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The General Optical Council (GOC) is undertaking a series of thematic reviews to support delivery of their strategic objective to ‘prevent harm through agile regulation’. The first thematic review, carried out during 2025-26, looked at commercial practices and patient safety in eye care services.  

Natasha Swinscoe, Network Chief Officer Lead for Patient Safety, explores how Patient Safety Collaboratives are supporting maternity and neonatal teams to help strengthen safety culture through the Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme.

A woman whose unborn baby had died was sent home from hospital with a booklet for bereaved parents and told to book a slot to give birth. Danielle Brown, 31, and her partner, Anthony Miller, were delighted to be expecting a baby but seven months into the pregnancy, in February 2023, she fell ill and was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. Monitoring by doctors at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), Newcastle, had also raised concerns about Maisie’s heart rate. A consultant obstetrician said Brown should remain in hospital until she gave birth, given her potentially life-threatening condition. However, she was discharged 24 hours later on 14 February after a review by a different consultant. A day later, Brown phoned the RVI’s maternity assessment unit with more concerns but was told she probably had a stomach bug. She insisted on being seen and returned to the hospital, waited 90 minutes to be assessed, and was told medics could not find Maisie’s heartbeat. The couple were then told that their baby had died. Instead of delivering Maisie straight away, Brown said she was then “given a booklet for bereaved parents and told to book a slot to give birth”. She said: “Hearing that with no compassion angered me so much.” Brown said she was devastated to have to return home knowing the baby she was carrying was no longer alive. “When it was confirmed Maisie had died, we burst into tears. Nobody explained what had happened to Maisie,” she said. Brown spoke of her ordeal after being awarded an undisclosed settlement from Newcastle upon Tyne hospitals NHS foundation trust. The trust admitted a breach of duty and that Maisie would have survived had her mother not been sent home during her first admission. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 November 2026

The night Tamara first walked through the doors of Hope Haven, a new community mental health hub in the heart of Whitehaven, she was afraid. “Terrified, actually,” she says. “Like, my life was falling apart. I didn’t know how to stop it from hurting.” That night was a turning point: Tamara was seen immediately by a member of staff and offered an appointment for the next day. She believes that if she hadn’t been offered help at Hope Haven, she would still be at “rock bottom”. Hope Haven is part of a pilot scheme of six hubs across England. It offers preventive, open-access care 24/7, meaning people do not need a diagnosis or referral to access its services. Its alternative approach reflects concerns that more traditional NHS services have struggled to improve local wellbeing. In its first five months from March to July, about 3,000 people accessed support either digitally or in person. Nearly half of them had never been in contact with NHS mental health services before. Admissions to inpatient mental health wards in the area fell by 24% between January and September compared with the same period last year. The five other pilot centres, which are part of NHS England’s 10-year health plan, are in Lewisham and Tower Hamlets in London, Birmingham, York and Sheffield. After Andy Burnham’s announcement of £343m towards “the biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation” this summer, 100 more are due to open gradually, starting this autumn, with an evaluation of the pilot centres later this year. The hubs build on the Trieste model of mental health care, a 24-hour holistic approach which started in 1980s Italy. They offer more than just mental health support, hosting several local services under one roof, from exercise classes to financial advice and housing support. They also house several short-stay beds, allowing teams to offer overnight support. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 3 November 2026

Ministers should introduce statutory regulation for counsellors and psychotherapists to protect the public from abuse, according to a report that has been hailed as a “watershed moment” for the profession. Unlike most other healthcare roles, including doctors, midwives and osteopaths, “psychotherapist” and “counsellor” are not protected titles nor statutorily regulated professions in the UK. This means that anyone can call themselves a therapist without a qualification, and can continue to practise even after an episode of misconduct, under a system that is poorly understood by the public. For the first time, a report from an independent commission established by the professional bodies that represent counsellors and psychotherapists is calling for statutory regulation, to boost confidence in the profession and protect the public from the growing number of cases of abuse and malpractice. At the moment the professional bodies have their own voluntary registration schemes, which are accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. The report, the culmination of an independent review launched in October 2025 by the Commission for the Future of Counselling and Psychotherapy, argues that counsellors and psychotherapists are an untapped resource that could fill a mental health treatment gap estimated at about 1.8 million people on waiting lists. Practitioners told the commission they had extra capacity, which the report estimated could cumulatively provide more than 370,000 hours of additional therapy appointments every week. The commission co-chair Phil Hope, a former Labour minister for care services, said: “For me, the report became a bit of a watershed moment for the profession, a real landmark of the opportunity there is for the government, and all its departments really, to unlock that potential.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 November 2026

Three in 20 ambulances reaching patients with a life-threatening emergency have no paramedic as part of their crew in large parts of the country, an HSJ analysis of the latest data has discovered. Figures show that in the five months from April this year, at least 27,000 category 1 incidents – the most serious type, which include suspected cardiac and respiratory arrests – were first attended by a crew without a registered paramedic. However, the data also shows the number of ambulances attending category one calls without paramedics has also fallen for the fourth consecutive year, with particularly steep falls in the worst-affected areas. There is also less variation across the country. Both the East of England and East Midlands ambulance service trusts had non-paramedic crews first on scene at more than 15 of category 1 incidents in this time. There is no rule requiring a paramedic to be on board, and in some cases the first attending vehicle is a “community first responder” or “rapid response” vehicle. These are sometimes used more often in rural areas, for a quick response, and are often followed up by full crews. However, inquests have led to warnings about the risks of relying on non-registered crews. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 3 November 2026

This blog provides an overview of a discussion at a Patient Safety Management Network (PSMN) meeting on Friday 23 October 2026. At this session members shared their views and experiences on the implementation of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF). The PSMN is an innovative voluntary network for patient safety managers and everyone working in patient safety. It has over 2,500 members from more than 650 different organisations. Created by and for people working in patient safety, it provides a weekly drop-in session with guests to talk through issues of importance, offers peer support and creates a safe space for discussion. You can find out more about the network here.

This is the fourth and final Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) report in a series considering the self-administration of insulin by people with diabetes mellitus (diabetes) in community settings. This report focuses on the availability and design of diabetes technologies and insulin pen devices. It also shares findings from across the series of investigations and identifies learning to inform strategic plans for supporting patients in community settings. Many people with diabetes administer their own insulin to manage their blood sugar levels, either by injection or using an insulin pump. However, a disability or impairment may affect someone’s ability to safely administer their own insulin if they are not supported. This can lead to short-term and long-term health problems, which can be life threatening. Across this series of investigations, HSSIB identified patient safety incidents in which people with diabetes requiring insulin, who also had disabilities or impairments, were harmed when they were not supported to administer their insulin safely.

A trust has all but conceded it cannot meet its financial plan this year, as finding the required savings would most likely be “at the expense of patient safety”. University Hospitals Plymouth Trust (UHP) agreed a breakeven year-end plan with NHS England for 2026/27, but according to recent board papers, there are “risks” of £58m to this position. Read full article (paywalled). Source: Health Service Journal, 2 November 2026

MPs have warned that blind and partially sighted people risk being shut out of the NHS as the government pushes ahead with plans to make the NHS App its ‘digital front door’ by 2028. A report published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment found that 53% of people who responded to its survey rated the app as either ‘not accessible’ or ‘slightly accessible’. The findings, which draw on a survey of 64 people, most of them blind or partially sighted, and evidence given to MPs, also found that 50% who require their healthcare information provided in an accessible format said they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ receive it that way. Meanwhile 46% of respondents who use the app found it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to use, with 56% saying that reading letters or documents was one of the hardest parts of using the app. Read full article. Source: Digital Health, 2 November 2026

Closing two of three consultant-led maternity units run by a hospital group is the best option for safety and staffing, a review by senior local clinical leaders has concluded. Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group bosses stressed no final decisions had been taken on its future model, and that other scenarios being considered included retaining all three, or closing just one unit. The conclusions were outlined in a report, Our Case for Change, the recommendations of which were signed off at the group’s board meeting. Read full article (paywalled). Source: Health Service Journal, 2 November 2026

This paper, published in Advances in Simulation, describes how a single site used simulation-based clinical systems testing during pre-opening operational-readiness work for a newly expanded emergency department, integrating quality improvement methods and human factors frameworks to find problems before real patients encountered them.

In a blog to mark Learning Disability Nurses' Day on 1 November, Professor Ben Thomas highlights why this specialist profession is safety-critical. He sets out how Learning disability nurses are indispensable to safe, equitable and person-centred care and why sustained investment is needed to secure the roles future.

A new early warning system is being introduced in hospital emergency departments in England to help busy NHS staff identify sick children who are dangerously deteriorating. It comes after Health Secretary Yvette Cooper promised to stop "corridor care" for sick children because of long waits for hospital beds. The new National Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) asks staff to check, log and grade vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels. A high overall score means a child needs more urgent attention. Concerns from staff, parents, carers or the child themselves will trigger an immediate escalation of care. The initiative is designed to save lives ahead of winter, when pressure on the NHS is at its highest. Read full article. Source: BBC News, 2 November 2026

From 2 to 8 November 2026, the World Health Organization joins the global #MedSafetyWeek campaign to raise awareness of the importance of recognizing side effects from medicines and encourage patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals to report them. Side effects can take many forms, from a skin rash or upset stomach to changes in sleep, mood or other unexpected symptoms. Some may appear shortly after starting treatment, while others develop after prolonged use, a change in dose or when several medicines are taken together. Although medicines undergo rigorous evaluation before they reach patients, not all potential side effects can be identified during clinical trials. Continuous monitoring throughout a medicine's life cycle is therefore essential. Every report matters. When combined with other reports and scientific evidence, it can help identify potential safety concerns, improve understanding of medicine-related risks and inform actions to protect patients. The campaign aims to: raise awareness and highlight the importance of reporting. encourage patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals to recognize and promptly report side effects through national reporting systems, even when they are unsure whether a medicine caused them. Read full article. Source: World Health Organization, 2 November 2026 Related reading Medication adverse reactions and patient safety

An AI program is alleged to have ignored the evidence of hundreds of mothers who blamed traumatic labours on the pursuit of a normal birth ideology in the NHS. Mothers who suffered harm when giving birth gave their evidence to a landmark review of maternity care in England led by Baroness Amos. Transcripts of interviews and panel discussions, testimonies, and reports of their care were among more than 10,500 submissions given to the inquiry. Many contained devastating accounts from mothers denied pain relief, who had caesarean sections refused and had concerns about their babies dismissed because they believed doctors and midwives wanted them to have a natural birth. Yet when Amos published her report into maternity care in June it concluded: “We did not find that normal birth ideology was currently widespread.” Read full article. Source: The Times, 31 October 2026

The Patient and Client Council (PCC) is an independent statutory body in Northern Ireland that represents the interests of patients, service users, carers and communities in relation to health and social care. This Casebook showcases the work of PCC Support Service and demonstrates the range of issues they supported in 2026. It highlights how independent, professional advocacy can positively impact on people’s lives; helping them to have their voice heard, uphold their rights and address inequalities.

This annual report contains information on: NHS England’s work this year and their achievements and challenges how they have performed against their priorities board members and governance financial statements for 2025 to 2026

The Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) programme annual report highlights a year of activity aimed at improving maternity and newborn safety for women, babies, and families across England. Between April 2025 and March 2026, MNSI completed 618 investigations and made more than 1,300 safety recommendations.

This report by the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE), based on the Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES), explains why progressive policies have not closed the country’s large health gap and makes recommendations about what needs to change covering the structural drivers of poor health and the implementation landscape. CHES is a partnership between Public Health Scotland, the IEH and three collaborating places: Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.

Thousands of patients have been unable to access their GP surgery online after a tech firm collapsed into administration. The loss of Silicon Practice means some services, such as entire websites, online consultations and chatbots, are no longer running. Gloucestershire, parts of Wales and London are among the regions that have faced disruption. Patients are being urged to call their GP practice or attend in person if they cannot access services online. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 29 October 2026

With the NHS App set to become the “digital front door” to the NHS by 2028, this report from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eye Health and Visual Impairment considers how accessible the NHS App and wider digital health services are for people who are blind or partially sighted. It draws on a stakeholder survey carried out earlier this year and the parliamentary Oral Evidence Session on 30th June, chaired by Marsha De Cordova MP. It shows that when health information is not accessible, blind and partially sighted people are put at risk, making this a patient safety issue.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK. This five-year strategy sets out how they are seeking to modernise regulation in response to rapid advances in science, technology and global healthcare.