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Join Digital Care Hub for a panel discussion exploring what digital inclusion – and exclusion – looks like across the social care sector, both for people receiving care and support and for the people working within care services. The panel will explore the realities of digital exclusion across different settings and experiences, including the barriers that prevent people from accessing and benefiting from digital technology. It will also shine a light on creative and innovative approaches that are helping to tackle these challenges, sharing examples of where digital inclusion is making a difference in practice. Alongside celebrating progress, the discussion will consider where gaps and challenges remain, and what more needs to be done to ensure that digital transformation in social care is inclusive by design. Register -
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News article
NHS England has outlined spending worth about £34m to make ambulance services better able to respond to terror attacks – but the settlement appears to fall well short of ambulance trusts’ asks. Ambulance leaders have been pressing NHSE for several years to confirm funding for recommendations of the Manchester Arena bombing, which took place nearly a decade ago. Last month HSJ revealed one chief executive’s warnings that services were not “sufficiently trained, equipped, or resourced” to respond to a terrorist attack. Now, in a 6 November letter to the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHSE chief operating officer Sarah-Jane Marsh said it would fund three additional hazardous area response teams (HART) and three special operations response teams (SORT), together with training and backfill for staff. HART teams enter “hot zones” or “inner cordons” of incidents, including terrorist attacks, to provide care to improve survival rates. Trusts already have to be able to place six HART staff on scene at defined “strategic sites of interest” within 45 minutes. NHSE estimates each HART team will cost around £7m a year, plus £3m capital, and each SORT team around £6.5m a year, although it said detailed costing would follow, and costs might differ outside London. Two SORT teams would start in 2027/28, with a third potentially following in 2028/29, according to the letter, which has been shared with HSJ. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 10 November 2026 -
Content Article
Health consumer escalation of acute deterioration response systems are now widely available to help facilitate early recognition and response to acute deterioration in hospitals. Yet, a systematic synthesis of the literature on the signs and symptoms that health consumers consider representative of acute deterioration and the reasons for escalation has not been conducted. The aim of this study was to identify the signs and symptoms that health consumers recognise as indicative of acute deterioration, and to describe the reasons that health consumers activate acute deterioration response systems in hospitals. The study found that health consumers can identify a variety of physiological, cognitive, behavioural and functional changes indicative of acute deterioration. Health consumers activate acute deterioration response systems for four reasons: (1) reassurance, (2) reassessment, (3) re-establishing control and (4) recognition and respect. The authors concluded that health consumers’ ability to recognise acute deterioration varies, from clear, specific signs and symptoms to a non-specific sense that something is wrong. Health consumers activate acute deterioration response systems for multiple reasons. -
News article
A woman claims she “nearly died” after spending nine hours in agony on a hospital corridor waiting to be treated for her chronic condition. Joanna Oliver, who has Crohn's disease, recalls feeling like she was going to die when she experienced a blockage in her stoma – a potentially life-threatening complication if left untreated. The 51-year-old from Essex went to A&E at Basildon Hospital in Essex in July 2025 when she felt discomfort and cramps, but she was forced to wait all night to be treated. “I was in the corridor, waiting for a scan, surrounded by drunk people and families. Because of the pain and the morphine, I wet myself. They gave me a urinary catheter in the corridor,” she told The Independent. She added that her bed linen wasn’t changed and she wasn’t seen by a doctor until 6am, when her complication was treated. But Ms Oliver isn’t alone; hundreds of thousands patients across the country experience corridor care with long waits without beds, overcrowded spaces and a lack of privacy, every year. This year, cases skyrocketed during the heatwave. An average of 2,300 patients received corridor care in A&E departments in England each day in July, along with 728 patients elsewhere in hospital wards, totalling 3,028. Read full story Source: The Independent, 10 November 2026 Related reading on the hub: Corridor care: are the health and safety risks being addressed? How corridor care in the NHS is affecting safety culture: A blog by Claire Cox A silent safety scandal: A nurse’s first-hand account of a corridor nursing shift -
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Event
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Join the Royal Society of Medicine’s (RSM) Patient Safety Section in partnership with the Resident Doctors Section Seen, Heard, Believed, a national conference exploring how listening to women can improve healthcare outcomes. The programme will examine how women's experiences, concerns and priorities can be better understood and incorporated into clinical decision-making. Evidence from national reviews, inquiries and the Women's Health Strategy for England highlights persistent concerns about women feeling unheard or dismissed in healthcare. This conference will explore how effective listening, empathy and shared decision-making can improve patient safety, diagnostic accuracy, trust and clinical outcomes. Through expert presentations, patient perspectives and interactive sessions, participants will explore practical ways to ensure women feel seen, heard and believed. Why attend? Hear from Dr Rosie Bennyworth, CEO of HSSIB, Emma Murphy, public and patient voice advocate, Amber Bennett Western, Research Lead, and Dr Rupa Joshi, Lead for Women's Health at the Health Innovation Network Examine findings from national reviews and the Women's Health Strategy for England and understand what the evidence tells us about the scale and impact of women feeling unheard in healthcare Understand how listening, trust and patient safety are connected, including the potential impact of missed or dismissed concerns on clinical outcomes Develop practical approaches to active listening, empathetic communication and shared decision-making Explore how lived experience, patient feedback and awareness of bias and cultural assumptions can inform clinical practice and support more equitable, person-centred care Aims of the event Develop understanding of listening as a core patient safety skill. Explore how women’s lived experiences and priorities can inform clinical decision-making, shared care and improvements in patient experience and outcomes. Provide practical approaches to active listening, empathetic engagement and meaningful patient involvement. Learning outcomes By attending this conference, participants will be able to: Describe the national context and evidence surrounding women's experiences of healthcare Explain how communication and listening practices can influence patient safety and healthcare outcomes Apply practical active listening and empathetic communication techniques in clinical encounters Identify strategies to improve shared decision-making and patient involvement Recognise personal and organisational barriers that can prevent effective listening Identify actions that can be implemented in their own clinical settings to improve patient experiences and outcomes Apply patient feedback and lived experience to identify and implement meaningful improvements in care. Register -
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News article
Successive governments in England have been “asleep at the wheel” on social care, leaving the system to grow as a chaotic patchwork of local services with no clear vision, Louise Casey, the head of the social care commission, is to warn. Lady Casey, who is preparing proposals for a big review of adult social care, will say the result is that in effect “no one is in charge” of a system that provides vital services for millions of vulnerable people. People’s experiences of care have varied depending on where they live, with different standards, assessment processes and waiting times, while the private care sector has grown dominant and regulation of services has often been ineffectual, she will say. She will add that England has no clear “system stewardship” for social care, making it difficult for governments to target improvements to services or translate policy into practice, unlike in comparable countries such as France, Germany and Japan. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 November 2026 -
News article
Disabled people are having to wait up to two years to get a wheelchair because of delays involving NHS bodies and private firms that make them. The situation is revealed in a report by the Public Service Ombudsman, Paula Sussex, who said hold-ups were having profound consequences and limiting wheelchair users’ ability to lead independent lives. In one case a three-year-old boy with cerebral palsy was unable to start nursery at the same time as his twin brother because he had to wait seven months for a wheelchair. He hurt himself several times when he fell from an adapted buggy his parents were using while they waited. Sussex launched an investigation into NHS wheelchair provision after a sharp rise in complaints – from eight in 2020-21 to 110 in 2025-26. Four out of five relate to the handful of private firms that provide wheelchairs to at least half of all children and adults who need one to help them lead independent lives. Most are about people who need a wheelchair having to wait longer than the supposed 18-week maximum to receive either the device or parts for it. “For people who rely on a wheelchair, delays, unsuitable equipment or poor repairs can affect every part of their life”, said Sussex. “There can be profound consequences, from physical pain and emotional distress to limiting their ability to lead full lives.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 November 2026 -
Tahira joined the community
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News article
NHS bosses have warned of a “punitive” inspection culture at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), two years into the regulator’s recovery from a damning review. Just one in five trust leaders (21%) believe the CQC is making changes that will improve its long-term performance, with 27% disagreeing, 37% neutral and 16% unsure. The NHS Alliance, which represents most trusts and integrated care boards, surveyed 166 chief executives, chairs, company secretaries, and medical and nursing directors at 116 trusts in August. Its report says “numerous” leaders described the regulator’s approach as adversarial. One trust chair said inspection teams “arrive with conclusions in advance, and use evidence inappropriately to justify those conclusions”. A director at another trust said: “The way they run the inspection is aggressive.” Another leader said: “The CQC used to add value – it doesn’t any more, and has lost credibility.” Just 12% cent agree the CQC’s current approach supports innovation and the spread of good practice, while 60% disagree. Fewer than two in five (38%) say it is supporting their trust to improve the quality of care, with 31% disagreeing. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 11 November 2026 -
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Content Article
Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a process where cognitively competent adults suffering from a terminal illness, yet alive in the final six months of life expectancy and capable of making their own healthcare decisions, may choose to end their lives with assistance from their doctors. They may request prescriptions for medications that they can ingest at a time and place of their choosing to end their life, on their own terms. In his previous commentary, Dan Cohen, an international consultant in patient safety and clinical risk management, and a Trustee for Patient Safety Learning, discussed how MAID aligns with the principles of biomedical ethics. In this commentary, he discusses why MAID is not 'suicide' in the traditional sense of how this word is used. *Content warning* Some of the themes included in this blog people might find upsetting. -
News article
Rosemary Nayler says she was repeatedly told that taking the epilepsy drug sodium valproate while pregnant would not affect her unborn child. But it is thought thousands of children in the UK have been left with disabilities caused by the medication since the 1970s. Her daughter, Nadia Williams, is now 37, registered blind and deaf, is autistic and has mobility issues. Nayler is among thousands of parents calling for the government to "admit where they've gone wrong". Over the last decade, instructions for doctors and patient leaflets have stated valproate should not be used during pregnancy unless there was no safer alternative and only after a careful discussion of the risks. Rosemary, from Evesham in Worcestershire, had her first epilepsy attack when she was about 30. "I'd already got three young children by this stage who were all born perfectly normal and quite happy and have developed no problems throughout their lives. They're all way into their 50s now." But by the time she became pregnant with Nadia, aged 34, in the late 1980s, she was already taking sodium valproate on the advice of doctors. "Every time I had an epileptic attack I was told that it was 'far better for me to... keep on taking the tablets' and they just kept increasing the dosage. "We queried... if it was going to affect the foetus in any way and we were clearly told that 'no, there was no effect on the children'." Rosemary said she wants "the government to admit where they've gone wrong, the fact that we should have been told about these things and these possibilities way back then". Her daughter added she was "terrified of the future". Read full story Source: BBC News, 9 November 2026 Further reading on the hub: First Do No Harm. The report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (8 July 2020) Mums v Big Pharma (BBC iPlayer, 9 November 2026) Sodium Valproate: The Fetal Valproate Syndrome Tragedy -
Content Article
The way that wheelchair services are designed, funded and organised across the NHS is affecting the safety, dignity and independence of people who rely on them. This Public Services Ombudsman report shows that complaints about wheelchair services have significantly increased over the last five years. It make recommendations in three areas for a more consistent, national approach to improve the lives of wheelchair users: strengthen national oversight, data and quality assurance build ICB capability to commission sustainable, person-centred services measure services by people’s experiences and outcomes. -
Content Article
This report presents results from the NHS Alliance’s first governance and regulation survey, building on similar publications by NHS Providers. It is the first in a three-part series, focusing on trust leaders’ experiences of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over the past year. The second report will focus on ICB and trust leaders’ experiences of NHS England’s (NHSE) oversight and regulatory approach. Conducted in August 2026, the findings and recommendations in this report are based on the 166 responses from 116 trusts (57% of all trusts). All regions and trust types are represented. Respondents included chief executives, chairs, company secretaries, medical directors and nursing directors. Our analyses and interpretation are supplemented by free-text responses and insights gathered via a series of in-depth interviews and wider engagement with NHS leaders. -
Content Article
Two mums from north west England tell the story, based on their experience, of taking on a drugs company, doctors and the government, fighting a scandal that led to at least 20,000 babies being born disabled - the truly shocking scandal of sodium valproate. The film reveals, for the first time, the ‘David v Goliath’ battle as they search for answers and fight for justice for their children. Further reading on the hub: First Do No Harm. The report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (8 July 2020) Sodium Valproate: The Fetal Valproate Syndrome Tragedy -
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Community PostDigital healthcare systems have made it easier for healthcare professionals to access patient information, manage appointments, and coordinate care. However, introducing new technology does not automatically make healthcare safer. Poorly designed interfaces, disconnected systems, incomplete patient records, and confusing workflows can create risks for both patients and healthcare professionals. Here are five areas worth considering when developing or implementing digital healthcare systems. 1. Make patient information easy to accessHealthcare professionals often need information from different systems to make informed decisions. When patient records are fragmented or difficult to access, important details may be overlooked. Improving interoperability between electronic patient record systems can help ensure that relevant information is available when needed. 2. Prioritise usabilityA system might have advanced features but still create problems if healthcare professionals find it difficult to use. Developers should involve doctors, nurses, administrative staff, and patients during design and testing. Real-world usability testing can identify confusing workflows before they affect everyday care. 3. Avoid information overloadToo many notifications and alerts can make it difficult for staff to identify genuinely important information. Digital systems should prioritise meaningful alerts and make critical information easy to recognise. 4. Include security and access controlsPatient information must be protected through appropriate access permissions, authentication, encryption, and audit trails. Healthcare organisations should also establish clear procedures for responding to security incidents and system failures. 5. Monitor systems after implementationLaunching a digital healthcare platform should not be considered the end of the project. Organisations should regularly review user feedback, technical problems, near misses, and incidents associated with digital workflows. This helps identify risks that may not have been apparent during initial testing. Further readingPatient Safety Learning has shared useful insights in its report on Electronic patient record systems: Putting patient safety at the heart of implementation. For additional context on healthcare technology development, HealthTech discusses digital healthcare platforms and related technology considerations. Final thoughtsTechnology should support healthcare professionals rather than create additional complexity. The most effective digital healthcare systems are those designed around real clinical needs, tested with the people who use them, and continuously improved to reduce risks. Discussion question: What do you think is the most overlooked patient safety risk when healthcare organisations introduce new digital systems: poor usability, incomplete patient information, lack of interoperability, or insufficient staff training?
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Content Article
The Health and Social Care Committee commissioned an independent expert panel (IEP) to carry out an evaluation of the transition from child to adult health and social care services. The report highlights how young people, especially those with complex physical and mental health needs, are failed by services that abruptly change or cancel the support they need when they turn 16 or 18. It points towards redesigning systems to remove abrupt switches from children’s to adults’ services based on age. Evidence the IEP received suggested instead basing transitions, pace of change and assumptions about independence, on careful assessment of the individual child’s needs and wishes. -
Content Article
If your organisation operates in a high risk, or high threat location, or in the course of day-to-day work staff are likely to face traumatic or potentially traumatic situations, then you should consider TRiM. What is TRiM? TRiM is a trauma-focused peer support system designed to help people who have experienced a traumatic, or potentially traumatic, event. TRiM Practitioners are non-medical personnel who have undergone specific training allowing them to understand the effects that traumatic events can have upon people. They are not counsellors or therapists, but understand confidentiality and are able to listen and offer practical advice and assistance. TRiM originated in the UK Armed Forces and the model is based on ‘active monitoring’, that means keeping a watchful eye on individuals who have been exposed to a traumatic event, whether that person has been directly involved or involved from afar. -
Event
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The WHO Quality of Care and Patient Safety Education and Training (QPSET) Network, in collaboration with Imperial College London, is pleased to invite you to the upcoming webinar: ‘Integrating Quality of Care and Patient Safety into Pre-service Education’ The webinar will focus on the importance and key principles of integrating quality of care and patient safety into pre-service education, share practical experiences, and identify feasible actions and resources. Download flyer: QPSET Network - Integrating Quality of Care and Patient Safety into Pre-Service Education.pdf -
EventThe Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh's inaugural Surgical Safety Summit (SSS) will unite colleagues from across the surgical patient pathway and those with lived experience to learn, collaborate and drive improvement in surgical safety. This summit will provide a unique opportunity to learn about patient safety in surgery in a collaborative space. You will be able to connect with colleagues and forge new friendships with fellow patient safety champions, surgical teams and members of the wider surgical patient safety community. Our discussions will strengthen professional relationships and inspire future collaborations. There will be ample valuable opportunity to interact with and question renowned leaders in the patient safety field. Set against the stunning backdrop of historic Edinburgh – a city renowned for its rich history, cultural landmarks, and vibrant friendly atmosphere, attendees will have the chance to explore the RCSEd iconic campus and its acclaimed Surgeons Hall museums. Delegates will be able to immerse themselves in centuries of surgical history while gaining fresh perspectives on modern innovations in surgical patient safety. See flyer attached for programme: RCSEd Surgical Safety Summit Programme V10 (1).pdf Register
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News article
Families whose children have metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) have warned it will be too late for many to receive treatment unless a review into newborn screening is brought forward. MLD is a genetic condition which affects the brain and nervous system, causing a progressive loss of physical and mental abilities - it affects roughly one in 40,000 children. A treatment called Libmeldy on the NHS can save children's lives if it is caught early enough. The UK National Screening Committee's review opted against newborn screening over uncertainties about test accuracy, cost, and the effectiveness of treating the condition before symptoms start. The next review is due between 2029 to 2030. Testing for MLD is already widespread in Europe and two families across the North East and Cumbria are campaigning for the UK to follow suit. Campaigners want screening to be included in the newborn blood spot test - formerly called the heel prick test - which checks for rare but life-threatening conditions, usually taken at about five days old. Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 November 2026 -
News article
Former prime minister Lord David Cameron is leading calls for drugs that have previously been rejected for use on the NHS to be approved for treating Alzheimer’s. Lord Cameron has joined dozens of dementia specialists in the plea, and has also called for a maximum 18-week wait for a diagnosis of the disease, the Telegraph reported. While treatments such as lecanemab and donanemab have advanced the field of drug treatments, other medicines are far cheaper and experts know already about the risk of side-effects for some of them. They were licensed in 2024, but are not available on the NHS outside clinical trials. Lord Cameron, president of charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, lost his mother to the disease in 2025. He said drugs that are effective but not currently approved should be unlocked. “As prime minister, I was proud to launch the National Dementia Challenge, doubling the amount of investment into research for dementia treatments and kick-starting the fightback against this terrible disease that destroys so many lives,” he told the Telegraph. “More than a decade on, huge progress has been made, meaning we now have treatments available that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. “However, we urgently need to find ways to unlock access to these dementia drugs, and others on the way, so people can benefit from the amazing progress that is being made and from new innovations on the horizon.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 9 November 2026 -
News article
Stopping weight loss injections could double the risk of heart attack, stroke or death for people with type 2 diabetes, a study has suggested. The research focused on people with type 2 diabetes who had no established heart disease when the study began. It found that heart health was better among those who remained on GLP-1 drugs than among those who came off them. GLP-1 drugs are already thought to benefit the heart, with research indicating they may reduce inflammation and improve how blood vessels function. Weight loss itself also tends to bring improvements in blood pressure, inflammation and cholesterol, all of which are good for the heart. For the research, experts examined electronic medical records from more than 300 diabetes clinics across Italy. Overall, the results suggested that the risk of a non-fatal heart attack, non-fatal stroke or death from any cause was about twice as high in people who stopped treatment as in those who continued. The researchers said this worked out at about four strokes or heart attacks per 100 people per year among those who stopped, against two per 100 among those who carried on. Read full story Source: The Independent, 10 November 2026 -
Content Article
In this blog, Patient Safety Learning’s Chief Executive Helen Hughes introduces the new Patient Safety and AI Networks hosted on the hub. Last week
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Content Article
A new handbook supporting clinicians to have more effective conversations with patients living with chronic pain is now available on the GIRFT website. The GIRFT chronic pain team brought together people with lived experience and expert clinicians to voice what they want healthcare providers to understand and communicate about the condition. Their insights have shaped the new handbook, which offers practical guidance to help all healthcare professionals explain pain in a way that is understandable, validating and empowering for patients. The handbook features checklists of what clinicians need to know on the themes that matter most in chronic pain, and includes examples of phrasing and terminology which can help to explain points clearly and compassionately. Co-badged by the British Pain Society, Faculty of Pain Medicine, Arthritis UK, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Royal College of Occupational Therapists and the Physiotherapy Pain Association, the resource also contains an extensive list of, and links to, a range of further resources – books, booklets, videos, podcasts and websites – which may be useful to adult patients and children and young people. The term chronic pain refers to persistent pain lasting longer than three months, including both chronic primary and chronic secondary pain. One in three people over the age of 16 have chronic pain and one in five children and young people are affected, leading to significant absenteeism from work and school and ma -
Content Article
Over 2026, hopes that AI can help tackle some of the thorniest problems facing the NHS have continued to grow. The dominant policy questions no longer focus so much on whether AI can or should be used to improve health services, but on how best to deploy AI and assess performance. In October the Health Foundation hosted its third AI in the NHS Summit. This year’s summit brought together speakers from the UK, US, Singapore and South Korea to look at what we can learn about AI implementation from leading systems, and how the UK can conduct faster, rigorous evaluation. Key takeaways included the uneven distribution of the benefits of AI, the difficulty of generating sufficient evidence on AI tools and how the UK can make the most of its assets. -
News article
NHS officials are shutting growing numbers of birth centres in a “shocking” denial of a woman’s right to have a midwife rather than a doctor oversee their baby’s birth, say campaigners. Twelve birth centres – midwife-led maternity units – have closed in England since 2019. Birth centres play a key role in ensuring that women can choose whether to have their baby at a unit in a hospital run by doctors, at one where midwives are in charge, or at home. Six units have shut permanently since Labour came to power in July 2024. Four others have been closed “temporarily” for so long, up to six years, that childbirth groups fear they will never reopen. Two other birth centres closed because the hospitals where they were based have begun to fall apart and will remain out of action for several years until new facilities are built. The wave of closures and suspensions is occurring because of the NHS-wide shortage of midwives, a falling birthrate, the growing complexity of childbirth and a rise in caesarean sections. Campaigners say the loss of local childbirth services is denying women their right to choose and forcing them to travel from their home area to give birth. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 7 November 2026
