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EventTraining to support the development of expertise involving patients, families, carers and staff when things go wrong, in line with NHS guidance, based upon national and internationally recognised good practice. To include the duty of candour and ‘being open’ principles. This course covers the end-to-end systems-based patient safety incident response based upon the new NHS PSIRF and includes: Duty of candour regulations Being open and apologising when things go wrong Challenges/complexities associated with cases where there is more than one investigation Effective communication, including dealing with conflict and difficult conversations Effective involvement of those affected by a patient safety incident throughout the incident response process to ensure a thorough and richer investigation Sharing findings Signposting and support: including loss, trauma and stress WHO SHOULD ATTEND Lead investigators conducting patient safety incident investigations Executive and service lead for duty of candour Executive and service lead for patient safety Executive and service lead for the supporting response to patient safety incidents Investigators supporting patient safety incident investigations Register hub members receive a 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
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EventThe Healthcare Governance Academy, PSIRF training trusted by more than 4,000 healthcare professionals. Delivered by a patient safety consultant that developed PSIRF tools. This training will support the development of expert understanding and oversight of systems based patient safety incident response throughout the healthcare system - in line with NHS guidance, based upon national and internationally recognised good practice. This course covers the end-to-end systems-based patient safety incident response based upon the new NHS PSIRF and includes: PSIRF and associated documents (PSIRP, PSII standards) oversight framework effective oversight and supporting processes related to incident response maintaining an open, transparent, and improvement focused culture importance of communication and involvement of those affected (preventing further harm) commissioning and planning of patient safety incident investigations complex investigations spanning different organisational, care setting, and stakeholder boundaries WHO SHOULD ATTEND Executives, commissioning, & service managers supporting service lead investigator roles. The following only after attending the 2-day systems approach to patient safety incident response: All Executive, Commissioner and Service Leads for investigation; All Lead investigators conducting patient safety incident investigations investigators conducting. Register hub members receive a 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
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EventThe Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) arguably represents the most significant change to investigating and managing patient safety incidents in the history of the NHS. To embed PSIRF effectively within organisations, healthcare teams need to understand and utilise a range of new techniques and disciplines. Clinical audit is an established quality improvement methodology that is often overlooked by patient safety teams, but will play an increasingly important role in ensuring that PSIRF fully delivers its stated objectives. CQC reports often highlight the importance of clinical audit as a measurement and assurance tool that can raise red flags if used appropriately. Indeed, both the Ockenden and Kirkup reports highlighted the importance of clinical audit in identifying and quantifying substandard care. While SEIPS, After Action Reviews, more in-depth interviewing techniques, etc. are all receiving much fanfare in relation to PSIRF, the importance of clinical audit needs to be better understood. This short course will explain how organisations who use clinical audit effectively will increase patient safety and better understand why incidents take place. We will look at the key role of audit in understanding work as imagined and works as done and show why national audits can assist with creating patient safety plans. Change analysis and the effective implementation of safety actions are keys to PSIRF delivery and clinical audit will assist in the delivery of both. We will also demonstrate the important, but often under-appreciated role, clinical audit staff will have in the successful delivery of PSIRF. Key learning outcomes: Why clinical audit is an integral element of PSIRF. Why clinical audit staff have a vital role to play in PSIRF. How clinical audit data can help raise red flags and spot risks. Using clinical audit to better understand your incidents. Ensuring your safety actions are working. Using audit to assess your patient safety incident investigations. Register hub members receive a 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
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Event
The Duty of Candour and PSIRF
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
Any staff with responsibility for implementing the duty of candour and/or PSIRF and those responsible for quality; safety; clinical governance; safety investigations; complaints; CQC compliance; or patient experience/ involvement would benefit from attending this one-day training. The course will provide participants with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of how to not only comply with the duty of candour and the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), but to do so in an emotionally intelligent way, with empathy and compassion for all involved. Practical guidance on complying with the regulations and guidance The “grey areas” and what people most often get wrong Using emotional intelligence to understand the difficult emotions experienced by patients/those closest to them and staff following patient safety incidents What empathy and compassion mean in practice Handling difficult and emotive conversations well Making a meaningful apology How Duty of Candour and PSIRF work alongside other policies and procedures including complaints; litigation; Martha’s Rule and the soon to be introduced “Hillsborough Law” How the new “Harmed Patient Pathway” can help you get it right 7 How to ensure communication moves beyond compliance and frameworks but remains emotionally intelligent and personal Register hub members receive 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code. -
Event
Structured Judgement Reviews
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
A different approach to Structured Judgement Reviews (SJRs); using them as a triage tool and avoiding the use of poor and very poor to better align with PSIRF. This course looks at moving SJRs away from questions of avoidability of harm and instead looks at how they can be used to determine what type of learning response should follow a patient’s death. The explicit judgements of poor and very poor that are in traditional SJR models are no longer helpful and delegates will be provided with updated and positive alternatives that focus on organisational learning. WHO SHOULD ATTEND Healthcare professionals tasked with deciding on an appropriate learning response following the death of a patient. Healthcare professionals who undertake Structured Judgement Reviews who wish to align these with PSIRF principles. KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES Where SJRs fit in the overall clinical governance structure of their organisation, why they are being conducted and what questions they are designed to answer How to organise case notes for effective review; use of timelines What other sources of evidence to consider Making explicit judgements around quality of care; evidence base and standards used When and how to escalate potential issues with professional conduct Register hub members receive 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code. -
EventuntilThe Healthcare Governance Academy, PSIRF training trusted by more than 4,000 healthcare professionals. Delivered by a patient safety consultant that developed PSIRF tools. Training to support the development of core understanding and application of systems-based patient safety incident response throughout the healthcare system - in line with NHS guidance, based upon national and internationally recognised good practice. This course covers the end-to-end systems-based patient safety incident response based upon the new NHS PSIRF and includes: purpose of patient safety incident response framework introduction to complex systems, system thinking and human factors restorative just and learning culture duty of candour involving staff in incident response involving patients, families and carers in incident response improvement science and developing system improvement plans general response techniques interviewing and asking questions conducting observations, understanding work as done systems frameworks response types patient safety investigation planning, analysis and report writing commissioning and oversight of an internal investigation a high-level overview of system-based response tools. Who should attend: Lead investigators; Executives, commissioning, and service leads for investigations; Investigators supporting or overseeing patient safety incident investigations Register hub members receive 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
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EventuntilThe Healthcare Governance Academy, PSIRF training trusted by more than 4,000 healthcare professionals. Delivered by a patient safety consultant that developed PSIRF tools. Training to support the development of core understanding and application of systems-based patient safety incident response throughout the healthcare system - in line with NHS guidance, based upon national and internationally recognised good practice. This course covers the end-to-end systems-based patient safety incident response based upon the new NHS PSIRF and includes: purpose of patient safety incident response framework introduction to complex systems, system thinking and human factors restorative just and learning culture duty of candour involving staff in incident response involving patients, families and carers in incident response improvement science and developing system improvement plans general response techniques interviewing and asking questions conducting observations, understanding work as done systems frameworks response types patient safety investigation planning, analysis and report writing commissioning and oversight of an internal investigation a high-level overview of system-based response tools. Who should attend: Lead investigators; Executives, commissioning, and service leads for investigations; Investigators supporting or overseeing patient safety incident investigations Register hub members receive 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
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Event
Root Cause Analysis: 1 day masterclass
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
RCA continues to be used around the world by healthcare teams to better understand and learn from their patient safety incidents. While it is no longer an approved learning response under the NHS Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), many care and non NHS organisations continue to use RCA as a structured and effective approach for understanding incidents and improving safety. This one-day intensive and interactive masterclass will provide insights into how RCA is being used effectively by healthcare and non-healthcare organisations across the world to enhance safety. RCA relies on the creation of a skilled team of investigators, working together to look beyond surface-level symptoms. By following a clear seven-step process and by embracing a range of established RCA techniques, healthcare teams can collaborate to make their patients safe. The course is facilitated by Tracy Ruthven and Stephen Ashmore who have significant experience of undertaking patient safety reviews in healthcare. They were commissioned to write a national RCA guide by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. This course supports CPD professional development and acts as revalidation evidence. This course provides 5 Hrs training for CPD subject to peer group approval for revalidation purposes. Register -
News ArticleHomeless and migrant patients are being wrongly kicked off GP lists in an attempt to slash NHS spending, The Independent can reveal. Hundreds of thousands of patients have been removed from practices in England under a new scheme to “clean up” GP lists and identify patients who have left the country. But concerned doctors say they have been “distressed” to learn that many of their most vulnerable patients have been incorrectly flagged for removal, with one fearing patients with “non-English” names are overwhelmingly being targeted. Patients affected include those who are homeless, mentally unwell, in unstable housing, have learning disabilities, the elderly, or do not speak English, with no clear reason for why they are being chosen. GPs in London accounted for more than 40% of the 400,000 patients in England removed from lists between January and June. Practice leaders have warned that those patients could miss out on crucial cancer screening appointments and test results, have their hospital referrals cancelled or have their treatment delayed. Dr Lisa Harrod-Rothwell, CEO of the Londonwide Local Medical Committees, which represents London GPs, said the new system assumes patients can receive and respond to NHS correspondence via email, letter or text, but those who are homeless, have learning disabilities, or are elderly or suffer from mental health challenges would not easily be able to object to their removal. “A lot of our people already have really difficult lives because of poverty or illness, mental illness, people, the people who struggle the most with this type of [scheme] are the people who need the NHS the most. “Our concern is that this process is going to unintentionally widen our health inequalities,” Dr Harrod-Rothwell said. Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 July 2026 Further reading on the hub: Robbie: A homeless patient’s struggles with the system
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News ArticleWhen Daneka Etchells was 12, her period arrived - and she immediately knew something wasn't right. Unlike many of her friends, hers were extremely heavy and she experienced excruciating pain. When she visited the doctor, she was prescribed the pill, but even that didn't make a difference. After multiple further GP trips with no real solution, Etchells' condition got so bad that she was left with a permanent physical disability. She told the BBC Access All podcast that what she'd experienced over the last 17 years was "medical gaslighting". The term refers to a medical professional dismissing or invalidating health worries which can cause patients to doubt their pain and concerns. What Etchells was experiencing was endometriosis - a painful condition which affects one in 10 women - but by the time doctors found it, it had developed so much that she says it left her with permanent nerve damage. "It grew so vast and so wide and for so long, on nerves and ligaments that are attached to my legs," she says. Unable to wait any longer for treatment on the NHS, she saved, borrowed and raised money on GoFundMe for private treatment, even negotiating with the surgeon's secretary for the best deal. Etchells underwent excision surgery, a procedure to remove the lesions caused by endometriosis, which she says made her feel "lighter". But she says having been dismissed by doctors for so long has left her with lasting damage and a permanent mobility issue. Read full story Source: BBC News, 18 July 2026
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News Article
Rising numbers of younger midwives quitting NHS in England, data shows
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More and more midwives are leaving the NHS before they reach 35 because of burnout, worsening the staffing problems that are affecting maternity units. The growing trend of early career quitting has sparked fears it poses a threat to the quality and safety of care that mothers and babies receive from already-understaffed childbirth services. During 2025-26 a total of 1,669 midwives aged 34 or under left the health service in England – more than half (57%) of the 2,949 midwives of all ages who resigned. The intense pressures of working in maternity services, including the growing complexity of childbirth and risks involved, are thought to lie behind the trend. Of last year’s 1,669 younger leavers, 205 were under 25, while 655 were between 25 and 29 and the other 809 were between 30 and 34, parliamentary questions tabled by the Liberal Democrats reveal. The loss of midwifery staff and students underlines what the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) calls the “staffing emergency” in maternity care across the UK. Three-quarters of midwives have considered leaving the profession over the last year, mainly because of concern over staffing levels and patient safety, a recent RCM survey found. Hannah Leonard, the union’s deputy chief midwife, said the exodus of midwives under 35 was “deeply worrying” and showed that too many were ending up “burnt-out within a few years of qualifying because every shift means too few colleagues, missed breaks and unpaid hours”. “Losing these midwives – and students, even before they qualify – is a terrible waste of talent,” she added. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 20 July 2026 -
News Article
Slow down shift to neighbourhoods, says GP leader
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Plans to introduce neighbourhood provider contracts next year should be “reconsidered”, the Royal College of GPs’ president has told HSJ. Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown said she supported a delay until the service can be clear “what it is that we are trying to change” with the policy. NHS England launched a consultation on Thursday about details of the single neighbourhood provider and multiple neighbourhood provider contracts, which were proposed in the 10-Year Health Plan. In an interview with HSJ, the East London GP said she supported aspects of neighbourhood health, but warned of risks in the proposed rapid shift in structures and funding. Asked if the move to define the contracts this year – with a view to introducing them next year – was too fast and should pause, she said: “We should reconsider… certainly we need to be clearer of what it is that we are trying to change.” Professor Tzortziou Brown questioned government’s “assumption that you will get the structures and the contracts right… and then things will follow”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 20 July 2026 -
News Article
Maternity ‘sidelined by boards and poorly understood by medical directors’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Maternity services, despite numerous scathing reviews, are still sidelined by trust boards and often poorly understood by medical directors, who view them as being outside the mainstream and delivered by “slightly odd folk”, a leading expert has told HSJ. Bill Kirkup, the senior adviser who quit the national maternity investigation in a dispute over “normal birth ideology”, shared his views on the sector’s response in an exclusive discussion with HSJ’s Health Check podcast. Dr Kirkup said NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey had detected in his 10-point plan for maternity that medical directors tend to be much less involved in maternity decisions going to the board. He said few medical directors have an obstetric background, adding: “Therefore, they’re probably in the same sort of trap as… other clinicians that [maternity] is a bit different, we don’t really understand it, and we just leave it to those slightly odd folk who do maternity. It’s not regarded as mainstream in a lot of places, I don’t believe.” HSJ asked Dr Kirkup about the Amos report’s recommendation of setting up a separate unit within the Care Quality Commission to inspect maternity and neonatal services, despite the regulator’s widespread lack of credibility. Dr Kirkup said he understood the reasoning was to ensure adequate experience and expertise to investigate. But he added: “I’m quite nervous about further othering of maternity… It’s already regarded as something that’s kind of different and offshore, and not part of mainstream medicine and surgery. “I think anything that encourages that… is probably not helpful, given that people using maternity services now are increasingly prone to complications [requiring] input from other specialties.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 17 July 2026 -
Content ArticleThe Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025/26, highlighting a productive a year of work to protect patients, service users and the public through improved regulation and registration of health and social care professionals.
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Content ArticleJulie Plumridge, is a Senior Safety Partner, at Great Ormond Street Hospital. In this short video (2mins 37secs) Julie talks about the importance of involving families in paediatric patient safety investigations. This is part of a series of short videos focusing on patient safety investigations in paediatrics. The other videos explore meaningful feedback for families, and supporting staff doing emotionally challenging work. Other videos in this series
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Content ArticleThe article from Suzette Woodward argues that patient safety in England is at a crossroads, with national attention shifting from dedicated safety science toward broader quality‑management agendas driven by the Dash Review and the new National Quality Strategy. Suzette warns that an emphasis on oversight, dashboards and performance management risks sidelining core safety disciplines such as human factors, systems thinking and resilience engineering. She highlights persistent cultural problems—hierarchy, poor psychological safety, and leaders failing to hear frontline concerns—and stresses the urgent need to capture early warning signals from staff before harm occurs.
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Content ArticleAcross the NHS, Quality Improvement and Transformation teams are leading increasingly ambitious programmes to improve patient care, staff experience and operational performance. Yet while improvement activity continues to grow, sustaining momentum remains one of the biggest challenges facing organisations. For organisations looking to strengthen their NHS quality improvement framework, creating the right conditions for continuous improvement has become just as important as delivering individual projects. This practical guide explores how NHS organisations can build a culture where everyday observations become meaningful organisational improvement. Rather than focusing solely on delivering projects, this guide explores how organisations can create the everyday conditions that support continuous improvement. You'll discover how to: Understand why improvement programmes lose momentum. Capture frontline improvement opportunities before they are lost. Build continuous improvement rather than continuous projects. Turn frontline insight into organisational intelligence. Prioritise and implement improvement opportunities consistently. Measure improvement beyond completed projects. Demonstrate improvement to executives, Boards and regulators. Create a culture where improvement becomes everyone's responsibility. The guide introduces a practical continuous improvement cycle: Observe → Capture → Review → Prioritise → Implement → Measure → Share → Repeat Helping organisations ensure improvement opportunities become meaningful organisational change rather than remaining isolated ideas. Alongside the guide, there is a a free 30-minute webinar. See more.
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EventEvery day, frontline staff identify opportunities to improve patient care, streamline processes and enhance the way services operate. Yet many of these ideas never progress beyond conversations within individual teams. This practical webinar explore how NHS organisations can create the conditions for continuous improvement, where everyday insight becomes meaningful organisational change. During this practical session we'll explore: Why many improvement programmes lose momentum after an enthusiastic start The hidden cost of lost frontline ideas How high performing NHS organisations sustain continuous improvement A practical framework for capturing, reviewing and implementing improvement opportunities How frontline insight becomes organisational intelligence Better ways to measure improvement beyond completed projects Five questions every Quality Improvement team should ask about their organisation A real NHS case study demonstrating continuous improvement in practice Why this matters: Every day across the NHS, thousands of opportunities to improve patient care are identified by the people closest to delivering it. Many are never captured. Many are never shared. Many are never acted upon. The organisations that consistently improve aren't necessarily those running the most projects. They're the organisations that make it easy for staff to contribute ideas, learn from one another and continuously improve the way they work. This webinar explores how to create those conditions. Register
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Content ArticleThis World Health Organization (WHO) report analyses the landscape of digital health competency frameworks and standards developed to strengthen health workforce education and practice in increasingly digitalised health systems. It examines how digital health competencies are defined, structured and applied across different professional, educational and organizational contexts, with a focus on supporting the effective use of digital technologies in health service delivery and learning. The report is situated within the broader context of accelerating digital transformation in health, including increased demand for telemedicine, remote learning and digital tools following the COVID-19 pandemic and other global disruptions. Based on a narrative review of the literature, the report identifies and maps competency domains across existing frameworks, highlighting common competency clusters related to patient care, data, informatics, communication, technical proficiency, digital professionalism and administration. It discusses methodological approaches used in framework development, key implementation challenges and factors influencing adaptation and sustainability. The publication also outlines policy considerations to support the development, contextualization and use of digital health competency standards by policy-makers, educators and health institutions to strengthen digital competencies within the health workforce.
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News Article
NHS anaesthetist shortage prevents 1.5m operations a year, report finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS is unable to perform 1.5m operations a year because of a drastic shortage of anaesthetists, a report reveals. More than 8 million patients are on waiting lists across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Many are in urgent need of a surgical procedure. But an alarming lack of anaesthetists – specialist doctors who provide anaesthesia and pain relief before, during and after operations – is preventing the health service from performing about 4,000 procedures a day, the most comprehensive review of anaesthetic services has found. The UK has 2,256 fewer anaesthetists than it needs, and the record shortfall is derailing NHS efforts to tackle the backlog of care, according to the 63-page report seen by the Guardian. The crisis is leading to painful delays for thousands of patients, with many on waiting lists experiencing a decline in their physical and mental health, the report says. As well as limiting NHS capacity, the shortage of anaesthetists is driving up costs, with hospitals having to divert funding to pay for agency locums and shifting staff to plug gaps. The findings of the review, compiled by the Royal College of Anaesthetists, are being studied by officials in the Department of Health and Social Care, sources said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 July 2026 -
Content ArticleIn this episode of the Being Better, Together podcast, Dr Sapna Kudchadkar, a paediatric intensivist and anaesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins. Shapna shares her inspiring journey from a clinician initially determined to avoid research to becoming the pioneer of the PICU Up! programme - an initiative aimed at transforming sleep and early mobilisation in the PICU. The podcast explores how she overcame grant rejections through tenacity and the guidance of supportive mentors. Sapna also discussed the vital importance of the interprofessinal team, the power of storytelling for advocacy, and why the three most important words in healthcare leadership are "I don't know". This conversation is packed with insights on perseverance, mentorship and spreading excellence through international collaboration.
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News Article
Neighbourhood providers to gradually replace PCNs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Integrated care boards will be expected to offer GP practices additional services and funding to drive them to form new “neighbourhood providers” – but will get no new national money to do so. NHS England launched a consultation today on its proposals for single neighbourhood provider (SNP) and multineighbourhood provider (MNP) contracts, which were proposed in the 10-Year Health Plan. The documents said: “For general practice to opt out of the primary care network [directed enhanced service] and switch to an SNP contract, they will want to see not only simpler service specifications but additional services and funding.” But they also state: “Local commissioners will have the flexibility to define most of the content [of the contracts] and fund [them] locally. There is no new national funding for these contracts.” The consultation begins to describe a picture of how the contracts will sit alongside existing core GP contracts and gradually replace PCNs. SNPs will deliver “enhanced” GP services, “lead” health services in the “local neighbourhood team”, plan and organise other NHS services, and coordinate non-NHS care and support with other organisations. The typical footprint is estimated at 50,000, but “footprints may vary”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 17 July 2026 -
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EventAs we prepare for commemorating World Patient Safety Day 2026, the next session in the JCI Patient Safety Pathways Grand Rounds series will be on “Safe Care for Noncommunicable Diseases”. Noncommunicable diseases account for the majority of the global disease burden, and patients often navigate complex care journeys that place them at increased risk of preventable harm. Advancing safer care for these patients is essential to improving outcomes and strengthening health systems worldwide. Panel of global experts: Sir Aziz Sheikh, MBBS, MD - Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Head of Department and Nuffield Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford; Professorial Fellow at Harris Manchester College United Kingdom Dr. Alarcos Cieza, MSc, MPH, PhD - Head of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) Management, Department of NCDs and Mental Health, World Health Organization (WHO) Switzerland Dr. Albert W. Wu, MD, MPH - Fred and Juliet Soper Professor of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States Together, we will explore emerging evidence, practical strategies, and opportunities to improve the safety of care for people living with noncommunicable diseases. Participation is complimentary. Register
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News Article
NHS manager says trust wanted 4,000 reports 'gone'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A senior clinical manager at the trust that runs mental health services in Essex says he was told 4,000 unresolved patient safety reports needed to be "gone", while a public inquiry was under way. Giving evidence to the Lampard Inquiry, Brian O'Donnell, a clinical lead at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester, accused the trust of a "cover up" to stop him from speaking out. The inquiry was set up following the deaths of more than 2,000 mental health patients over a 24-year period. Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) told the BBC: "All reports are taken seriously, recorded and investigated." O'Donnell told the inquiry that, at the end of 2024, he was asked to review thousands of incident reports raised by staff, some dating back to 2021. He said he was instructed by a senior member of staff, who said: "We need to get these gone." They included incidents involving self-harm, assaults on staff and racial abuse, he explained. "The first thing that popped into my head was there's an inquiry going on and they're panicking about these because no-one's looked at them - that was my first thought and that's what I still think." O'Donnell said he initially closed some of the reports but stopped after becoming uncomfortable. "I thought, I can't put my name to this and say I've thoroughly investigated it because I haven't," he told the inquiry. Asked what happened to the remaining reports, he said: "They sat on my dashboard for a very long time then disappeared one day. I don't know whether they've been dealt with. I doubt it." Read full story Source: BBC News, 16 July 2026 -
News Article
Offer teenagers a meningitis B vaccine on NHS, advisers tell UK government
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
All teenagers across the UK should be offered a meningitis vaccine on the NHS following a series of fatal outbreaks, a government commitee has said. The recommendation, made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), would mean that young people would be eligible for the menB vaccine at the age of 15, alongside catch-up programmes for those who otherwise would have missed out. This intervention follows several meningitis outbreaks occurring across the UK, resulting in dozens of confirmed cases alongside several deaths. In March, a major outbreak in Kent linked to a Canterbury nightclub killed two people and left over a dozen needing hospital treatment, while a similar outbreak in Berkshire in May led to the death of a school student. Specifically, the committee is recommending that the government introduces a booster jab for those aged around 15 who had the menB jab as an infant, and the first cohort to which this will apply to are those who will turn 15 in 2030. Meanwhile, children who missed the jab as a baby will be offered two doses. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 16 July 2026
