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Keep up to date with the latest news, research and activity in patient safety.

French blood banks hacked in latest cyber-attack on Europe

France’s national blood service has said hackers accessed control systems and boosted temperatures at three cold stores stocking vital blood products, in an apparent escalation of recent cyber-attacks on fridges and freezers across Europe.
The French blood service (EFS) said temperature and defrosting thresholds had been raised to “very high levels” in the attack, adding that its alarm systems had allowed technicians to intervene before the products were compromised.
The EFS is France’s public blood transfusion operator, collecting, testing, preparing and distributing products such as blood, plasma and platelets to more than 1,900 hospitals around the country. It supports more than a million patients a year.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 4 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Parents of woman who died of seizure after ChatGPT misguidance sue OpenAI

A woman’s death from an epileptic seizure after she received dangerous advice from a chatbot has prompted her parents to sue OpenAI.
The legal action is the latest lawsuit that in which plaintiffs allege that a bot provided counsel to a user that ultimately led to their death.
In this case, Bowen Wan, a 31-year-old Chinese software engineer living in Seattle, USA, sought advice from ChatGPT after Amazon fired her, according to the lawsuit.
She needed to find a new job to obtain permanent residency and was concerned that her anti-seizure medication, Lamotrigine, was impeding her ability to speak English. She needed the language skills for interviews.
The bot, communicating in Chinese, provided her a tapering schedule to reduce her 400mg dose to zero, a regimen no physician had prescribed, the lawsuit states. ChatGPT told her the tapering made it “highly likely” that she would be able to regain her ability to speak English.
The bot also told her to avoid her physicians and encouraged “medical freedom over obeying the doctor”, the complaint states.
Before an appointment, with a primary care physician, the bot stated, “Do not mention Lam reduction plan.”
While reducing her medication, she started experiencing symptoms of focal seizures. Wan asked the bot if she needed to worry about brain damage. The tool reassured her that she did not and that what she had experienced was not a seizure, the lawsuit alleges.
She continued to suffer seizures, but the bot told her to keep tapering her medication. On 12 February this year, she died from a seizure. Her parents, who were in China, had not heard from her so they flew to Seattle and found her dead on 14 February, the lawsuit states.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 1 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

NHSE warns ICBs over staffing and capability gaps

NHS England criticised staffing and capacity issues at several integrated care boards (ICBs), a year after instructing them to cut their staffing by half.
Its annual assessments of ICBs for 2025-26 – which most ICBs have since published in board papers and annual reports – noted various staffing gaps in data and analytics, safeguarding and nursing.
It also raised concerns over “place”-level working at some ICBs. This has been a target in many of the cost-cutting drives, as ICBs have been encouraged to reduce partnership working and “convening”, as well as sharply cut their workforce.
The assessments cover ICBs as they were before several merged in April this year.
NHSE highlighted “workforce gaps” in safeguarding at four London ICBs: North Central London, North West London, South East London, and South West London.
However, it praised Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West and Frimley ICBs, which now largely form Thames Valley ICB, for “retaining their safeguarding workforce with minimal reductions”.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 5 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Victims demand tougher restrictions on snooping

Victims of the Southport and Nottingham attacks have told ministers and NHS leaders that far stricter, more robust processes are needed to stop staff snooping on patient records – and that actions outlined so far are not enough.
The open letter, which has also been signed by maternity and patient safety campaigners, has been sent to health secretary Yvette Cooper, culture secretary Lisa Nandy, and NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey.
The letter says the “repeated incidents of NHS staff snooping on some of the most vulnerable patients in our care system” had led to victims witnessing or experiencing “the devastating effects of medical data breaches”.
Among the signatories were lawyers representing victims and relatives from the 2023 Nottingham stabbing, in which three people were killed, and those of the 2024 attack on a children’s dance class in Southport.
Their letter also mentioned investigations into other high-profile incidents such as a man killed by a tiger in a Yorkshire zoo recently, as well as breaches caused by “disturbing targeted and personal attacks”.
The letter says: “While we recognise commitments have been made to dismiss or discipline NHS staff who snoop, we do not believe this goes far enough to prevent others falling victim to snooping in future.”
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 5 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Doctor wins award for neonatal jaundice programme

An NHS consultant has won a national award for her work improving the recognition, assessment and care of neonatal jaundice in babies with darker skin tones.
Dr Helen Gbinigie, who works at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, has been named inclusive leader of the year at the BAME Health and Care Awards.
She was nominated for her Jaundice in Darker Skin Tone Babies Programme, which "tackles inequalities in the care of babies with neonatal jaundice and helps ensure fairer care for all newborns", the hospital said.
Gbinigie said: "Creating long-term change requires joint working, compassion and a shared commitment to equity."
She added: "I hope this award shines a light on the importance of building inclusive cultures and driving meaningful change for both our workforce and the communities we serve."
Jaundice is a common condition in newborns which presents as yellowing of the skin in babies with paler skin tones.
It is easily treatable if detected early, but it can appear differently in babies with darker skin tones, making it harder to detect and increasing the risk of delayed diagnosis and treatment.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 1 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

ISCAS to become the Private Healthcare Ombudsman

The Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS) will become the Private Healthcare Ombudsman on 1 April 2027, following approval of its application for Ombudsman Membership by the Ombudsman Association.
ISCAS has provided independent adjudication of patient complaints about private healthcare since 2001. Its nearly 300 subscribing providers, across all four nations of the UK, range from major hospital groups to independent clinics, doctors and NHS private patient units.
The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) notes that 97% of independent healthcare providers in England subscribe to the scheme.
Ombudsman status recognises that the scheme meets the Association’s criteria for independence, fairness, effectiveness, openness, transparency and accountability. The Association’s Validation Committee said the application reflected “careful preparation, mature governance arrangements, and a clear commitment to meeting both the letter and spirit of the OA’s membership criteria”.
The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), an independent registered charity, has worked with ISCAS since 2015, initially hosting the service and then acquiring it in 2022. ISCAS now operates independently as part of the CEDR Group, giving the service a strong institutional base while preserving its impartial decision-making. This relationship will continue when ISCAS becomes the Private Healthcare Ombudsman.
Sally Taber, Director of ISCAS, said: “For many years, ISCAS has provided an independent complaints service for patients and providers across the UK’s independent healthcare sector. Recognition as an ombudsman builds on that established role and provides further reassurance that patients have access to an impartial and trusted service when concerns cannot be resolved directly with their healthcare provider. This is an important development for the sector and one that strengthens its commitment to high standards of patient care and complaint handling. We will continue to work closely with our subscribing providers, representative bodies and regulators across all four nations of the UK as we make the transition to the Private Healthcare Ombudsman.”
Full press release attached below:
PHO_Press_Release_30Oct2026.pdf

Sam

New agency to host thousands of NHSE staff

The government is today confirming it will create a new national agency to employ thousands of staff in NHS regional teams, while pressing on with abolishing NHS England by April next year.
After months of delays and internal tensions, health and social care secretary Yvette Cooper has set out some details of the “target operating model” for the Department of Health and Social Care and national and regional NHS management.
In a letter to staff, seen by HSJ, Ms Cooper confirmed the government would keep the “crucial role” of the NHS Chief Executive and set up an “NHS group” within the department that would focus on operational health service delivery.
The letter does not, however, confirm whether the NHS CEO will report to the DHSC’s top civil servant or be of an equal rank, but other sources suggested this was the intention.
The health secretary said the “vast majority” of national NHSE delivery functions would transfer into this NHS group, but some will move into DHSC policy teams.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 4 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

'Multi-cancer' blood tests coming to some GP surgeries soon

New blood tests designed to check for multiple cancers in one go will be offered to NHS patients in some 200 GP surgeries in England as part of a trial.
The aim is to detect hard-to-diagnose abdominal cancers, including liver, ovarian and pancreatic cancer, much sooner. These cancers are often found only after they have spread.
The tests look for proteins or fragments of DNA in the blood that may signal cancer. Results could help doctors decide which patients with vague symptoms need further investigations.
More than 20,000 patients aged 45 and over with symptoms such as pain or persistent bloating will be eligible to take part.
The government-funded trial, led by the University of Birmingham, will assess whether the tests are accurate enough for wider NHS use.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 4 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

21 patients died after heatwave ambulance delays

Twenty-one patients died after delayed responses from an ambulance service during June’s heatwave amid a huge spike in serious calls, board papers show.
A report to the board of South Central Ambulance Service Foundation Trust (SCAS) for its meeting this week said the trust had issued duty of candour letters in 39 cases from the heatwave.
Of these, 21 were recorded as deaths and nine as severe harm. All 39 involved delays: 36 were delayed arrivals at the scene, and three were delayed backup responses.
The trust’s chief nurse, Helen Young, said that it was not yet determined that the delays were a contributory factor in each death, but the trust was committed to investigating and improving patient care from any learning from the cases. 
A separate quarterly patient safety report to the same meeting said SCAS escalated to a major incident in June “due to extreme weather conditions and worsening performance leading to patient harm”.
SCAS declared a critical incident on 25 June, after the Met Office issued a red extreme heat warning covering most of its area – which covers parts of the south coast, and counties west and north west of London – and a major incident the next day. It remained in a business continuity incident until 30 June.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 3 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

One million more scans to help catch cancer sooner

Patients across England are benefiting from faster cancer diagnoses, after one million more scans were delivered thanks to new scanners and cutting-edge AI technology.
NHS England data published on Tuesday 3 November shows that, from March 2024 to March 2026, the number of CT and MRI scanners in the NHS has increased by 125, giving doctors greater capacity to diagnose cancer and other serious conditions earlier and get patients into treatment sooner.
The expansion comes as each month in 2026 so far has set an NHS monthly record for diagnostic activity, with the diagnostic waiting list having fallen in three of the five months since April.
Cancer waiting times are better than last year, and the overall waiting list for elective care is down by over 250,000 since July 2024.
CT and MRI scanners are a vital part of diagnosing cancers including lung, brain, breast and prostate cancer. More scanners mean more patients can get the tests they need sooner, reducing waits and helping speed up diagnosis and treatment. 
Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said:
"Getting the right diagnosis and treatment as quickly as possible can make all the difference, particularly for patients with cancer and other serious conditions.
"That’s why, in the face of record demand, we are expanding NHS capacity and using new technology to help more people get the tests and care they need."
The 125 new scanners and rollout of AI technology are helping deliver around a million extra scans every year, while the new Manchester and Trafford CDC with its modern facilities and cutting-edge equipment will allow people to get checked quickly and conveniently in the community.
Read full story
Source: Department of Health and Social Care, 3 November 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Newcastle hospital told woman whose unborn baby had died to go home and ‘book a slot to give birth’

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

Patient Safety Learning

‘This is direct’: positive early feedback from pilot community mental health hub in Cumbria

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
Patient Safety Learning

Independent commission calls for UK statutory regulation of counselling and psychotherapy in ‘watershed moment’

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
Patient Safety Learning

Ambulances without paramedics still attending thousands of calls

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
Patient Safety Learning

Deeper financial cuts would impact patient safety, warns trust

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
Mark Hughes

Blind people risk being ‘locked out’ of NHS App, warns report

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
Mark Hughes
Registered address: Patient Safety Learning, China Works SB203, 100 Black Prince Road Vauxhall, London, SE1 7SJ

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