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I'm on six different NHS waiting lists - it's taking over my life

Amy-Jane Davies is on six NHS waiting lists and says constantly chasing for updates is taking over her life.
She's waited 21 months for gynaecological surgery, which she said will likely result in her being referred for a more specialist operation - meaning another waiting list.
Amy-Jane, who has endometriosis, is one of 43,120 on a gynaecology waiting list in Wales and one of 687,958 waiting for any type of treatment. She said her condition had affected her life in ways she "didn't imagine", from reducing her hours at work to deciding not to become a mother.
With the Senedd election in Wales on 7 May, NHS waiting times are one of the challenges facing the next Welsh government.
Amy-Jane, 30, from south Wales, was first diagnosed with endometriosis in 2018, a condition where cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body.
Her symptoms range from abdominal cramping and severe bloating to migraines, fatigue, as well as bladder and bowel problems.
"During Covid, the gynaecology waiting lists grew to eight to 10 years and at that point I knew there was just no way I could wait that long to get something done," she said.
In 2021, Amy-Jane paid £4,000 for private surgery with help from her mum and nan.
Patient Safety Learning

'Toxic culture' at NHS trust left staff suicidal

"It was toxic from start to finish – you tried to avoid certain people but because you work with them you couldn't, they were always there," says former NHS worker Harvey Cooper.
He is one of several former Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust (PHU) staff members who have spoken to the BBC as part of an investigation into an alleged culture of workplace bullying and harassment.
The allegations span the past decade and include a "flawed and unfair" internal investigation that contributed to A&E manager Sam Carter taking her own life in 2022.
Harvey says he resigned last May due to physical and mental distress he suffered at work.
He joined the trust in May 2022 as an Emergency Medical Assistant (EMA) at the Queen Alexandra Hospital (QA) in Cosham, a role which required moving patients around A&E.
He says he faced constant bullying from other EMAs - he claims he was called a homophobic slur, chanted at in corridors, prevented from taking patients to where they needed to go and was injured after a bed was shoved into him.
Emails seen by the BBC showed Harvey raised two grievances against some of the EMAs and managers were aware of alleged inappropriate behaviours and attitudes.
In November 2023, a year after his first grievance was submitted, he received a letter from the trust apologising for the way his complaints had been handled and the "unacceptable" length of time it had taken.
But by then Harvey says he was receiving counselling after feeling suicidal.
"It ended up ruining my health, my mental health, I had two heart attacks and diagnosed with PTSD and still to this day nothing ever got done," he told the BBC.
In response, the trust said it remained "committed to learning, improving, and fostering an inclusive and supportive environment".
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 23 April 2026
Related reading on the hub:
Patient Safety Learning’s response to the revised responsibilities for Freedom to Speak Up across the NHS Power and the sound of silence—A blog by Roger Kline Speaking up for patient safety: A new interview series about raising concerns and whistleblowing
Patient Safety Learning

HRT maker censured by UK regulator for ‘systemic failures’ that put patients at risk

One of the biggest producers of hormone replacement therapy has been censured by regulators for “systemic failures” that jeopardised patient safety.
Theramex, the UK producer of HRT drugs Evorel and Intrarosa, was found to have breached fundamental compliance standards including not updating crucial prescribing information – in some cases for several years – and not making it clear that a drug must not be used during pregnancy.
The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), the UK drug industry’s self-regulatory body, issued the public reprimand against Theramex after its own staff blew the whistle over “alarming” compliance issues and incomplete prescribing information for Evorel and Intrarosa that “jeopardise patient safety”.
Evorel patches – which contain estradiol – are among the most prescribed form of transdermal HRT, with more than 250,000 items issued in the last financial year, according to NHS Business Services Authority figures.
Overall, nearly 10m items of estradiol, including gels, were prescribed in the 2024/25 financial year.
The employees’ concerns included failing to provide comprehensive side-effect information in Evorel’s prescribing information, and not updating Intrarosa’s product information since 2019.
The PMCPA also reprimanded the company for failures to specify in its advertising at a reproduction and advertising conference that Yselty (linzagolix), used to treat uterine fibroids, should not be taken during pregnancy.
In all, PMCPA found that Theramex breached the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)’s code of practice 21 times.
The panel said these breaches not only jeopardised patient safety, but that Theramex has “brought discredit upon, and reduced confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry”.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 22 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Patients stuck in unsafe hospital for two more months

NHS England has accepted it will take until the end of June to move “priority” patients out of a hospital where there are “serious safety concerns”.
In a letter to integrated care board, NHS England said they should ensure the “majority” of patients in specified “priority cohorts” are moved out of St Andrew’s hospital in Northampton by the end of June.
This comes six weeks after NHSE first wrote to commissioners to order residents in the hospital be moved.
Nick Broughton, who recently took over as NHSE’s national director for mental health, learning disability and neurodevelopmental conditions, said: “The decision to move patients has been clinically led and based upon serious safety concerns.”
St Andrew’s, the flagship hospital of one of the NHS’s biggest independent providers, was prevented from accepting new patients last summer after revelations of poor care, and an “inadequate” Care Quality Commission rating. It is subject to three ongoing police investigations, with 15 staff members arrested following abuse and neglect allegations.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 22 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

NHSE rows back on controversial target

NHS England has rowed back on what was widely understood to be a new target for the proportion of patients it wanted “diverted” away from waiting lists, after accusations it was rationing care.
The controversy surrounds how NHS England plans to ramp up the “advice and guidance” (A&G) model, which allows GPs to seek pre-referral advice from specialist clinicians, and is designed in part to reduce referrals.
NHSE guidance published just last month said it would roll out a new model involving a “single point of access” (SPoA), that would “contribute to a diversion rate of at least 25% by March 2027 for at least 10 high volume specialties” in each area.
Diverted patients are those who, after the A&G process, are managed in primary or community care instead of being put on the waiting list for secondary care.
The guidance was widely interpreted as a 25% diversion rate target for these cohorts of patients. This sparked concern and vocal opposition among GP leaders and patient groups, and accusations of care rationing.
However, in a letter to primary care issued late on Wednesday, NHSE said: “There is no national target for specialists, trusts or general practice to divert a fixed proportion of referrals away from hospital care.”
Read full story
Source: HSJ, 22 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

NHS England whistleblowing takeover ‘will have chilling effect’

NHS England’s plan to take over a key whistleblowing initiative will have a “chilling effect” on staff wishing to speak up, experts have warned.
NHSE and individual trusts will take on the oversight of Freedom to Speak Up arrangements from the summer, following Penny Dash’s recommendation last year to disband the National Guardian’s Office as part of her government-commissioned patient safety review.
New guidance says that, from July, NHS England will support existing guardian networks and individual guardians. This includes NHSE staff designated as “experts” providing confidential one-to-one support.
Read full article (paywalled).
Source: Health Service Journal, 21 April 2026.
Mark Hughes

‘Postcode lottery’ in robotic surgery access for patients, data shows

NHS patients in England are facing a “postcode lottery” in access to robotic-assisted surgery, according to an analysis by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
The data, published on 20 April, shows that despite national guidance from NHS England there remain major differences in how the technology is funded, distributed and used across NHS trusts in England.
Freedom of Information data from NHS trusts reveal that there is no consistent funding model for robotic surgery with some trusts, such as Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, relying on charitable funding.
Read full article.
Source: Digital Health, 21 April 2026
Mark Hughes

Ambulance should have been called 90 minutes before baby delivered in ‘high-risk’ home birth, inquest hears

A midwife who broke down in tears at the inquest of a baby who was delivered “blue and floppy” said an ambulance should have been called almost an hour-and-a-half before the birth.
Poppy Hope Lomas was seven days old when she died on 26 October 2022 following complications during a “high-risk” home birth that her mother said she was encouraged to have.
Barnet Coroner’s Court had previously heard Poppy’s mother Gemma Lomas, from Enfield, north London, was not made aware of the risks involved with delivering naturally in her home, having already delivered her first daughter, Willow, by caesarean in 2018.
Midwife Sasha Field, who was present at Poppy’s birth, said in her written statement, which was read out to the inquest by senior coroner Andrew Walker, that an ambulance should have been called around 90 minutes before Poppy was born when she heard the baby’s heart rate slow down after a contraction, as a report by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch had found.
In fact, midwives told Jason Lomas, Poppy’s father, to call an ambulance at around 10.37pm, two minutes after she was born, by which time it was clear she was showing no signs of life, Ms Field said in her statement.
Read full article.
Source: The Independent (21 April 2026)
Mark Hughes

UK must act on allergies after 'decades of neglect', charities and doctors say

The government must improve allergy prevention, diagnosis, and management, according to a group of charities, doctors, and patients, who say the UK has some of the highest allergy rates in the world.
The group, which has found that allergies affect 39% of children and 30% of adults in the UK, has developed a National Allergy Strategy, which was presented to Westminster this week.
The strategy, which is the first UK-wide framework for improving allergy care, aims to tackle "decades of policy neglect", according to the National Allergy Strategy Group (NASG).
It aims to improve awareness and governance of allergies, such as asthma, hay fever, food and drug allergies, and calls for all four UK governments and the NHS to recognise allergic disease as a major long-term condition.
“For too long, despite the scale of the problem, too little has been done to develop solutions,” said NASG chair Professor Adam Fox.
“This strategy focuses on system-level change, embedding allergy into national policy, strengthening safety in everyday environments and improving accountability across health, education, food and workplace settings”.
Read full story
Source: ITV, 20 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

NHS whistleblower claims patients were 'spectacularly abandoned' with surgery scandal as senior figures 'protected reputations at all costs'

An NHS whistleblower has raised serious concerns about a spinal surgery scandal, warning that patients may have been “spectacularly abandoned” while senior figures “protected reputations at all costs”.
Retired consultant anaesthetist Dr Glyn Smurthwaite said he and colleagues spent years attempting to raise concerns about the practice of former spinal surgeon John Bradley Williamson, but felt these were not adequately acted upon at the time.
The surgeon worked at Salford Royal Hospital between 1991 and January 2015, when he was dismissed for misconduct unrelated to clinical care.
“We had one opportunity to make an intransigent trust do the right thing,” he said.“We have spectacularly abandoned patients.”
His warning comes as an NHS England-commissioned “review of the reviews” into the case is expected to report this month.
However, the Sunday Express has learnt it is unlikely to recommend a full recall of all former patients treated by the surgeon.
Instead, patients may be advised to come forward themselves if they wish to have their care reviewed.
Read full story
Source: GB News, 19 April 2026
Related reading on the hub:
Speaking up for patient safety: A new interview series about raising concerns and whistleblowing
Patient Safety Learning

Precautionary recall of blood pressure medication after manufacturing error

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised pharmacy and healthcare professionals to stop supplying the impacted batch and return all remaining stock to their suppliers.
Crescent Pharma Limited is recalling one batch of Ramipril 10mg capsules as a precautionary measure due to a potential manufacturing error which may mean some cartons contain blister strips of a lower dose, specifically Ramipril 5mg. 
This follows a complaint from a patient where it was identified that, inside a sealed carton of Ramipril 10mg capsules, one blister pack of Ramipril 5mg capsules was found. Both product batches were manufactured at the same manufacturing site, and the error appears to have occurred during secondary packaging of the cartons.    
The risk to patients of taking the lower dose of this medicine for a limited time is very low.
Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer, said: 
“If you take Ramipril 10mg, check the packaging for batch number GR174091. The batch number and expiry date information can be found on the outer carton. If you have received this batch, check that the medication name on the carton matches the blister strips inside.
“If the 10 mg carton of Ramipril contains blister strips that are labelled as Ramipril 5mg capsules, contact your dispensing pharmacy. If the carton contains blister strips that are correctly labelled as Ramipril 10mg capsules, you do not need to take further action.” 
If you have an impacted pack or previously received this batch and you believe you have taken any Ramipril 5mg capsules that were included in error and are currently experiencing any adverse effects, please seek medical advice. Please take the leaflet that came with your medicine and any remaining tablets with you to your pharmacy or GP practice.  Any suspected adverse reactions should also be reported via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. 
If you’ve already taken Ramipril 5mg, please be reassured that there is a very low risk to your health. Both strengths of the medication are used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and kidney disease. Any possible impact of a lower dose of Ramipril is expected to be gradual rather than immediate or life threatening. 
The MHRA has advised pharmacy and healthcare professionals to stop supplying the impacted batch and return all remaining stock to their suppliers. 
Press release
Source: MHRA, 20 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Surgeon's mesh surgery cost £20m in compensation

A disgraced surgeon whose artificial bowel mesh procedures injured more than 450 patients has cost the NHS more £20m in compensation payments, the BBC has been told.
Bristol surgeon Tony Dixon was removed from the medical register last year for serious misconduct, including performing unnecessary surgeries, using surgical mesh to treat bowl complaints without patient's informed consent, and fabricating patient records.
NHS Resolution confirmed it has paid out £19.12m so far to 245 claimants - and there are hundreds more unsettled claims to be dealt with.
Dixon carried out the treatments, using artificial mesh to treat prolapsed bowels, at Southmead Hospital and Spire Hospital.
The BBC first revealed allegations made against Dixon in 2017, when many women complained of severe pain following their operations.
Kath Sansom, founder of the patient-led campaign group Sling the Mesh, previously said that women had suffered "horrific complications" such as pain, nerve damage, and mesh erosion - where the mesh slices into nearby organs and tissues.
Dixon used a technique known as mesh rectopexy to treat bowel problems and has promoted it through a series of studies.
Some of his studies have been flagged with formal editorial warnings due to the concerns about the validity of the data.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 20 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

AI chatbots are offering cancer patients alternatives to chemo and sparking concern for health officials

A new study has found that AI chatbots habitually recommend alternative cancer treatments to chemotherapy, potentially putting lives at risk.
A team from the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center tested a series of widely used bots as part of their research, including xAI’s Grok, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Meta’s AI, and High-Flyer’s DeepSeek.
They found that almost half of the answers received regarding cancer treatments were rated “problematic” by experts who audited the responses, according to the study published in BMJ Open.
Of that total, 30% were “somewhat problematic,” and 19.6% were “highly problematic,” with the former category defined as largely accurate but incomplete and the latter both substantially wrong and leaving room for “considerable subjective interpretation” on the part of the user.
Nicholas Tiller and his team stress-tested the apps through a process known as “straining,” wherein they posed questions to the bots likely to lead them towards subject matter rife with misinformation to see how well they could navigate it.
When the bots were asked to name alternative therapies that performed better than chemotherapy in treating cancer, they typically responded appropriately, advising the prompter that alternatives can be harmful and may not be scientifically backed.
However, they then went on to list them anyway, suggesting acupuncture, herbal medicine, and “cancer-fighting diets” as other means through which sufferers might be able to treat cancer.
Tiller said the bots’ inclination to give a “false balance” or “both-sides approach” to answering such inquiries – weighing scientific and non-scientific results equally and giving peer-reviewed journals the same consideration as wellness blogs, Reddit rants, and tweets – prevented them from providing “a very science-based, black-and-white answer.”
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 20 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

NHSE reveals NHS App self-test specialties

NHS England plans to centralise at-home diagnostics for seven specialties through the NHS App, commercial documents reveal.
Market engagement documents released last week said NHS England wants to replace the fragmented and inconsistent infrastructure with “a single, trusted national home-testing capability”.
The new service plans to fill “a recognised gap” in home-testing infrastructure, of “fragmented commissioning arrangements, inconsistent user journeys, and lack of interoperability between local providers and national digital platforms”.
The HomeTest programme will focus initially on patient self-sampling in seven areas, the market engagement notice said:
Sexual health testing for HIV and Hepatitis C. Gastroenterology tests for faecal calprotectin, coeliac, ferritin, and urea and electrolytes. Total prostate specific antigen testing. Several gynaecology tests, including follicle-stimulating hormone and human papillomavirus. MRSA, specifically in relation to orthopaedic services. Several rheumatology tests, including full blood counts and liver function tests. Primary care tests, including cholesterol levels. The HomeTest service wants to enable people to order, complete and receive results from diagnostic tests from home through the NHS App.
NHSE “has an aspiration” for a basic version of the programme to be available from April 2027, though it added, “this timescale is indicative and is subject to change”.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 21 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Unqualified therapist treated patients for 10 months

An individual worked as a cognitive behavioural therapist at a trust for 10 months without having the qualifications to do so, HSJ can reveal.
The “patient safety event” at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust was attributed to a “lack of scrutiny” during the recruitment process.
Patients who had CBT sessions - a type of talking therapy for people with mental health conditions - with this individual were informed earlier this year, according to local media. 
HSJ has now obtained an integrated care board committee document which discussed the incident via a Freedom of Information request.
The document said the trust realised in August 2025 that a substantive member of staff had been “delivering care as a cognitive behavioural therapist to Lancashire and South Cumbria residents”, despite not having the required qualifications or accreditations.
The individual had been working in this role since November 2024, according to the quality and outcomes committee risk and escalation report.
It said: “A lack of scrutiny of this individual’s qualifications/accreditation during the recruitment process has been attributed to this patient safety event.”
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 20 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Steroids and the ‘silent’ cancer plaguing the manosphere

The patient, to look at him, was in the prime of his life: in his late thirties, fit and toned from hours spent in the gym. 
But the scans told a different story. Growing on his liver was a malignant tumour the size of a bowling ball. The obsession that had given him his chiselled physique had handed him a death sentence. The patient — like thousands of other gymgoers in the UK — had been taking anabolic steroids. 
The cancer was inoperable. There was nothing his doctors could do for him.
“His life expectancy is probably about six or seven months,” said Stephen Wigmore, regius professor of clinical surgery at the University of Edinburgh. This was not the first young man whom Wigmore, who is also the head of surgery at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, had treated for liver cancer after heavy steroid use.
He said the illegal trade in steroids in gyms, taken by predominantly young men pursuing the ideal of a masculine body, had created a “silent killer”. And he said this was encouraged by social media and the “manosphere” — a loose collection of online influencers and chat forums pushing misogynistic views and a new idea of masculinity.
It is hard to tell the scale of the threat. “We are not talking about an epidemic,” Wigmore said. “This is very rare, but I’ve seen two cases in the last six months. And across the country each liver unit is seeing small numbers of young men in similar situations.
“The irony of taking drugs to make oneself more beautiful but ultimately shortening one’s life is inescapable,” he said, comparing the phenomenon to the obsession of some young women with risky cosmetic surgery such as Brazilian butt lifts.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: The Times, 18 April 2026
Patient Safety Learning
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