures

Dozens more children have suffered harm due to failings in audiology services, HSJ can reveal.

Several trusts have newly admitted their assessment of the damage caused by a widespread failing in the services, which are meant to pick up and begin addressing hearing problems while people are young.

Reports emerged in Scotland in 2021, and last year an NHS England audit found services in England were also likely to have similar problems.

Failures include ineffective testing leading to infants’ deafness being missed for long periods and other children not being properly referred for help they needed. It was caused by failures across training, leadership, equipment, and governance.

As of last year, several English trusts had declared a total of 36 known cases of “severe” harm, defined as “permanent or long-term” damage.

Several of those providers have now declared they have found more cases of harm, while some new trusts have declared problems and harm for the first time.

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Source: HSJ, 24 September 2024

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Journal pressured to retract study on Covid-19 vaccine harms

A vaccine manufacturer based in India launched defamation proceedings against researchers who published a study that reported adverse events in people following Covid-19 vaccination.  

The manufacturer also sued the editor of the international journal which published the study and demanded that the offending article be retracted immediately.

The study at the centre of the controversy is a post-marketing safety analysis (phase IV) of Covaxin, one of India’s homegrown Covid-19 vaccines.

The researchers concluded that serious adverse events of special interest (AESI) after vaccination “might not be uncommon” and that the majority of AESIs in people persisted “for a significant period.”

Of the 635 participants involved, one-third reported developing AESIs such as new-onset skin disorders, nervous system disorders, menstrual and ocular abnormalities.

Serious AESI, such as stroke and Guillain-Barre syndrome, were experienced by 1% of participants, but no causal link could be established in the study.

The researchers called for “enhanced awareness and larger studies” to carefully examine the potential for long-term harms of the vaccine.

On May 18, 2024, ICMR wrote to the journal wanting a retraction of the article and of the “acknowledgement” the researchers made to ICMR for its support.

The letter criticised the rigour of the study – it said there was no control arm, there were no baseline values of participants, and that collecting participant data by telephone interviews created a “high risk of bias.”

On Aug 28, 2024, Nitin Joshi, chief editor of Drug Safety, wrote to the authors to say a “post-publication review” had been conducted and that he now agreed with the criticisms of the paper.

Joshi, despite reviewing the study before it was published, stated that he was intending to retract the article because he “no longer has confidence in the conclusions.”

So far, over 250 scientists, researchers, ethicists, doctors and patients have signed an open letter addressed to BBIL, ICMR and the editor at Drug Safety, demanding the lawsuit be withdrawn, and the study remain published.

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Source: Maryanne Demasi, 23 September 2024

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Governments progress on negotiations for a pandemic agreement to boost global preparedness for future emergencies

Government-led negotiations on the world’s first agreement to protect people from future pandemics made significant progress during the latest round of discussions that ended today at the World Health Organization (WHO).

Substantive progress on the draft agreement, increased involvement of civil society and non-State actors, and a commitment by all parties to sustain momentum towards a  pandemic agreement were hallmarks of the 11th meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), which comprises the 194 member governments of WHO, and ran from 9-20 September in Geneva. Negotiators will resume discussions, at a 12th round, from 4-15 November.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, praised the “collective commitment” shown by governments and other stakeholders to conclude the pandemic agreement, and an urgent need to do so in light of the persistent threat shown by viruses with pandemic potential. 

“The next pandemic will not wait for us, whether from a flu virus like H5N1, another coronavirus, or another family of viruses we don’t yet know about,” Dr Tedros told the meeting. “But all the ingredients are in place to meet the objective of countries to negotiate a generational pandemic agreement. The world needs hope that it is still possible for countries to find common solutions to common problems. You can provide that hope.”

Ambassador Anne-Claire Amprou, INB Bureau Co-chair of France, said the latest round of negotiations demonstrated the commitment by governments towards a pandemic accord to make the world safer and healthier. It also showed the critical role being played by civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders to ensure that equity, innovation and collaboration are at the heart of the agreement.  

“During extensive discussions, visible commitment was shown by Member States of WHO towards a pandemic agreement,” Ambassador Amprou said. “There was clear recognition from all countries that we must agree on a way forward to work better, together, to protect their citizens from future pandemics.”
Ambassador Amprou added: “The constructive contributions by INB relevant stakeholders were incredibly valuable. Together, we must sustain this progress during the coming months to realize our shared goal to forge a pandemic agreement that guides future global responses to pandemics.”

Source: WHO, 20 September 2024

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Labour plans to allow travel between England and Wales for NHS treatment

NHS patients in Wales will be allowed to travel to England to receive care for the first time ever under plans to be announced by the Welsh secretary on Monday.

Jo Stevens will tell the Labour conference in Liverpool that she is drawing up proposals to allow patients to travel between England and Wales to receive outpatient or elective treatment.

Stevens will say that the move will help reduce waiting lists on both sides of the border. But with NHS struggling in Wales even more than in England, experts say any movement is more likely to be from out of Wales, potentially placing further pressure on stretched NHS trusts in England.

Stevens said on Sunday: “Healthcare is one of the biggest shared challenges our two governments face and we are acting quickly to tackle it.

These practical, common sense steps could deliver real change on the ground for patients and clinicians.”

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Source: The Guardian, 22 September 2024

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Mother blames scandal-hit hospital for daughter’s death after eating disorder struggles

A young woman “traumatised” by a stay in a scandal-hit hospital as a teenager died after trying to take her own life years later, an inquest has heard.

Melissa Parrish was admitted to Huntercombe Hospital in Maidenhead in 2009 for an eating disorder when she was 15 years old, but the experience left her terrified of being admitted to hospital.

In 2018, aged 24, she was admitted to Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service (VSEDS), run by the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, after struggling with her mental health. Four hours later she tried to take her own life; the failed attempt left her in a vegetative state for three years until she died of pneumonia in July 2021.

The inquest held this week was not directed to examine her stay at the Huntercombe Hospital and did not link her death with the 2009 admission.

However, Melissa’s mother Melanie told The Independent, after the jury returned its verdict on Thursday, that she thought her daughter’s 18-month experience at the Huntercombe Hospital had “destroyed” her.

“She got trapped,” Ms Parrish explained. “We saw how Melissa disappeared. She stopped having a relationship with us. She started self-harming, and when she was told it would be longer than 12 weeks, she just died. She stopped eating... she was just traumatised.”

Although the remit of the inquest was not to examine Melissa’s care before 2021, doctors who assessed her before her death gave evidence in which they noted that she was terrified of being admitted to hospital.

One doctor’s notes recorded that they believed “the terror of being admitted, which arose from a past admission, increased the risk [of harm]”.

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Source: The Independent, 23 September 2024

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NHS pilot uses virtual reality to tackle racism and discrimination among staff

In one scene, a black nurse called Tunde is told by his manager that personal protective equipment (PPE) was being locked away at night to prevent its theft during night shifts, during the pandemic when ethnic minorities were more likely to work these hours.

In another, an Asian female doctor called Jasmine is dismissed by an HR manager after raising a double standard regarding requests for shift changes during the pandemic over childcare, something which her white colleagues were granted.

These are some of the scenarios of discrimination depicted in a new form of training for NHS staff that has been designed to create better understanding of the experiences of colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The training, called “Walking in the shoes of …”, involves participants wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset and watching videos depicting instances of racism and discrimination by actors within an NHS setting.

The clips are based on the transcripts of 133 interviews with NHS employees describing their own experiences of racism while working, collected during the Tides study, a project by academics at Kings’ College London that researches how instances of discrimination within the NHS are related to existing health inequalities.

The training was developed after warnings that the NHS faces a mass exodus of black, Asian and minority ethnic doctors due to “persistent” and “intolerable” levels of racism in the workplace, while research shows that white nurses are twice as likely than their black and Asian colleagues to be promoted.

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Source: Guardian, 22 September 2024

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Top A&E doctor accuses NHS leaders of normalising treatment in corridors

The UK’s most senior A&E doctor has accused NHS leaders of normalising corridor care with major plans for winter this year, The Independent can reveal.

Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, has warned NHS guidance published this week also blasted national leaders’ guidance, warning that it will be “insufficient” to tackle “dangerous” 12-hour waits in A&E.

NHS England has published guidance for hospitals on how to manage patients in corridors, where previously it would advise corridor care is not acceptable.

Dr Boyle said: “In its guidance for providing ‘safe’ corridor care, NHS England has said the practice ‘is not acceptable and should not be considered as standard’, however anyone working in an Emergency Department across the country knows that it very much is the standard, and not just in winter.

“Publishing this document is an explicit acknowledgement, and a normalisation, of an unacceptable situation.”

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Source: The Independent, 21 September 2024

Read a nurse's response to the NHS guidance in a blog shared on the hub: 

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NHS electronic health records pose ‘serious safety risks’

There are “serious safety risks” for patients in the rollout of electronic health records in hospitals across England, Patient Safety Learning has warned.

Patient Safety Learning said incidents involving new systems were likely to be under-reported and must be flagged. It has urged the government to ensure adverse-incident reports are monitored more effectively. One trust reported more than 900 incidents, including potential patient harms after it rolled out new software.

Helen Hughes, chief executive of Patient Safety Learning, said electronic patient record systems had significant potential to improve people’s care and treatment, but there were cases where implementation of the new systems had resulted in “direct and indirect harms to patients”. A report published by Patient Safety Learning in July warned of “significant patient safety risks” associated with the implementation and use of electronic records.

Electronic patient record systems: Putting patient safety at the heart of implementation

Electronic patient records replace paper notes and are intended to be a more reliable system, providing an integrated pathway with access from any screen in a hospital.

The NHS hopes that all healthcare trusts will have an electronic patient-record system in place by March 2026. While it offers several benefits, safety issues can arise owing to the systems being unable to work with other information-technology systems. There can also be staff errors in using new and unfamiliar technology.

Hughes said: “Electronic patient-record systems are increasingly commonplace in healthcare, and are integral to plans to digitally transform the NHS. It is vital that patient safety is at the core of their implementation to secure the benefits that [patient record] systems can bring and not unintentionally lead to avoidable harm.

“Patient Safety Learning believes there must be transparency in reporting of unintended harm.”

Two trusts, Royal Surrey NHS foundation trust and Ashford and St Peter’s hospitals NHS foundation trust launched a new electronic patient-record system known as Surrey Safe Care in May 2022 and reported various incidents involving patient harm. Royal Surrey reported 927 incidents on a reporting system used to flag potential risk, some of which involved patient harm. Ashford and St Peter’s reported 269, with eight incidents of low harm and three of moderate harm, according to a Health Services Journal report.

The Royal Surrey NHS foundation trust said “over 99%” of incidents reported during the implementation of its new patient record system had resulted in “low or no harm to patients”.

The trust said: “Implementing an electronic patient record is challenging for any workforce and it takes some time to embed. Patient safety is our priority which is why we actively encouraged staff to proactively report issues and opportunities to improve through our incident-reporting system.”

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Source: The Observer, 22 September 2024

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Drug-resistant infections are on the rise – so why aren’t we getting any new antibiotics?

Infections that were once easy to cure with antibiotics are becoming untreatable, and a novel treatment for bacterial infection is the holy grail for teams of researchers around the world.

However, severe financial challenges have left the pipeline of new antibiotics thin and fragile – and treatments are unavailable in many of the places they are most needed. Big pharmaceutical companies have left the field in search of greater profits elsewhere, and talented researchers have opted for new jobs in more stable sectors.

The number of deaths caused by drug-resistant bacteria in 2019 was 1.27 million, and economic costs are on track to exceed $1tn (£765bn) by 2030. The death rate is highest in sub-Saharan Africa, where children under five are particularly affected.

“This is a problem which truly affects the whole world, rich and poor countries alike,” says Jeremy Knox, the head of infectious disease policy at Wellcome. “[But] the impact is definitely asymmetrical. People in low and middle-income countries are bearing a far greater burden.”

Global leaders will gather in New York this month to discuss antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the UN general assembly. They will consider how to convince researchers and companies it is worth their while to create new replacement drugs, and how to improve access to tests and treatments.

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Source: The Guardian, 16 September 2024

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Carer caught on CCTV tormenting patient with learning difficulties for hours

A carer who was caught on camera tormenting his vulnerable patient over several hours has been jailed.

Enow Tambe was one of two carers responsible for looking after a man, aged 60, with learning difficulties and blindness. The man required constant care and lived in supported accommodation, as heard in Manchester Crown Court. The man's sister, worried about his care, installed CCTV which revealed the shocking nature of 33-year-old's Tambe's treatment.

He was seen shouting in the man's face, threatening to shave his head, poking him repeatedly and laughing at him when he had no choice but to urinate on the floor. After pleading guilty to being a carer causing ill-treatment of an individual, Tambe was sentenced to 11 months in prison.

Upon sentencing, Recorder Phillip Barnes said: "He was being bullied, harassed, belittled and abused for a number of hours. He was ignored and refused help when he asked for it. He was blind and couldn't see what was going on about him. He was shouted at in close quarters, he was threatened to have his head shaved. He was poked and prodded, not to harm but to intimidate, upset and bully."

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Source: Mirror, 18 September 2024

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Little progress made on endometriosis, say experts

There has been "little progress" in improving the experiences of people living with endometriosis in the past 25 years, according to Leeds researchers.

Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue like that in the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, causing debilitating pain.

Endometriosis UK and researchers at Leeds Beckett University (LBU) surveyed 1,800 patients, with many saying they felt "powerless" over their illness.

Lead researcher Prof Georgina Jones said the results were "troubling", and showed how living with endometriosis could "fundamentally impact a person’s sense of identity and place in the world".

She said: "We asked respondents to provide some words summarising their experience of endometriosis.

"While most of these were negative, for example, they described the debilitating pain, the frustration and loneliness they feel, a number described the sense of community felt by those living with the disease.

"This underlines how important peer support, both informally and in the way organised by Endometriosis UK, is to those with endometriosis."

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Source: BBC News, 20 September 2024

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The cancers with longest treatment waits revealed

There is an unacceptable variation in waits for treatment of different cancers in England, an exclusive analysis for BBC News by Cancer Research UK shows.

Patients with cancers affecting the head and neck and bowel are the most likely to face long waits – just over half are seen within the target of 62 days.

In comparison, patients with blood, bone marrow and skin cancers are the most likely to start treatment in time.

The charity said the differences were putting lives at risk, highlighting a study, external suggesting a four-week delay to surgery increases the risk of dying by 6-8% for many cancers.

Jayne Gray, from Leicestershire, died in 2021, aged 64, after bladder cancer led to kidney failure.

Despite a history of cancer, Jayne had waited 74 days for treatment to start, after an urgent referral from her GP.

Cancer Research UK said various factors were behind the differences in waiting times, including more acute shortages of specialist staff for some cancers and the fact some could take longer and were more complex to diagnose.

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Source: BBC News, 20 September 2024

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Call for greater protection for girls as FGM cases rise by 15% in England

Hospital and GP attendances about female genital mutilation (FGM) in England have risen by 15%, according to NHS figures, prompting a call for greater protection for girls.

There were 14,355 attendances about FGM in the 2023-24 financial year, according to NHS Digital statistics, compared with 12,475 the previous year.

There was also a rise in the number of individual women and girls who visited NHS services in regards to FGM, from 5,870 in 2022-23 to 6,655 in 2023-24. Attendances are a different measurement as an individual can have several attendances in a year.

The head of Barnardo’s National FGM Centre said FGM was a form of child abuse. “More needs to be done to protect girls – and to offer support for all those affected,” Rohma Ullah said. “That support just isn’t available at the moment.”

The prevention of FGM needed to be treated as a public health issue, she said.

“Change must come from working within communities who are affected by it, and local authorities need to develop strategies that allow for dialogue with their communities.

“It is also vital to introduce mandatory training for anyone who works to support children and vulnerable adults. That training should focus on how to spot the signs of girls who might be at risk or who have undergone FGM – as well as how to alert the relevant support services.”

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Source: The Guardian, 19 September 2024

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