Skip to content

News

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

A&E performance recovery lauded by NHSE ‘may not be real’

The “substantial improvements” in a trust’s A&E performance praised by NHS England directors “may not be real” according to a paper prepared by its local health and care partnership.
In a report submitted to the NHSE board meeting last month,  national director of UEC and operations Sarah-Jane Marsh and financial reset and accountability director Glen Burley claimed: “Local clinical and operational teams across the NHS have demonstrated how significant improvements and leaps in performance can be achieved.”
They added: “The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust have delivered substantial improvements in urgent and emergency care services for patients, and achieved a 23% improvement in 4-hour performance in December 2025, compared to the same month the previous year.”
The latest version of the NHSE provider league table ranks PAHT 13th out of 123 relevant providers for its quarter three performance on the A&E standard. It was placed 55th in Q2 and 94th in Q1. 
However, a performance analysis by the East and North Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnership submitted to the March board meeting of the neighbouring East and North Hertfordshire Teaching Trust questions the basis of the improvement in PAHT’s record.
It states: “There was a significant improvement in the ranking of PAH between July and September. This was primarily due to a recording change in relation to [same day emergency care] patients…However, there are some inconsistencies between the PAH ECDS data and its A&E sitrep data, which means that this improvement in A&E performance may not be real.
Read full story
Source: HSJ, 23 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

'I waited 30 years for my endometriosis diagnosis'

"It's barbaric. That's how bad the pain is, It's absolutely barbaric."
A woman who waited 30 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis describes how she struggles in pain.
Nichola Howells from Manchester started experiencing extremely heavy periods at the age of 14 but spent decades being "dismissed" by doctors and even gynecologists.
The 47-year-old said it meant that by the time she was diagnosed she was "literally riddled" with the disease.
Nichola is not alone, with many other women reporting they were not taken seriously by health professionals.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it was trying to change things by investing in training and women's health hubs, adding that "waiting decades for an endometriosis diagnosis is unacceptable".
In the UK, one in 10 women have endometriosis, according to the World Health Organisation.
The average waiting time for a diagnosis has now reached nine years and four months, according to a new report by the charity Endometriosis UK.
Nichola, who grew up in London, started taking contraception to try and manage the bleeding but as time went on her symptoms got worse.
She said she was ignored or dismissed by health professionals, with one doctor telling her to "rid herself of her crippled mentality".
By the time she was diagnosed, she had reached stage 4, with deep infiltrating endometriosis spread across her ligaments, intestine, pelvis, ovaries and uterus.
She said: "Three decades is absolutely insane, to the point where I am literally riddled with endometriosis."
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 23 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Scotland becomes first in UK to test newborns for rare genetic condition

Scotland has become the first part of the UK to test newborn babies for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
The rare genetic condition causes progressive muscle weakness and, without treatment, can limit life expectancy to just two years.
Babies can be identified as having SMA through a heel prick test and early treatment can prolong their lives. As part of a two-year pilot, this test will now be given to all babies born in Scotland.
The test has come too late for Grayce Pearson, now three, from Milton, Glasgow, who was diagnosed with SMA when she was a baby.
She lacks a protein vital for muscle development which affects everything from walking to swallowing and breathing.
Her father Tony said: "Overnight she stopped kicking her legs and wasn't attempting to crawl. She wasn't trying to reach out for things."
Getting a diagnosis is a race against time because as nerve cells die, treatment options and outcomes change.
After raising concerns about her six-month-old baby's decline in movement, her mother Carrie said she was at first told she was just being an over-anxious mother.
"A child just doesn't stop being able to physically move her legs altogether," she said.
Grayce was eventually diagnosed with SMA type 2 - which is less severe than SMA type 1 - when was 14 months old.
Carrie said: "Grayce's age when she was diagnosed, she couldn't get gene therapy, which would have been a one-off and she probably would have been making her milestones."
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 23 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Hundreds of children stuck in hospital because of lack of community services

Hundreds of children are in hospital unnecessarily on any given day because they do not have the right support to go home, according to an analysis of NHS England data.
The discharge delays mean patients affected are missing out on childhood activities and youngsters needing hospital care are waiting for beds, the children’s commissioner’s report found.
More than 260,000 young people spent three or more weeks of their childhood in hospital and 1,300 were there for more than a year.
Medical advancements have meant more patients with complex or life-limiting conditions can live longer but community services such as children’s social care, housing, education and home nursing have not kept pace, it said.
Dame Rachel de Souza, children’s commissioner for England, said in a statement: “For all the debate and attention given to hospitals, waiting times and social care, children are rarely mentioned.
“Childhood is a short and precious time – so when a child spends months or even years confined to a hospital ward, not because they are too unwell to leave but because the right community support cannot be found, the system has failed.”
De Souza said this is partly driven by a “lack of good data”.
The NHS does not consistently record how many youngsters are medically fit to leave hospital but are remaining there as a result of factors external to the health service, the report said.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 23 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

NHS waiting times in Wales plunge to lowest in six years

NHS waiting lists in Wales have fallen to the lowest level in almost six years. The latest waiting time figures, published on March 19, show the average waiting time for treatment is now around 18 weeks – down from 23 weeks in August 2024 and the lowest since the pandemic started.
Around 557,900 individual patients are currently on treatment waiting lists in Wales, the NHS Activity and Performance Summary: January and February 2026 shows.
At the same time targets are being missed on ambulance times, waits in accident and emergency departments and for cancer treatment, the document also shows.
Read full article.
Source: Wales Online, 19 March 2026
Mark Hughes

‘Only two weeks of stock’ at key supplier after Iran-linked cyber attack

NHS England believes there is only two weeks’ stock of crucial surgical equipment and other products following an Iran-linked cyber-attack on a major medical technology supplier.
The centre is urgently working to understand the actual extent of supplies currently held by trusts and the potential risks to patient safety of the supply disruption.
Read full article   (paywalled).
Source: Health Service Journal, 19 March 2026
Mark Hughes

NHS was ‘on brink of collapse’ during pandemic, Covid inquiry finds

The NHS “teetered on the brink of collapse” during the Covid pandemic, and only just coped thanks to the “superhuman” efforts of healthcare workers, an official inquiry has concluded.
In a damning assessment of how the UK’s healthcare systems coped with the pandemic, the Covid-19 inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, said the impact was “devastating” due to the NHS being in a “parlous state” before the outbreak of the virus.
She said Covid patients did not always receive the care they needed, with some diagnoses and treatments coming too late to save lives. “Healthcare systems coped with the pandemic, but only just,” said Lady Hallett, a former court of appeal judge. “On a number of occasions, they teetered on the brink of collapse and only coped thanks to the almost superhuman efforts of healthcare workers and all the staff who support them.
“Workers carried the burden of caring for the sick in unprecedented numbers. They were obliged to work under intolerable pressure for months on end.”
She said politicians, including the former health secretary Matt Hancock, refused to admit the NHS was “overwhelmed” during the pandemic, as they believed this to mean total collapse.
“There was clearly overwhelm,” she said. “Patients could not be admitted to hospital and, in particular, into intensive care units. The pressure was, at times, intolerable. This continued for wave after wave of the virus.”
Other findings of the report included:
The NHS entered the pandemic with low bed numbers, high numbers of staff vacancies and high bed occupancy, meaning it was already in a “precarious position” and ill-prepared to deal with a pandemic. There was not enough PPE at the start of the pandemic, meaning healthcare workers had to put themselves and their families at risk to care for patients. Infection control in the early stages of the pandemic was flawed as it assumed Covid-19 was spread by physical contact, rather than being airborne. The “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” public message may have inadvertently led to a decline in hospital attendance of life-threatening emergencies such as heart attacks. 80% of healthcare professionals said they acted in a way that conflicted with their values during the pandemic, with some saying they felt they were “playing God” as they were unable to give everyone the treatment they needed. Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 19 March 2026
Related reading on the hub:
Presentation by David Osborn to the Safer Healthcare Biosafety Network How much of the £100 million spent by Government on evidence to the COVID-19 Inquiry was actually to cover up decisions which led to avoidable death? Covid-19 : A risk assessment too far? A blog by David Osborn
Patient Safety Learning

Better NHS care might have saved 58 babies, BBC finds

At least 58 babies at an NHS maternity unit might have survived with better care, a BBC investigation has found.
The deaths included 32 stillbirths and 26 neonatal deaths - which is a death within 28 days - at Oxford University Hospitals Trust (OUH) between 2019 and 2024, according to a Freedom of Information request.
Bereaved and harmed mothers have blamed missed chances, "arrogance" among some senior doctors and a "defensive culture".
In a statement, OUH said it was sorry some mothers have had experiences that have left them feeling this way.
It added the figures included mothers and babies who were referred to the trust for specialist care from across the region and every baby death was reviewed in detail to "fully understand what happened and whether improvements are required".
Laura Cook, a partner at Medilaw, told the BBC: "They carry out a tick-box exercise with internal reviews to look like nothing could have been done, it forces families to go to lawyers who then find there's more to it... it puts families through hell.
"What stands out with Oxford is its defensiveness, it's clear that reputation is of the upmost importance, it's not the same with other trusts."
The trust said it recognises some families remain dissatisfied and it takes feedback seriously.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 19 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Do not impose personal views or beliefs on patients, doctors told

Doctors have been issued new guidance stipulating they must not impose their personal views, beliefs, or values on others.
The General Medical Council (GMC) has published the draft rules, currently open for consultation, which apply to all doctors, physician associates, and anaesthesia associates across the UK.
The guidance explicitly states that medics should not treat colleagues poorly based on assumptions about their beliefs or due to disagreements with their views.
It also makes clear that personal beliefs or values must not be imposed on patients.
The doctors’ regulator clarified that these directives relate specifically to professional practice and do not cover healthcare workers expressing their beliefs or values outside of the workplace.
This updated draft guidance follows a series of incidents involving healthcare professionals, both within and outside their professional duties.
The regulator is seeking views on draft updates to its “personal beliefs and medical practice guidance”, which also includes information about conscientious objections to providing certain treatment or procedures – which could include abortions.
The guidance states patients must be prioritised and that such an objection must not prevent a patient from being able to access the care or service they need.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 19 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Health bosses can't confirm meningitis outbreak contained

Health bosses cannot yet confirm whether a deadly meningitis outbreak has been contained, Kent's director of public health has said.
An urgent public health alert was issued urging health workers to look out for signs of infection after 20 suspected cases were investigated by the UK Health Security Agency, including two people who had died.
A vaccination programme targeting about 5,000 students began at the University of Kent, following an outbreak thought to have originated at a Canterbury nightclub.
When asked whether the outbreak had been contained, Dr Anjan Ghosh, of Kent County Council, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme they were "not in a position yet to say that definitively".
He added: "If you see the daily reporting that's going on, there are more and more cases being reported, but these cases all relate more or less to that same period of time when the initial exposure happened.
"We are looking at what's called secondary transmission, so that's a case that's then transmitted to another couple of people. We need to rule that out before we can say it's definitely contained."
Health chiefs have described the "explosive nature" of the outbreak as unprecedented.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 18 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

‘Test drugs on pregnant women to stop another thalidomide scandal’

Pregnant women must be routinely included in clinical trials to help them access medicines and “prevent another thalidomide scandal”, doctors have said.
At present, 99% cent of clinical trials exclude women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, according to experts at the British Pharmacological Society (BPS). Women are in the dark about the safety of thousands of common medications and many choose to “stop all their medication” immediately after becoming pregnant.
The BPS gave the example of antidepressants, which are taken by eight million people in Britain but have not been trialled in pregnant women. As a result some people stop the drugs, which puts them at risk of postnatal depression and suicide, one of the leading causes of death in new mothers.
The BPS is urging health officials to require pharmaceutical companies to “routinely include pregnant women, where safe and appropriate, in clinical research”. It said that companies should also monitor safety data for pregnant women taking approved drugs, and that doctors should balance the risk of potential harm to unborn babies with the danger to mothers of stopping or switching certain medications. 
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: The Times, 18 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Waiting lists, virtual queues and pharmacies running out of stock as demand for meningitis B vaccines soars

Pharmacies are running out of stock for the meningitis B vaccine as concern rises and demand soars.
The spike comes after the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed it is now investigating 20 cases of meningitis in Kent during an “explosive” outbreak that has left two dead.
Boots has implemented a queuing system for customers to enter the vaccination service page of its website, with a warning that demand for its menB jab is currently high.
Superdrug has also created a waiting list for the vaccine, with a note on its website informing customers of a “national shortage” and adding “stock is limited”. It said it is “working with suppliers to secure more doses”.
The high street pharmacy reported a 65-fold increase in demand compared to last week.
Some pharmacies in Kent are also running out of supplies, according to Dr Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of the Independent Pharmacies Association.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 18 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Women almost 150 times more likely to die from maternal sepsis in Africa than Europe

Women who develop maternal sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa are almost 150 times more likely to die than mothers in Britain, Europe and North America, according to new research – with a lack of clean water and sanitation contributing to 36 deaths a day.
The analysis by WaterAid finds that the infection – one of the most dangerous complications of pregnancy and childbirth – is vastly more lethal in parts of Africa where maternity wards frequently lack clean water, toilets or basic hygiene facilities. These dangers made worse by devastating overseas aid cuts by the US and UK impacting swathes of the continent.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 4.7 million women develop maternal sepsis each year, equivalent to around one in every nine births. 
Globally, about one in 1,100 cases of maternal sepsis results in death. In Africa, however, the fatality rate is dramatically higher with one death for every 350 cases. By comparison, mothers in Western Europe and North America face a vastly lower risk.
Health experts say the disparity reflects the stark reality of maternity wards where even the most basic elements of safe childbirth are missing. WaterAid’s research suggests that three out of four births in healthcare facilities in sub-Saharan Africa take place in environments without adequate water, sanitation or hygiene - conditions that dramatically increase the risk of infection for both mothers and newborns.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 18 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

DHSC sets first targets for neighbourhood health

The first targets for neighbourhood health have been set in long-awaited government guidance.
The neighbourhood health framework, published on Tuesday afternoon, gives several national targets related to GP, elective outpatient and community services.
They include:
At least 25% diversion rate from outpatient referrals through “single points of access” in at least 10 high‑volume specialties by next March; Reduce secondary care outpatient follow-up appointments by at least 10% by next March; A 10% reduction in acute outpatient appointments for under‑16s by March 2029; A new target date of March next year for GPs to see 90% of clinically urgent patients the same day – an objective first announced last autumn; A 10% reduction in non‑elective admissions and bed days for people with mid to severe frailty, care home residents and housebound patients by March 2029; A 10% increase in people identified as approaching end of life and a 10% reduction in their non‑elective admissions and bed days by March 2029; At least a 10% improvement in evidence‑based clinical outcomes for people with CVD, diabetes, COPD, mental health conditions and dementia; and A 10% cent increase in patients with diabetes receiving all eight recommended care‑process elements. In addition, the framework says that each area – “through” health and wellbeing boards – should agree local priorities and measures, which are likely to focus more on prevention and wider public services.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 17 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Meningitis B outbreak: Streeting warns of ‘unprecedented’ situation as new vaccine programme launched

Health secretary Wes Streeting has described the outbreak of meningitis in Kent as “unprecedented” and warned it is a “rapidly developing situation”.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced a targeted vaccination programme for students living at Canterbury halls of residence at the University of Kent, while 700 doses of antibiotics have been given out.
The agency confirmed on Tuesday morning that 15 cases of meningitis have been recorded, an increase of two from Monday, and all those affected were hospitalised.
Experts have described the outbreak as “unusual”, with the disease killing an 18-year-old pupil called Juliette and an unnamed 21-year-old university student.
Warnings were issued that some pharmacies in the region are running out of the MenB vaccine due to a surge in demand, with some reporting no stock left.
Meningitis B has been confirmed as the strain in some cases, with concerns growing in the region after a third school confirmed a case, as well as the university.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 17 March 2026
Patient Safety Learning

The NHS’s ‘exhausted’ safety champions need greater support

A decade after the Freedom to Speak Up guardian role was first mandated following the Mid Staffordshire inquiry, the movement faces a defining moment
With the imminent closure of the National Guardian’s Office, NHS England is considering how Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) guardians will be supported.
To support this work, Gowpen carried out a survey exploring the wellbeing of FTSU guardians to highlight the lived experience of those doing the vital work of supporting staff voice and patient safety. The findings paint a picture of guardians left isolated, emotionally exhausted, and without adequate support.
Of the guardians who responded to the survey, one in three rated the impact of their role on their wellbeing as either “negative” or “very negative”. These figures align with the National Guardian’s Office’s own most recent survey, which found that 22% of guardians often or always felt emotionally exhausted, and 13% often or always felt burnt out.
FTSU guardians deal with cases often at the very darkest side of human behaviour: bullying, racial discrimination, sexual misconduct, patient harm and, increasingly, the fallout from societal and global conflicts playing out in NHS workplaces. Many describe feeling isolated. Yet nearly half of the guardians surveyed have no access to confidential psychological supervision.
One said: “I have felt very unsupported and do not feel anyone has my back. It has led to stomach issues and loss of sleep.” 
Another said: “The mental/emotional weight of the issues that are brought forward can be quite intense. There’s only me and one other guardian in the trust, and we don’t have any psychological supervision.” 
Where support does exist, it does not meet the needs of this nuanced role. Employee Assistance Programmes lack the specialist knowledge. Internal management check-ins, which some organisations offer as a substitute for psychological supervision, create a conflict of interest. The independence of Freedom to Speak Up guardians is central to gaining workers’ trust, and this compromises both the guardian’s psychological safety and the integrity of the role.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 17 March 2026
Further reading on the hub:
Speaking up for patient safety: A new interview series about raising concerns and whistleblowing Speaking up for patient safety: Jayne Chidgey-Clark in conversation with Peter Duffy and Helen Hughes
Patient Safety Learning
Registered address: Patient Safety Learning, China Works SB203, 100 Black Prince Road Vauxhall, London, SE1 7SJ

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.