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

New device gives female patients more dignity

It is hoped a device adapted to allow immobile female hospital patients to go to the toilet more easily could be rolled out nationwide.
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Swindon, has called its move to bring in the UniWee a "groundbreaking project" which has now got the support of the NHS supply chain.
Staff at the emergency department there started adapting the disposable male urinal bottle for women to use, lessening the need for catheters and making life more dignified and pain-free in hospital.
The design has now been formalised and researched, with plans in place for it to be used more widely in the future.
Many women who are forced to sit or lie down for long periods in hospital struggle to urinate without pain and movement.
Emergency department and trauma and orthopaedic staff at the Great Western Hospital started using the adapted bottle, collaborating with staff from NHS Trusts across the South West.
Research was done into how effective they were, with results published in the British Medical Journal's Emergency Medicine Journal, external. Now the manufacturer of the male bottles, OmniPac, has developed formal prototypes and is preparing to increase production.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 6 April 2025
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Hospitals in England could shed 100,000 jobs in response to cost-cutting orders

Hospitals in England could axe more than 100,000 jobs as a result of the huge reorganisation and brutal cost-cutting ordered by Wes Streeting and the NHS’s new boss.
The scale of looming job losses is so large that NHS leaders have urged the Treasury to cover the costs involved, which they say could top £2bn, because they do not have the money.
Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England’s new chief executive, has told the 215 trusts that provide health care across England to cut the costs of their corporate functions – such as HR, finance and communications – by 50% by the end of the year.
But the NHS Confederation, which represents trusts, said some trusts believe complying with that edict could force them to shed anywhere between 3% and 11% of their entire workforce.
If replicated across the 215 trusts, that could lead to job losses ranging from 41,100 to 150,700, given they employ 1.37 million people.
Matthew Taylor, the NHS Confederation’s chief executive, said trusts were being asked to make such “staggering” savings that they might not be able to help banish the long delays patients faced for treatment.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 8 April 2025
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Finance and efficiency £6bn underlying deficit ‘could derail 10-Year Plan’

The underlying deficit in the NHS provider sector has returned to pre-covid levels and could derail the government’s reform plans, HSJ analysis has found.
As they head into the 2025-26 financial year, the gap between trusts’ regular income and expenditure is north of £6bn.
Adjusted for turnover, the gap appears to have returned to the same level as in 2018-19, when NHS Improvement, which no longer exists, last published an official estimate.
The underlying deficit is the difference between recurrent annual income and costs, which is often plugged by one-off savings and funding injections.
Sally Gainsbury, lead analyst at the Nuffield Trust, warned the scale of financial distress would undercut efforts to reform the NHS through its 10-Year Plan.
Ms Gainsbury said: “There is a worrying disconnect between the huge ambition in the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan – which centres around shifting care out of hospital, improving digital care and preventing ill health – and the financial realities.
“With the average CEO or finance director worrying about how to find the cash to pay staff for 17 days of the year, they’re probably not going to have the bandwidth – let alone the resource – to think about asking those staff to double-run clinics in the community or upgrade to the latest tech.”
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 7 April 2025
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Trump’s tariffs could hit UK medicine supply, Wes Streeting warns

US tariffs could adversely affect the supply of medicines to the UK, the health secretary has said.
Donald Trump announced a wide range of “reciprocal” tariffs on goods imported into the US, including a 10% levy on the UK as well as 20% on the EU, 34% on China and 46% on Vietnam.
It triggered a rout on stock markets worldwide, with plunges not seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, wiping out trillions of dollars in value.
Wes Streeting told Sky News that the chaos caused by the fears of a global trade war could disrupt supplies of medicine.
“As ever in terms of medicines, there’s a number of factors at play,” he said. “There have been challenges in terms of manufacturing, challenges in terms of distribution, and if we start to see tariffs kicking in, that’s another layer of challenge, but we watch this situation extremely closely.”
He added: “We are constantly watching and acting on this situation to try and get medicines into the country, to make sure we’ve got availability, to show some flexibility in terms of how medicines are dispensed, to deal with shortages.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Streeting said patient data was “not for sale” as part of any trade negotiations with the US designed to mitigate the impact of the tariffs.
“The NHS is not for sale and our patients’ data is not for sale,” Streeting said.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 8 April 2025
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Benefits of ADHD medication outweigh health risks, study finds

The benefits of taking drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder outweigh the impact of increases in blood pressure and heart rate, according to a new study.
An international team of researchers led by scientists from the University of Southampton found the majority of children taking ADHD medication experienced small increases in blood pressure and pulse rates, but that the drugs had “overall small effects”. They said the study’s findings highlighted the need for “careful monitoring”.
Prof Samuele Cortese, the senior lead author of the study, from the University of Southampton, said the risks and benefits of taking any medication had to be assessed together, but for ADHD drugs the risk-benefit ratio was “reassuring”.
“We found an overall small increase in blood pressure and pulse for the majority of children taking ADHD medications,” he said. “Other studies show clear benefits in terms of reductions in mortality risk and improvement in academic functions, as well as a small increased risk of hypertension, but not other cardiovascular diseases. Overall, the risk-benefit ratio is reassuring for people taking ADHD medications.”
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Source: The Guardian, 6 April 2025
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NHSE admits ‘devaluing of commissioning’

NHS England hopes to tackle “a perceived devaluing of commissioning” and enhance “the skills and professional identity of commissioners”, as part of the future of integrated care boards, a leaked document reveals.
NHSE started developing the “strategic commissioning framework” late last year – before the announcement of 50% cuts to ICBs  and its own abolition – but it is still hoping to publish the document soon.
Slides outlining its plans, seen by HSJ, say: “There has been a perceived devaluing of commissioning and a consequent variation in capability and capacity to carry it out across health economies.”
It must now, it says “set out what commissioning means now, building the skills and professional identity of commissioners to meet the challenges but also the opportunities afforded in 2025”.
The draft policy expects ICBs to become “strategic commissioners”, a role the document seeks to define, from 2026-27. It is unclear if the approach will now need to be overhauled, or accelerated, as ICBs have to make deep staffing cuts by October.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 26 March 2025
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Cancer screening reporting errors led to mum's death

The family of a mother who died from cervical cancer after twice being wrongly told she had negative results have been awarded undisclosed damages.
The misreporting of Louise Gleadell's cervical screening results was admitted by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust following her death aged 38 in March 2018.
An internal review in 2017 found the samples, taken four years apart, were not good enough to produce reliable results but neither Ms Gleadell - a mum to three boys - nor her relatives were told about the "inadequate" samples while she was still alive.
Her family have now been given an undisclosed payout, with the trust apologising for its mistakes that had "devastating consequences".
Ms Gleadell, from Cossington in Leicestershire, was diagnosed with cervical cancer two years prior to her death. It was, by that stage, too late to have surgery.
Two cervical screening tests, carried out in 2008 and 2012, were misreported to her as negative.
It meant that over a four-year period, she had been given false reassurance about her health when she was developing cervical cancer, and the opportunity to treat pre-cancerous cells passed.
Ms Gleadell's sisters, Laura and Clare Gleadell, say their grief has been compounded by knowing that their sister's death was avoidable.
Laura, 43, said: "Her death was preventable and that for us is ultimately really hard.
"It would not have developed into cancer had she been recalled in either 2008 or 2012.
"If she had had treatment for cell abnormalities before it even developed into cancer, she would not have died."
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 6 April 2025
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Who's to blame when AI makes a medical error? (26 March 2025)

Assistive artificial intelligence technologies hold significant promise for transforming health care by aiding physicians in diagnosing, managing, and treating patients. However, the current trend of assistive AI implementation could actually worsen challenges related to error prevention and physician burnout, according to a new brief published in JAMA Health Forum.
The brief, written by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, explains that there is an increasing expectation of physicians to rely on AI to minimize medical errors. However, proper laws and regulations are not yet in place to support physicians as they make AI-guided decisions, despite the fierce adoption of these technologies among healthcare organisations.
The researchers predict that medical liability will depend on whom society considers at fault when the technology fails or makes a mistake, subjecting physicians to an unrealistic expectation of knowing when to override or trust AI. The authors warn that such an expectation could increase the risk of burnout and even errors among physicians.
"AI was meant to ease the burden, but instead, it’s shifting liability onto physicians - forcing them to flawlessly interpret technology even its creators can’t fully explain," said Shefali Patil, visiting associate professor at the Carey Business School and associate professor at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. "This unrealistic expectation creates hesitation and poses a direct threat to patient care."
Read full story
Source: Digital Health News, 26 March 2025
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Second child dies of measles as Texas outbreak worsens

A second child has died from measles as an outbreak of the highly contagious virus continues to grow in western Texas.
The school-aged child was not vaccinated, had no underlying health conditions and was in hospital suffering complications from measles, Aaron Davis, the vice-president of UMC Health System, told the BBC.
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has faced a backlash over his handling of the outbreak, visited Texas on Sunday in the wake of the death, which is the third overall in recent weeks.
The southern US state has reported more than 480 cases of measles so far this year as of Friday, a jump from 420 earlier in the week. The outbreak has extended to neighbouring states.
Across the whole of the US, more than 600 cases of measles have been recorded so far this year, more than double the 285 cases that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded last year.
In 2019, there were a total of 1,274 measles cases recorded across the US, but prior to that there had not been a larger outbreak than this year's since the early 1990s, according to the CDC.
Many of this year's cases - nearly all in unvaccinated people - are related to the outbreak that began in western Texas.
"This unfortunate event underscores the importance of vaccination," Mr Davis said in a statement. "Measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to serious complications, particularly for those who are unvaccinated."
Read full story
Read full story: BBC News, 6 April 2025
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'The NHS can't tell me where my job will be'

Jayne Evans has completed four years at medical school in London - but says she is still being left in the dark about where her first permanent NHS position will be.
"I was told that I don't have a job set aside for me," she said.
"They've guaranteed we will only be offered jobs other people decline and there's just no sort of timeline that they can give us."
Ms Evans has been given a rough idea of where she will be working - the Trent area, which spans almost all of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire - but no further clues.
She is one of hundreds of newly-qualified medical students who have not been found a specific job by the NHS yet.
Instead they have a so-called "placeholder job", meaning they have only been told the rough part of the country they will be in.
Without knowing where they will be living, they say they are not able to start preparations for moving.
Ms Evans said it had overshadowed her achievement in qualifying.
"I was expecting around this time to feel excited or even nervous, but now mostly I just feel angry and disrespected," she said.
"I went into medicine and was told we needed doctors and the NHS needs help but I've been told there is no job for me."
Dr Hassan Nassar was one of more than 1,000 medical students in the same position last year.
The BMA, the union that represents doctors and medical students in the UK, has accused the government of failing to plan for an increase in resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - after increasing the number of medical school places.
"The government has increased the number of medical school places - but not the number of foundation jobs," Callum Williams, the union's deputy chair of education, said.
"The government needs to increase that funding - and these jobs should go to UK-trained doctors first."
Mr Williams said there was a danger students would move abroad.
"It's your first job with the NHS, it is supposed to be exciting and instead it leaves a sour taste in your mouth," he said.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 7 April 2025
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Missed and delayed medication putting A&E patients at risk, new report reveals

Patients in A&E are being put in potentially life-threatening situations due to missed doses of prescription medicines, according to a new report.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) found people in A&E were not getting their medications on time and were missing doses needed to manage their illnesses – putting them at risk of getting worse.
Insulin for diabetes, Parkinson's drugs, epilepsy medicines and tablets for preventing blood clots are all time critical medicines (TCM).
If these drugs are delayed or missed, the patient can deteriorate and is at greater risk of complications or death.
While patients are advised to remember to bring their medications to A&E and to take them, there is also a responsibility on NHS staff to make sure this happens.
Despite the recognised risk of harm, the delivery of TCM is not consistent across emergency departments with long waiting times often contributing to this.
The study, which was part of the College's clinical Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) which aims to improve the care of A&E patients, found more than half of these patients were not identified as being on TCM within 30 minutes of their arrival in an emergency department.
In addition, 68% of doses were not administered within 30 minutes of the expected time.
"The findings contained in this report should serve as a call to action for both emergency medicine staff, as well as patients reliant on time critical medications, to ensure no dose is ever missed in A&E," said Dr Jonny Acheson, an emergency medicine consultant in Leicester who has Parkinson's, led the study.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 7 April 2025
Further reading on the hub:
Time-critical Parkinson’s medication: the human cost of delays and mistakes HSSIB investigation report: Medication not given: administration of time critical medication in the emergency department Parkinson's UK: Time critical medication guides for health professionals Improving safety for diabetic inpatients: 4 key steps D1abasics: Equipping staff to care safely for inpatients with diabetes
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'Fit and well' surgery waitlist details to be revealed in Wales

More details on plans to only add people who are "fit and well" to surgery waiting lists and crack down on missed appointments are expected to be revealed on Monday.
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles will give a speech to health leaders on the Welsh government's bid to cut waiting lists by around one quarter by March 2026.
Hospital volunteer John Timmons, 70, said he saw "a ridiculous number" of patients not turning up for appointments and would support the plans.
But health equality charity, Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales (FTWW), said "fear of weight stigma" could delay some people from seeking help.
The proposed changes are part of a number of Welsh government ideas being discussed to improve the NHS, which has recently seen small reductions in record waiting lists.
These include:
Patients who miss hospital appointments twice or more being referred back to their GP, in effect placing them at the back of the queue. An improved Welsh NHS app, allowing patients to track their progress through the system and make or amend appointments. Increased levels of intervention to get patients fit for surgery, such as people being asked to lose weight or exercise more before they are placed on a waiting list. The Welsh government said patients who were fit and well before surgery were more likely to recover quickly and support would be given to get them "in the best possible shape" for treatment.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 6 April 2025
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Health workers to go door-to-door under new NHS plans to tackle sickness rates across England

Health workers will be sent door-to-door under drastic new NHS plans to tackle sickness rates across England, according to reports.
A community health worker will be allocated 120 homes to visit every month to see if help is needed under plans set to be rolled out in June, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said trials of the scheme showed “encouraging signs” in slashing the number of heavy NHS users which he called “frequent flyers” of A&E departments.
A pilot scheme in Westminster, London, showed a dramatic 10% drop in hospital admissions over a year, The Daily Telegraph reports.
“We’re seeing some really encouraging signs about what can happen if you’ve got the right care in the right place at the right time,” Mr Streeting said.
The scheme, set to be rolled out in 25 parts of England, is part of Mr Streeting’s 10-year plan for the NHS, which could also see younger people directed to pharmacy care using the NHS app, leaving GPs to devote their time to sicker and older patients.
The health secretary said a modernised version of the health service’s phone app could mean the NHS could “do a much better and faster job of making sure patients get the right care at the right time in the right place”.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 7 April 2025
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Aid cuts could have ‘pandemic-like effects’ on maternal deaths, WHO warns

More women risk dying in pregnancy and childbirth because of aid cuts by wealthy countries, which could have “pandemic-like effects”, UN agencies have warned.
Pregnant women in conflict zones are the most vulnerable, and face an “alarmingly high” risk that is already five times greater than elsewhere, according to a new UN report on trends in maternal mortality.
Deaths due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth declined 40% globally between 2000 and 2023, but progress is “fragile” and has slowed since 2016, the authors said. An estimated 260,000 women died in 2023 from pregnancy-related causes.
There is a “threat of major backsliding” amid “increasing headwinds”, the authors said. US funding cuts this year have meant clinics closing and health workers losing their jobs, and disrupted the supply chains that deliver life-saving medicines to treat leading causes of maternal death such as haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and malaria, World Health Organization experts warned.
The report – itself part-funded by the US – revealed that maternal deaths rose by 40,000 in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic, probably driven by complications from the virus itself and by the disruptions to healthcare.
Dr Bruce Aylward, an assistant director general at the WHO, said that rise could offer insights into the possible impact of current aid cuts.
“With Covid, we saw an acute shock to the system, and what’s happening with financing is an acute shock,” he said.
“Countries have not had time to put in place and plan for what other financing they’re going to use, what other workers they’re going to use, [and] what are the trade-offs they’re going to make in their systems to try to make sure the most essential services can continue.”
The shock to services, he said, would lead to “pandemic-like effects”, adding that funding cuts risked not only progress, “but you could have a shift backwards”.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 6 April 2025
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England’s NHS crews ‘watching patients die in back of ambulances’ due to A&E delays

Paramedics across England are watching patients die in the back of ambulances because of delays outside emergency departments, according to a survey by Unison.
The gridlock of patients in some of the country’s hospitals has led to queues of up to 20 ambulances outside casualty departments in certain areas. In a number of cases, crews have been forced to wait more than 12 hours before handing over patients.
The survey of nearly 600 ambulance workers reveals the toll of the waits on patients and the crews looking after them. Unison warns that “car park care” is increasingly becoming the norm, with hospital medical staff tending to patients in the back of ambulances.
More than three-quarters (77%) of paramedics and emergency medical technicians said they have had to look after people in the back of ambulances in the past year while stuck outside emergency departments. Two-thirds (68%) have waited in hospital corridors, or in other locations, with one paramedic often caring for several patients to allow colleagues to respond to other calls.
More than two-thirds also reported patients’ health deteriorating during long waits, and one in 20 (5%) said people have died in their care because of long delays in being admitted.
Gavin Taylor, 58, a Unison representative and ambulance worker in the north-west of England, said it was now a regular occurrence to be waiting several hours to hand over a patient. He said: “It’s heartbreaking because we are here as a caring profession and the delays have an impact on the care and wellbeing of patients.”
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 6 April 2025
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Rise in autistic children going to A&E putting pressure on NHS

Positive Support Group said one child spent more than 120 days in hospital with ‘no medical need’ and warned that funding cuts were driving the surge
Becky, a 46-year-old charity worker. said her 14-year-old daughter Sofia first called the emergency services because she has autism and was in extreme distress during a crisis
“At the time, I had no support,” said Becky, a 46-year-old charity worker. “In a way, Sofia calling in the ambulance was a saving grace for us.”
Her called the emergency services when she was 13, not because she was in physical danger, but because she has autism and was in extreme distress during a crisis. According to her mother, Sofia has required emergency care to cope with multiple crises over the years.
NHS data analysed by the Positive Support Group (PSG) found that there were more than 20,000 episodes where children with autism were admitted to and discharged from emergency hospital care on the same day in 2023-24 — a 86% increase since 2019-20, according to the behavioural health group.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: The Times, 2 April 2025
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