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  1. Past hour
  2. Content Article
    This paper was presented to the NHS England board at its public session on 16 May 2024. It discusses the effect the pandemic has had on NHS productivity with details of NHS England’s estimates for the drivers of the loss of productivity observed. It also discusses the emerging plan to improve productivity in the coming years.
  3. Content Article
    The Royal Pharmaceutical Society want to hear from patients and/or their carers about the impact that medicines shortages have had on your lives. They would appreciate you taking the time to tell them of your experiences, by completing the following questionnaire. The questionnaire should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.
  4. Today
  5. Content Article
    This audit tool is designed to assess theatre compliance with the five steps to safer surgery, which includes the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist. The checks included in the five steps are designed to reduce the number of errors and complications resulting from surgical procedures by improving team communication and by verifying and checking essential care interventions. The tool features a monthly observation audit and documentation audit and presents recorded data in a results tab which tracks progress by month, providing more timely data locally than the clinical scorecard.
  6. News Article
    Hundreds of senior doctors have been driven out of their jobs in the NHS after raising concerns about patient safety, a campaign group has claimed. The senior consultants say managers of NHS trusts employ a playbook of “dirty tricks” to sack whistleblowers or force them to move trusts or take early retirement. Justice for Doctors (JFD), which represents 140 whistleblowing doctors, claims some have been forced to sell their homes to pay legal fees, had their careers destroyed and had been pushed to the brink of suicide. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 16 May 2024
  7. News Article
    Hospitals are struggling to treat more people despite higher funding and extra staff because thousands more patients are stranded on wards with nowhere to go, an internal review has concluded. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 16 May 2024
  8. Content Article
    This study, published in Human Factors in Healthcare, applied a human factors approach through the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model to inform the design of community cardiac diagnostic services, focusing on workforce design and the potential role of cardiac physiologists. The study setting was a cardiology department at a community hospital. Data were collected through observations, interviews and focus groups. Data were analysed using SEIPS and Thematic Analysis.The analysis revealed three overarching design considerations: (1) Promoting professional growth and autonomy for the cardiac workforce in the community. (2) Focusing on the needs of patients in the community, including accessibility and communication. (3) Facilitating communication across organisational boundaries, particularly between CDCs and General Practitioners (GPs).
  9. Content Article
    Medtech companies are continually developing new medical devices and products for use in healthcare, and ensuring that each one is safe to use should be the top priority of every company. In this anonymous blog, a nurse shares their experience of being employed by a start-up producing a new piece of equipment for use in cardiac surgery. They soon discovered their values did not match up, as the company prioritised getting their new product to market above patient safety. The writer talks about the personal cost of repeatedly speaking up for safety and describes the importance of working for an employer that sees patient safety as the top priority and recognises that it goes hand in hand with commercial success.
  10. News Article
    'There are literally thousands of us out there who have suffered just for trying to do the right thing.' Former Consultant Urological Surgeon, Peter Duffy, explains the extent NHS bosses are going to, to silence whistleblowers who are standing up for patient safety. Watch full story Source: GB News Related reading: NHS bosses destroy careers of whistleblowers who stand up to protect patients’ lives - News - Patient Safety Learning - the hub (pslhub.org)
  11. News Article
    NHS managers are destroying the careers of whistleblowers who raise concerns about patient safety, a group of medics warns. More than 50 doctors and nurses have told The Telegraph they have been targeted after raising concerns about upwards of 170 patient deaths and nearly 700 cases of poor care. One consultant described it as “the biggest scandal within our country” and said the true number of avoidable deaths was “astronomical”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: Telegraph, 18 May
  12. News Article
    Jeremy Hunt will approve final compensation for the victims of the contaminated blood scandal this week after a Sunday Times campaign for justice was backed across the political divide. The chancellor is preparing to unveil a package worth at least £10 billion for those affected by the deadliest man-made disaster in postwar Britain. Tens of thousands of people were treated with disease-ridden blood products from the United States in the 1970s and 80s. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 19 May
  13. News Article
    Some of the country’s largest trusts could be left without a safety incident reporting system when NHS England removes the existing solution next month, HSJ has learned. NHSE has put around 37 trusts on a “red list” for failing to move to the new learning from patient safety events service. They remain on the historic national reporting and learning system, which national leaders describe as ” liable to irretrievable failure at any time” and plan to shut down in June. NHSE has warned those providers – including University Hospitals Birmingham and University College London Hospitals foundation trusts – that they will be in breach of their licence if they fail to make the switch. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 20 May
  14. News Article
    Matthew Sayed argues that, as other nations offered compensation, we dithered and delayed for decades in yet another very British travesty. Read full story Source: The Times, 18 May 2024
  15. Yesterday
  16. Content Article
    In Birmingham, eight out of 10 Somali children live in ‘poor’ households with low levels of economic activity and high rates of mental health issues, such as PTSD. In the UK, six in 10 (59%) people in the Somali community live in overcrowded accommodation, compared to fewer than one in 10 (8%) of the overall population. Meanwhile, studies show that many Somali people find it difficult to access health and social care services, due to language and socio-economic barriers. Suad Duale is a community activist, clinician, mother and researcher who grew up as a Somali refugee in Birmingham. In this blog for The King's Fund, she describes how unfair treatment of the Somali community leads to a collective lack of trust in professionals, particularly in the health system. She describes the issues contributing to the disparities faced by the community, including a lack of people from the Somali community in leadership roles who are able to advocate for the needs of the community. She describes the work of Dream Chaser Youth Club in Birmingham, where she volunteers by acting as a link to help people from the Somali community connect with health and care services.
  17. Last week
  18. Content Article
    This article by Saoirse Mallorie, Senior Policy Analyst at The King's Fund, looks at the detail behind the results of the 2023 NHS Staff Survey. She highlights that although it looks as though there has been improvement in some areas, staff satisfaction is not where it should be. The article also looks at variation between staff groups in terms of work-related stress, autonomy, belonging and workload, representing these differences visually in graphical form.
  19. Content Article
    NHS bosses are destroying the careers of whistleblowers who stand up to protect patients’ lives, according to an exclusive investigation by The Telegraph. More than 50 doctors and nurses told us they have been targeted after raising concerns about upwards of 170 patient deaths and nearly 700 cases of poor care. In this episode of The Daily T podcast, Kamal Ahmed and Camilla Tominey are joined by the journalists behind the story, Janet Eastham and Gordon Rayner. This discussion takes in the video from 2 minutes 52 seconds to 16 minutes 40 seconds.
  20. Content Article
    In this interview, Patrick Christys from GB News speaks to former Consultant Urological Surgeon, Peter Duffy, about the treatment of whistleblowers in the NHS who raise patient safety concerns. You can find out more about Peter’s experiences in his books Whistle in the Wind and Smoke and Mirrors. To watch the interview, click on the link below.
  21. News Article
    Female health monitoring apps are putting women at risk by "coercing" them into disclosing - and then poorly handling - highly sensitive data, according to new research. The study examined the privacy policies and data safety labels of 20 of the most popular of these kind of apps, which are commonly used to help women conceive. It found a host of poor data-management practices, including some apps not having a delete function, even for highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and miscarriages. Its authors say it is the most extensive evaluation its kind completed to date. They say the apps are used by hundreds of millions of people. The BBC has contacted a number of app providers - none have responded to a request for comment. "While female health apps are vital to the management of women’s health worldwide, their benefits are currently being undermined by privacy and safety issues," the lead author of the study, Dr Ruba Abu-Salma, from King's College London, told the BBC. Other key findings from the study include: 35% of apps claimed not to share personal data with third parties but contradicted this in their privacy policies 50% assured users that health data would not be shared with advertisers, but were ambiguous about other data collected 45% of privacy policies denied responsibility for third-party practices, despite claiming to vet them. Female-focused technology has boomed in recent years, with the market expected to exceed $75 billion by 2025. But Lisa Malki, another of the study's authors, said the industry needed to get better at protecting the women whose data it was using. Read full article on the BBC here.
  22. Content Article
    Medicines waste is a significant problem in the NHS, with an estimated £300m wasted annually on unused or partially used medicines. In hospitals, this waste is added to when patients do not take their medicines home or when their medicines are not transferred with them as they change wards. In this blog for The Pharmaceutical Journal, Claire Williams, deputy clinical pharmacy manager at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes how her Trust reduced its medicines waste by moving patients’ medication with them and returning unused medication to the pharmacy in a timely manner. The Trust was participating in the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare ‘Green Team’ competition, and Claire and her colleagues saw it as an opportunity to showcase the impact that pharmacy can have in supporting the green agenda. This article is free to read but you will need to sign up for a Pharmaceutical Journal account to access it.
  23. Content Article
    This report commissioned by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality aims to identify major themes related to the current state of diagnostic safety and highlight key gaps in knowledge. Through a rapid narrative review methodology to evaluate multiple resources in the literature and interviews with experts, it presents several findings that have implications for future resource investments to reduce harm from diagnostic errors. The report looks at the following key themes: Incidence and Contributing Factors Measurement: Data and Methods Cognitive Processes Culture, Workflow, and Work System Issues Disparities Health Information Technology Patients and Families Testing Interventions Implementation
  24. Content Article
    Large language models (LLMs) are a form of artificial intelligence that can generate human-like text and functions as a form of an input–output machine. They bring great potential to help the healthcare industry centre care around patients’ needs by improving communication, access and engagement. However, LLMs also present significant challenges associated with privacy and bias that also must be considered. This blog looks at three major patient-care advantages of LLMs, as well as the potential risks associated with using them in healthcare.
  25. Content Article
    FebriDx® is a single-use, analyser-free, point-of-care test with markers for bacterial and viral infection, measured on a finger-prick blood sample. As part of a larger feasibility study, this study explored the views of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients on the use of FebriDx® to safely reduce antibiotic prescriptions for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in primary care. The authors concluded that the tool was perceived as a useful in guiding antibiotic prescribing and supporting shared decision making. Initial practical problems with testing and communicating results are potential barriers to use. Training and practice on using the test and effective communication are likely to be important elements in ensuring patient understanding and satisfaction and successful adoption.
  26. News Article
    More than 30 of the most common antidepressants used in the UK are to be reviewed by the UK’s medicines regulator, as figures point to hundreds of deaths linked to suicide and self-harm among people prescribed these drugs. The medicines, which include Prozac and are prescribed to millions of patients, will all be looked at by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It follows concerns raised by families in Britain over the adequacy of safety measures in place to protect those taking the drugs, such as warnings about potential side effects. The regulator will look into the effectiveness of the current warnings, according to a letter from mental health minister Maria Caulfield, which has been seen by The Independent. There has been a huge rise in the use of antidepressants in England, with 85 million prescriptions issued in 2022-23, up from 58 million in 2015-16, according to NHS figures. Nigel Crisp, a crossbench peer and chair of the Beyond Pills all-party parliamentary group, told The Independent: “Overprescribing of antidepressants has an enormous cost in terms of human suffering, because so many people become dependent and then struggle to get off them – and it wastes vital NHS resources.” The review comes as it emerged that: More than 515 death alerts linked to these drugs, involving suicidal ideation and self-harm, have been made to the MHRA since the year 2000 (these alerts don’t directly confirm the cause of a person’s death) Some antidepressants have been given to children as young as four, and the total cost of the medication to the NHS in 2022-23 was more than £231m Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 May 2024
  27. News Article
    Giving teenagers the HPV vaccine is cutting cases of cervical cancer by 90%, figures for England show. Scientists say it works so well that this type of cancer could be eradicated in the near future. The study shows the vaccine is most effective when offered to Year 8 students - those aged 12 to 13. The vaccine also provides protection against genital warts by preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and led by experts at Queen Mary University of London, shows the HPV vaccine combined with cervical screening can dramatically reduce cervical cancer incidence to the point where almost no-one develops it. More cases were prevented in the most deprived socio-economic groups in society - those often hit hardest by the disease. Prof Peter Sasieni, lead author of the work that is published in the British Medical Journal,, external said: "Our research highlights the power of HPV vaccination to benefit people across all social groups. Historically, cervical cancer has had greater health inequalities than almost any other cancer and there was concern that HPV vaccination may not reach those at greatest risk. This study captures the huge success of the school-based vaccination programme in helping to close these gaps and reach people from even the most deprived communities." Read full story Source: BBC News, 16 May 2024
  28. Content Article
    In this blog, Kristy Widdicombe-Dutch shares her decades-long experience of harmful healthcare that has left her with a complete loss of trust in the system. She describes how, starting in her 20s, she has experienced disbelief, gaslighting and poor care in relation to her vascular issues, which has left her with long-term physical harm and psychological trauma.
  29. Event
    An After Action Review (AAR) is a facilitated discussion following an event to understand what happened and why. AARs involve key stakeholders involved in the incident and provide insight into how improvements could be made to help deliver safer care for patients. The AAR process emphasises the importance of a facilitated approach with all participants encouraged to work collaboratively to identify possible changes and improvements. AARs provide all participants with an opportunity to reflect and consider opportunities for self-learning. AARs are gathering momentum within healthcare particularly since the approach was identified as one of the national learning response methods within NHS England’s Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) documentation. The workshop will commence by looking at a brief history of AAR across the globe and its recent transition as an approach to help healthcare teams better understand their patient safety incidents. The core part of the day will focus on the four questions involved in conducting an effective AAR and learners will be given the chance to put learning into practice by looking at relevant case studies and scenarios in small groups. The day will conclude with an honest assessment of AARs and consider the challenges and benefits of utilising this team approach in a healthcare setting. This course is aimed at those who wish to lead and conduct AAR reviews plus those who are likely to take part in AAR investigations. The facilitators for this course will continue the journey beyond the course itself to support and enable you to develop your skills in AAR when you return to your organisation. This masterclass will enable you to: Understand history of AARs and why they are gathering momentum in healthcare Appreciate what an AAR is and how it differs from other incident investigation methods Identify when it is appropriate to conduct an AAR Examine what skills effective AAR conductors require Understand the four fundamental questions involved in conducting an AAR Develop your AAR skills via a number of case studies and scenarios Consider how human factors can play a part in the AAR process Examine why AAR can be an effective mechanism for change and improvement Discuss the strengths and weaknesses associated with AARs Evaluate where you consider you can gain the most from undertaking AAR. Register hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for the discount code.
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