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

Hospice leaders warn hundreds of beds out of use

About 300 hospice inpatient beds are currently closed or out of use in England, hospice leaders have warned.
They say a lack of funding and staff are the primary reasons why some of England's 170 hospices have had to close beds permanently or take them out of use.
Hospice UK, which represents the sector, is now calling for an urgent package of government funding to prevent further cuts. The Department of Health said it was looking at how to financially support hospices to ensure they are sustainable.
Annette Alcock, Hospice UK's director of programmes, said the way that hospices are funded and commissioned by the NHS is "acting as a huge cap on what they can do", while also blaming "underlying pressures like staff shortages".
She added: "If the government can act in both the short and long term to resolve these problems, these figures are clear evidence that hospices can do a lot more for patients, and a lot more for the NHS.
"That's true out in the community too, where most of hospice care is actually delivered.
"With better funding and commissioning, hospices could provide so much more care where people most want it - at home."
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 4 December 2024
Patient Safety Learning

Government buys millions of doses of new vaccine amid pandemic fears

The UK Government has secured a contract for more than five million doses of the human H5 influenza vaccine, in an effort to bolster the nation's defences against a potential H5 influenza pandemic. The vaccine, derived from the current H5 avian influenza virus - commonly known as 'bird flu' - will be produced by UK healthcare firm CSL Seqirus UK Limited.
This acquisition is part of ongoing plans to enhance the UK’s access to vaccines for a broader range of potentially pandemic-causing pathogens, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Dr Meera Chand, emerging infection lead at the UKHSA, said it was "important for us to be prepared against a range of different influenza viruses that may pose human health risks", adding: "Early access to vaccines saves lives. Adding H5 vaccines to the interventions already available to us will help us to be ready for a wider range of threats."
The influenza A(H5N1) virus has been causing a prolonged global outbreak, primarily in birds, over the past few years. However, the human H5 influenza vaccine would only be used if this virus began spreading among humans, for which there is currently no evidence, the UKHSA clarified.
It added: "The procurement will strengthen the UK’s preparedness for a H5 influenza-originated pandemic by ensuring that vaccines are immediately available, while a pandemic-specific vaccine is made ready. The UK Government already has an advance purchase agreement for pandemic vaccines if or when they are needed, that would be tailored to combat the specific pandemic flu strain identified at the time."
Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Andrew Gwynne, said: “Together with UKHSA, we are committed to ensuring that the UK is prepared and ready to respond to any current and future health threats. Adding the H5 vaccine to our stockpile is one part of our preparedness plans, improving our readiness to respond to a range of emerging health threats and protecting people’s lives and livelihoods.”
Read full story
Source: MSN, 3 December 2024
Patient Safety Learning

Why are doctors wary of wearables?

Wearable tech – currently dominated by smart watches - is a multi-billion dollar industry with a sharp focus on health tracking.
Many premium products claim to accurately track exercise routines, body temperature, heart rate, menstrual cycle and sleep patterns, among others.
In the USA, the Department of Defense issued a $96 million award last week to Finnish health technology company Oura to put its smart rings and services in the hands of service members.
While the department didn’t specify in the award announcement how many rings would be purchased under the firm-fixed-price contract, it explains that the contract will also provide a suite of data analytics services the Pentagon’s health arm can use to take action on the biometric information generated by the devices.
“This contract is to provide the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Wellbeing Office delivery of Ouraring Inc., biometric sensor devices; data analysis including monitoring of physiological stress, recovery, resilience, and wellbeing indicators; individualized biometric data visualization; aggregate wellbeing visualization for the agency; and content delivery of wellness-related insights and training,” the award announcement says.
With those services, Oura will also “deliver workforce wellbeing services including high-performance medicine, mindfulness training, leadership coaching, protective factors, and peer-to-peer support training,” and “provide its wellbeing services at military medical treatment facilities (130 subordinate entities) for delivery to the entire DHA workforce.“
In the UK, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has talked about a proposal to give wearables to millions of NHS patients in England, enabling them to track symptoms such as reactions to cancer treatments, from home.
But many doctors – and tech experts – remain cautious about using health data captured by wearables.
Dr Jake Deutsch, a US-based clinician who also advises Oura, says wearable data enables him to “assess overall health more precisely” – but not all doctors agree that it’s genuinely useful all of the time.
Dr Helen Salisbury is a GP at a busy practice in Oxford. She says not many patients come in brandishing their wearables, but she’s noticed it has increased, and it concerns her.
“I think for the number of times when it’s useful there’s probably more times that it’s not terribly useful, and I worry that we are building a society of hypochondria and over-monitoring of our bodies,” she says.
Dr Salisbury says there can be a large number of reasons why we might temporarily get abnormal data such as an increased heart rate, whether it’s a blip in our bodies or a device malfunction - and many of them do not require further investigation.
“I’m concerned that we will be encouraging people to monitor everything all the time, and see their doctor every time the machine thinks they’re ill, rather than when they think they’re ill.”
Patient Safety Learning

Bed bugs blighted London’s hospitals more than 500 times over a 7-year period

Nineteen NHS trusts across London said they had to call in pest control over 500 times to tackle bed bugs in the last seven years, costing some hospitals hundreds of pounds.
The Royal London Children’s Hospital, which is run by Barts Health NHS Trust, as well as King’s College Hospital, which sits under the King’s College Hospital NHS Trust, were among the worst affected by the pests.
The figures come despite the NHS’ own pest guidance warning, which says: ‘Pest activity can pose unacceptable risks to patients, staff and visitors, undermine reputation and public confidence, and damage the environment and food products.
"Pest control and management is essential for safe and hygienic healthcare facilities."
Sarah Spratt, a bed bug exterminator who worked at Bed Bug Limited for six years, told Metro: ‘Hospitals are a common area to find bed bugs. The big thing to understand is the higher the footfall in a building, the higher the chance of getting bed bugs.
"It is nothing that the hospitals are doing wrong, it is just statistics. All it takes is one doctor or one patient to bring them in.
"There is a lack of understanding and a lack of preparedness. Maybe staff could be better trained in spotting bed bugs, leading to earlier detection."
Read full story
Source: The Metro, 2 December 2024
Patient Safety Learning

US approves life-saving organ transplants between people with HIV, removing ‘unnecessary barriers’

People with HIV who need liver and kidney transplants can now receive organs from donors with HIV.
The new rule, which took effect this week, is expected to shorten the wait for organs for all, regardless of HIV status, by increasing the pool of available organs.
“This rule removes unnecessary barriers to kidney and liver transplants, expanding the organ donor pool and improving outcomes for transplant recipients with HIV,” Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “This evidence-based policy update demonstrates our commitment to ensuring all Americans have access to the care they need.”
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 28 November 2024
Patient Safety Learning

ECRI acquires The Just Culture Company to transform healthcare patient and workforce safety

ECRI, a global nonprofit organisation improving the quality and safety of healthcare in the USA has announced that it has acquired The Just Culture Company, which specialises in transforming workforce culture in high-risk industries. 
The Just Culture Company assists organisations in deploying a balanced system of accountability between the organization and employee that fosters a fair, learning culture – referred to as a “just culture” – by implementing its proprietary algorithm through advisory services, educational programmes and coaching.  
Through the acquisition of The Just Culture Company, ECRI now operates a leading cultural transformation organisation.  
“Alarming rates of preventable harm are inflicted on patients every day. By offering Just Culture programs throughout ECRI’s global network, we can prevent harm before it happens,” said Marcus Schabacker, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI. “To create lasting change and improve patient and workforce safety, we must shift from evaluating accidents and errors after they’ve taken place, to designing systems and cultures that prevent harm from happening in the first place.” 
The Just Culture Company has partnered with healthcare providers, health departments and insurers to assess and improve workforce culture, from C-Suite to frontline staff, through a holistic systems-based approach. 
“Our just culture model is founded on the principle that workforce learning, holistic system design, mentoring, and coaching are stronger interventions than the ‘shame and blame’ culture that’s so prolific in healthcare,” said David Marx, CEO of The Just Culture Company. “Errors must be recognized and addressed in a way that become learning opportunities for all the people in the system.” 
Read full story
Source: ECRI, 2 December 2024
Patient Safety Learning

Using AI to treat infections more accurately

New research from the Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation Network (CAMO-Net) at the University of Liverpool has shown that using artificial intelligence (AI) can improve how we treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), and help to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve and no longer respond to treatments that were once effective. This resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs, and increased mortality rates, posing a significant threat to public health and potentially rendering common infections untreatable.
Traditional UTI diagnostic tests, known as antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), uses a one-size-fits-all approach to determine which antibiotics are most effective against a specific bacterial or fungal infection. This new research, published in Nature Communications, proposes a personalised method, using real-time data to help clinicians target infections more accurately and reduce the chance of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment.
The research, led by Dr Alex Howard, a consultant in medical microbiology at the University of Liverpool and researcher on the Wellcome Trust funded CAMO-Net, used AI to test prediction models for 12 antibiotics using real patient data and compared personalised AST with standard methods. The data-driven personalised approach led to more accurate treatment options, especially with WHO Access antibiotics, known for being less likely to cause resistance.
Dr Alex Howard, said: "This research is important and timely for World AMR Awareness Week because it shows how combining routine health data with lab tests can help keep antibiotics working. By using AI to predict when people with urine infections have antibiotic-resistant bugs, we show how lab tests can better direct their antibiotic treatment. This approach could improve the care of people with infections worldwide and help prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance."
Read full story
Source: Digital Health News, 25 November 2024
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Scottish NHS reform 'urgently needed'

"Difficult decisions" may need to be made about whether some services can continue to be provided by the NHS in Scotland, a spending watchdog has warned.
A review by Audit Scotland said a clear plan was lacking - and that fundamental change in how NHS services are provided is "urgently needed" to cope with growing demand.
The annual report into the health sector found that, despite increased spending and staffing in the NHS, Scotland is seeing fewer patients than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said the government did have a plan, which aimed to shift the focus towards preventative care.
He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "The plan is to shift the balance of care from the secondary services where we're currently seeing extremely high demand in to more preventative primary care, so investing in GPs surgeries, pharmacies and optometrists to ensure people are treated earlier.
"We recognise that for too many people, they're waiting for too long and there needs to be fundamental reform of the way our health service is delivered."
The report highlighted that Scottish government commitments to reduce waiting lists and times have been missed and that delayed discharge figures are at their highest on record.
It added that NHS initiatives to improve productivity and patient outcomes have yet to have an impact, and they lack clear progress reporting.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 3 December 2024
Patient Safety Learning

Pensioner, 95, left on cold pavement with broken hip for five hours told by 999 she’s ‘not a priority’

A 95-year-old woman was left on a cold pavement for more than five hours waiting for an ambulance after the emergency services told a bystander trying to help her that she wasn’t a priority.
Winifred Soanes fell and broke her hip on Christchurch High Street in Bournemouth on 25 November.
Her husband Andrew, 92, “wouldn’t leave her side”, and several people in the area tried to help out, with local businesses offering essentials to help Winifred.
Jennifer Baylis, who works at a nearby Prama charity shop, helped throughout the day. She said: “I can’t tell you how upsetting it was, she actually said, ‘I’m going to die here tonight’”.
Ms Baylis said a number of people attempted to call an ambulance to help Winifred, but they were given no timeframe and told she was not a priority by the emergency services.
Winifred was eventually taken to Poole Hospital for treatment and is waiting for an operation, he said.
David Lovell, a bystander who was the first to call for an ambulance, said: “I can’t describe how cold it was, and as it got dark, the temperature dropped really quickly.
“She was lying on the cold pavement, and we couldn’t move her because she was in huge amounts of pain”.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 1 December 2024
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'Palliative care is not good enough - there's no plan to fix it'

Fixing the struggling palliative care system must be an immediate priority for the government, say senior doctors, after a proposed law on assisted dying has passed to the next stage of parliament.
The Association for Palliative Medicine (APM) says there is a risk the funding needed to pay for doctors and the courts to oversee assisted dying could divert money away from care for the dying.
“The UK is often held up as having the best palliative care in the world – but that is not the case any longer. We are not getting the funding we need," said Dr Sarah Cox.
MPs voted on Friday to back changing the law in England and Wales to allow assisted dying. It is just the first parliamentary hurdle the bill needs to pass, with months more of debate and voting to come.
This week the Office for Health Economics said an increase in palliative care funding was crucial, external, with the system struggling to meet the needs of an ageing population.
At least three-quarters of people require palliative care at the end of their lives – that is around 450,000 people a year across the UK.
But a recent report by end, external-of-, externallife charity Marie Curie, external cited data showing around 100,000 go without, with half of families unhappy about the care their loved ones receive when they die. There are reports of people left in pain and with too little support.
Audits show four in 10 hospitals do not have specialist palliative care services available seven days a week.
Hospices, which provide care for around 300,000 people a year, are struggling for money. Around a third of their funding comes from the NHS, with the sector having to raise the rest themselves. A parliamentary report has described this funding system as “not fit for purpose”.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 30 December 2024
Patient Safety Learning

Reforms of NHS don’t stand a chance unless recruitment is fixed, say top nurses

Top nurses have said that planned government reforms for the health service “stand no chance” if issues with recruitment and retention in the profession are not addressed.
They made the warning as new figures show the number of nurses and midwives registered in the UK has grown to a record high.
However, experts say the workforce is “increasingly inexperienced”, faces worrying shortages and still relies heavily on candidates from overseas.
Policymakers have been urged to consider measures such as student loan forgiveness schemes to ensure there are enough homegrown staff.
The latest mid-year report from the Nursing and Midwifery Council shows there were a record 841,367 professionals on the register as of the end of September, an increase of 14,949 compared with the previous six months and 22% higher than March 2017.
Nevertheless, Prof Nicola Ranger, the general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), called the figures “bad news for patients”.
She said: “Nurse recruitment is slowing, the numbers of new starters is falling and we are witnessing a devastating increase in people leaving within five years of joining. At a time of widespread vacancies, these trends are incredibly worrying for our NHS and the people that rely on its care. Across health and care services, international recruitment was utilised to plug rota gaps, but we are now watching as thousands of overseas staff choose to go elsewhere."
Read full story 
Source: The Guardian, 2 December 2024
Patient Safety Learning

Letby trust CEO ‘was fit and proper’, claims chair

The former chair of the Countess of Chester Hospital said its then chief executive did not meet the threshold for failing a “fit and proper person” test, despite criticism of his treatment of paediatricians and their concerns about Lucy Letby.
Sir Duncan Nichol was giving evidence to the Thirlwall Inquiry into Letby’s murder of babies on the hospital’s neonatal unit from 2015-16. He was chair from 2012-19.
He was asked about Tony Chambers — the CEO at the time — requesting paediatric consultants attend a mediation session with Letby. The doctors had raised concerns about a link between her and babies’ deaths, leading to a falling out, and as of early 2017, she had successfully raised a grievance, and was exploring a return to clinical work.
Sarah Sutherland KC, acting for a group of families of the infants, asked Sir Duncan whether Mr Chambers had sought to “coerce” the paediatricians into the mediation.
Sir Duncan, who was also the national NHS chief executive from 1989-94, said he did not believe the doctors had been forced.  
He told the inquiry hearing: “I don’t think Tony Chambers was not a ‘fit and proper person’. I think he was in the middle of a process. I don’t believe the paediatricians were coerced into mediation. I don’t fully subscribe to this point, to the level of saying Tony Chambers wasn’t a fit and proper person.”
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 2 December 2024
Patient Safety Learning

Public services complaints in England soar by more than a third since 2016 – study

Complaints about public services have soared by more than a third since 2016 with substantial jumps in relation to benefits, prisons, the NHS and higher education, according to a leading thinktank.
Demos, a cross-party organisation, found that between 2015-16 and 2023-24 complaints across key public services increased steadily by evermore than 100,000 from 309,758 to 425,624 – aside from a sharp drop during the pandemic.
Read full story
Source: Guardian, 2 December 2024
Patient_Safety_Learning

Anger as some infected blood payouts put on hold

Some victims of the infected blood scandal have been told interim compensation payments of £100,000 due to be made before Christmas have been put on hold.
It is thought at least 10 bereaved families have received letters saying applications approved this month cannot now proceed until they submit new paperwork.
More than 30,000 people in the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis C after being given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.
Read full article
Source: BBC online, 1 December 2024
Patient_Safety_Learning

Alder Hey children’s hospital explores ‘data breach’ after ransomware claims

A ransomware gang claims to have stolen data from the Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, allegedly including patient records.
The INC Ransom group said it had published screenshots of data on the dark web that contained the personal information of patients, donations from benefactors and procurement information.
Sources confirmed that snapshots of spreadsheets purporting to be from Alder Hey’s systems had been displayed on the INC site carrying the message “evidence of large scale data”. There were 11 screenshots, understood to contain names, addresses, medical reports and financial papers.
The Alder Hey children’s NHS foundation trust said it was aware of the alleged leak and was working to verify whether the data belonged to the hospital.
“We are aware that data has been published online and shared via social media that purports to have been obtained illegally from systems shared by Alder Hey and Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital NHS foundation trust. We are working with partners to verify the data that has been published and to understand the potential impact,” the trust said.
Alder Hey treats more than 450,000 patients a year making it one of Europe’s busiest children’s hospitals. It said its services were operating as normal and patients should continue to attend appointments.
The hospital said it was working with the National Crime Agency to secure its IT systems and that the alleged data theft was not linked to another “cyber incident” that occurred this week at the nearby Wirral university teaching hospital NHS trust. 
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 29 November 2024
Patient Safety Learning

UK medicines watchdog alerted to 18 suspected weight-loss jab deaths

ITV News has discovered that the UK’s drugs regulator has been alerted to 18 deaths with suspected links to weight-loss injections over the past four years.
The deaths, when the drugs semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide were being used for weight management, were reported to the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) between June 2020 and November 2024.
In ten of the cases, the medication was being used for weight-loss only, and in eight cases it was being used for weight-loss alongside diabetes treatment.
Lorna Edgar bought weight-loss injections online from a registered pharmacy.
Within three weeks she had lost one stone but then suffered serious side effects.
“It felt like I'd had a car crash inside me," she told ITV News. "I just collapsed on the bathroom floor. I was screaming, I couldn't move.”
She developed pancreatitis, a potentially fatal condition that causes inflammation of the pancreas, spending five days in hospital and months recovering.
“I couldn’t walk, I was bedridden, I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t get down steps, I couldn’t go to the toilet, couldn’t take my kids to school,” she recalled.
Ms Edgar had to have her gallbladder removed and now lives with chronic bowel problems.
“People just think it’s a miracle injection and you get skinny. I don't think people really are aware that it can cause long-term medical conditions,” she said.
Read full story
Source: ITV News, 27 November 2024
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