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

‘Inappropriate behaviours’ persist despite ‘substantial progress’ on trust’s board

Cultural issues persist at a large teaching trust, despite “substantial progress” at board level, according to an external review it commissioned.
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust ordered the review to assess change since it was rated “inadequate” for leadership by the Care Quality Commission in 2024, amid leadership and culture problems.
It praised “renewed leadership that has driven significant, positive change from the top”, a “cohesive, professional and collegiate board” and a “clear focus on board visibility”.
Despite the board improvements, the review, by advisory firm Grant Thornton UK, said an “overwhelming majority” of complaints raised by staff still involved “inappropriate attitudes” and “behaviours” – particularly in incidents with line managers.
It recommended NUTH should continue work to improve culture and leadership, because progress made at the top had not been “embedded” throughout the rest of the organisation.
Specifically, the trust should improve the quality of its line management, bolster trust in a revised “freedom to speak up” process, and promote “greater diversity and inclusion”, it said.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 11 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Long Covid could trigger changes in the brain that are similar to Alzheimer’s, new study says

Some people suffering from long Covid may experience symptoms similar to those seen in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research.
Recent findings from New York University Langone Health suggest that changes in the brain caused by Long Covid — symptoms of the illness that linger for more than three months, according to the CDC — may result in long-term fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, loss of smell or taste, depression, and other symptoms.
Some 20 million Americans have been diagnosed with long Covid, according to Yale Medicine.
“Our work suggests that long-term immune reactions caused in some cases after an initial COVID infection may come with swelling that damages a critical brain barrier in the choroid plexus,” senior study author Dr. Yulin Ge, a professor in the Department of Radiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said in a statement.
“It is currently unknown whether these changes are reversible. We are actively analyzing their follow-up data to address this question,” Dr Ge said.
Senior study author Dr. Thomas Wisniewski of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine said in a statement that the team's next steps will be to monitor the patients to see if “the brain changes we identified can predict who will develop long-term cognitive issues.”
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 11 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Using AI for medical advice 'dangerous', study finds

Using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to help seek medical advice can be "dangerous", a new study has found.
The research found that using AI to make medical decisions presented risks to patients, external, due to its "tendency to provide inaccurate and inconsistent information".
It was led by researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute and the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, and published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.
Dr Rebecca Payne, who co-authored the study, said it found that "despite all the hype, AI just isn't ready to take on the role of the physician".
"Patients need to be aware that asking a large language model about their symptoms can be dangerous, giving wrong diagnoses and failing to recognise when urgent help is needed," Dr Payne, who is also a GP, added.
"These findings highlight the difficulty of building AI systems that can genuinely support people in sensitive, high-stakes areas like health," Dr Payne said.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 10 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

'I didn't expect to be broken' says mum given £100K payout after surgery left her in constant pain

Twenty-five women have received compensation from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board following gynaecological surgery carried out by a single surgeon - with one saying the ongoing pain is like someone "twisting a knife" inside them.
S4C’s current affairs programme Y Byd ar Bedwar has been investigating the work of gynaecological surgeon Derek Klazinga.
He was employed by Betsi health board and the previous North Wales health trusts between 2002 and 2016. Originally from South Africa, he worked at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and Ysbyty Gwynedd.
Mr Klazinga said he had "sincerest sympathy" that the women have had to endure such physical and psychological pain but said this had been down to "what we now know to be, defective medical products".
One patient, who was not named, said the daily pain was like someone "twisting a knife" inside them.
"It's horrific. He has destroyed my body," they added.
Y Byd ar Bedwar has spoken to seven women in north Wales who have received compensation since 2015 after undergoing surgery by Mr Klazinga. Between them, they say they have received more than £600,000. Several said they did not consent to the procedures they received, while most described chronic pain that has had a profound impact on their lives.
Read full story
Source: North Wales Live, 10 February 2026
 
Patient Safety Learning

'Families have lost trust over maternity inquiry'

Families failed by maternity care at an NHS trust have "lost trust" in the health secretary to oversee an independent inquiry, MPs have said.
Wes Streeting announced an inquiry into "repeated failures" after a BBC investigation revealed the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTH) over the past five years may have been prevented.
MPs have written a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling on him to intervene and appoint senior midwife Donna Ockenden to chair the investigation.
Ockenden is currently leading the inquiry into Nottingham maternity services - which is examining about 2,500 cases of failings - and she previously investigated failures at the Shrewsbury and Telford Trust.
Streeting said in October 2025 a thorough "Nottingham-style" investigation was required to understand what had "gone so catastrophically wrong" at Leeds' two maternity units.
But he subsequently announced publicly on a BBC Radio interview that Ockenden would not chair the inquiry at Leeds.
The letter, seen by the BBC, has been signed by three Labour MPs including Fabian Hamilton, Richard Burgon and Michelle Welsh – who is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for maternity - as well as the Conservative MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke and the independent MP Iqbal Mohamed.
It says Leeds bereaved and harmed families feel the public announcement "is nothing less than a complete betrayal of their trust" because families say Streeting had promised he would speak with Ockenden, and them first, before any news would be made public.
The letter adds it would be "unacceptable" to appoint a chair who has "an untested and unrefined methodology".
The MPs call on Starmer to "intervene and appoint Donna Ockenden to head the Leeds Maternity Inquiry, with immediate effect".
The letter also states that "Leeds families have lost faith and confidence in the Secretary of State for Health's handling of this inquiry".
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 11 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Teen had to tell deaf mum her dad might die

Hospital staff asked a teenage boy to tell his deaf mother that her father might die, according to the findings of an ombudsman.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust failed to follow national guidance, by repeatedly using children to interpret critical medical information for their deaf family members.
Alan Graham, who was born deaf and used British Sign Language (BSL) as his first language, died in September 2021 after being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
His daughter, Jennifer Petty, who is also deaf, complained about her father's care. The NHS trust apologised adding "we did not get things right".
The 52-year-old also raised the issue of hospital staff using her children as interpreters.
The investigation by the ombudsman found the concerns she raised caused significant distress and affected the family's ability to grieve.
During an 11-week period in hospital, professional BSL interpreters were provided on only three occasions, the ombudsman found.
Instead staff regularly relied on Petty's son and daughter, who was 12, to translate complex medical information, including details about the 75-year-old's condition.
The 52-year-old said the situation was deeply upsetting for the whole family and it was "totally unacceptable" that her children were placed in the position of delivering bad news about their grandfather's condition.
"My children just wanted to visit their grandad and be there for him as family members but they were constantly being asked to translate by the staff," she said.
"Having to deliver the bad news about my dad's prognosis was extremely upsetting for all of us."
The ombudsman said the trust did not consistently make reasonable adjustments for a deaf patient and his family, despite clear requirements set out in national guidance.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 11 February 2026
Further reading on the hub:
Top picks: 11 resources to support people with hearing loss or deafness
Sam

AI stethoscope can help spot life-threatening heart disease years earlier, study finds

A stethoscope that uses artificial intelligence could help doctors detect serious heart valve disease years earlier, potentially saving thousands of lives, a new study suggests.
It is estimated that 41 million people worldwide, including 1.5 million people in the UK, live with a type of heart valve disease, which can lead to heart failure, hospital admissions and death.
Early diagnosis is vital for successful treatment, but the condition can be symptom-free in its early stages before causing dizziness, shortness of breath and heart palpitations, which can be confused with other conditions, meaning some patients do not get a diagnosis until the disease is advanced.
Currently, diagnosis of valve disease relies on echocardiography, a type of ultrasound scan that is expensive and time-consuming. While doctors do listen to the heart using a stethoscope, this is not routinely done in short GP appointments, and is known to miss many cases.
But the new technology that works with digital stethoscopes was found to outperform GPs at detecting valve disease, and could be used as a rapid screening tool.
“Valve disease is a silent epidemic,” said Professor Anurag Agarwal from Cambridge’s department of engineering, who led the research. “An estimated 300,000 people in the UK have severe aortic stenosis alone, and around a third don’t know it. By the time symptoms appear, outcomes can be worse than for many cancers.”
For the study published in the journal npj Cardiovascular Health, researchers analysed heart sounds from nearly 1,800 patients using an AI algorithm trained to recognise valve disease.
The AI was found to correctly identify 98% cent of patients with severe aortic stenosis, the most common form of valve disease requiring surgery, and 94% cent of those with severe mitral regurgitation, where the heart valve does not fully close and blood leaks backwards across the valve.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 10 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

‘Cover-ups’ leave staff scared to report sexual safety concerns

A trust’s staff “fear raising concerns about attitudes, behaviours and sexual safety”, particularly about senior managers and doctors, a review by NHS England has found.
Black Country Healthcare Foundation Trust’s “Freedom to Speak Up” arrangements have been reviewed by NHSE, following a series of cultural concerns  and the departure of multiple senior directors.
The review, published in board papers this month, said: “We consistently heard that staff feel that ‘cover-ups’ take place and raising a concern sometimes feels like ‘reporting a friend to a friend’.”
Staff gave recent examples of where they had experienced, or seen others experience, “disadvantageous and demeaning treatment” after raising concerns.
Examples of this included inconsistent application of HR policies such as annual leave and flexible working to disadvantage the person raising concerns, unkind and unprofessional behaviour by senior staff members such as ignoring individuals, and not including them in conversations.
Others said they did not want to raise concerns for fear of detriment, such as bank staff members who thought they would not be given shifts.
Some staff felt as if they had a “target on their back” after speaking up.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 10 February 2026
Related reading on the hub:
Speaking up for patient safety interview series
Patient Safety Learning

People with obesity 70% more likely to be hospitalised by or die from infection, study finds

People living with obesity are 70% more likely to be hospitalised by or die from an infection, with 1 in 10 infection-related deaths globally linked to the condition, research suggests.
Being an unhealthy weight significantly increases the risk of severe illness and death from most infectious diseases, including flu, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections and Covid-19, according to a study of more than 500,000 people.
Obesity may already be a factor in as many as 600,000 of 5.4 million deaths (11%) from infectious diseases every year, researchers found.
The study’s first author, Dr Solja Nyberg, of the University of Helsinki, said the problem could worsen. “As obesity rates are expected to rise globally, so will the number of deaths and hospitalisations from infectious diseases linked to obesity.
“To reduce the risk of severe infections, as well as other health issues linked with obesity, there is an urgent need for policies that help people stay healthy and support weight-loss, such as access to affordable healthy food and opportunities for physical activity.”
In the meantime, she added, it was “especially important” for those living with obesity to keep up to date with their vaccinations.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 9 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Sepsis mistakes killed our daughter - we fear it could happen again

When she was 16, Bethan James told her YouTube channel that by 2026 she hoped to have a partner, an enjoyable job and maybe even children.
Bethan would have been 27 now - but her dreams were taken when she died aged 21 from a combination of sepsis, pneumonia and Crohn's disease.
Bethan's sepsis wasn't spotted early enough and life-saving care was delayed. Now her grieving parents are campaigning for better training to diagnose one of the UK's biggest killers.
A BBC investigation has found sepsis awareness training is still not mandatory at most hospitals in Wales, and Bethan's parents fear that what happened to their daughter could still happen to others.
This included at the hospital where Bethan died and the Welsh government said sepsis awareness was a "focus" and a "priority", while the Welsh Ambulance Service said "meaningful changes" had been made.
Jane and Steve James said they were "haunted and totally devastated" by the "needless death" of their eldest child in 2020.
Bethan died six years ago this week and her parents fought for an inquest where a coroner found that the journalism student "would not have died" if her care and treatment had not been delayed.
A BBC investigation has found that sepsis awareness training remains a lottery in Wales and is still not compulsory at Wales' largest hospital, the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where Bethan died.
"You go into the hospital and there's sepsis posters on lifts and walls but if their actual frontline staff can't recognise the symptoms of sepsis, it just beggars belief," said Jane.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 9 February 2026
Further resources on the hub:
Spotting the signs of sepsis: a series of short videos Top picks: 11 resources about sepsis
Patient Safety Learning

A&Es to open dedicated areas for ‘extended stay’ patients

“Extended emergency medicine” areas will be opened in hospitals for A&E patients whose care can’t be turned around within the four-hour target, according to new national guidance.
NHS England has released new guidance on a “model emergency department” to provide a blueprint for A&Es to meet national targets.
The guidance – delayed since last year amid internal concerns about its usefulness – recommends the use of new “extended emergency medicine ambulatory care areas” (EEMACs).
They are intended for patients who are expected to be sent home following investigation and treatment, rather than admitted, but would likely be in A&E for more than four hours.
It is a similar approach to the “same day emergency care” units now running in many hospitals. However, SDECs are primarily run by specialists, rather than A&E staff, whereas EEMACs are for patients needing more general emergency attention.
If a patient is moved to an EEMAC within four hours, they will count as having met the headline waiting target, NHSE confirmed to HSJ. However, if they reach 12 hours, they will be counted as a breach against the 12 hours in the department measure. The same approach applies to SDEC.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 9 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Victims of cancer-linked pregnancy drug to demand public inquiry into ‘silent scandal’

Victims of a cancer-linked pregnancy drug will meet with Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Monday as part of a push to get a public inquiry into what they believe is a “silent scandal”.
DES Justice UK (DJUK) is also seeking the creation of an NHS screening programme to identify those who may be at risk from exposure to diethylstilbestrol, commonly known as DES.
The campaign group has more than 500 members and includes women who took the drug, but also their daughters, sons and grand-daughters who have suffered issues such as infertility, reproductive abnormalities and increased risk of cancer.
DES – a synthetic form of the female hormone oestrogen – was prescribed to pregnant women from 1940 to the 1970s.
It was used to prevent miscarriage, premature labour and complications of pregnancy, as well as to suppress breast milk production, as emergency contraception and to treat symptoms of menopause.
According to DJUK, DES was prescribed to about 300,000 women over almost four decades.
In 1971, it was linked to a cancer of the cervix and vagina called clear cell adenocarcinomam, leading to US regulators calling for it not to be given to pregnant women.
However, it continued to be prescribed to pregnant women in Europe until 1978.
DES is also linked to cancers such as breast, pancreatic and cervical.
DJUK is meeting with Mr Streeting to urge him to launch a public inquiry into the events.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 9 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Failure to compensate pelvic mesh implant victims ‘morally unacceptable’, say campaigners

The government’s failure to respond to calls for a compensation scheme for women harmed by pelvic mesh has been described as “morally unacceptable” by campaigners.
Thousands of women were left with life-changing complications after receiving transvaginal mesh implants, with some unable to walk or work again.
Saturday marks two years since plans for financial redress for women harmed by pelvic mesh implants were set out by England’s patient safety commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes.
However, ministers have made no commitments to providing compensation to women harmed by the medical scandal. The plans, outlined in the 2024 Hughes report, included compensation for children left disabled as a result of their mothers using the epilepsy drug sodium valproate in pregnancy.
The government recently admitted that there was still no timetable to provide compensation for victims affected by pelvic mesh and valproate. Hughes has now pledged to take the matter directly to the prime minister.
Campaigners have said the lack of government action is worsening the mental health of people affected by the scandals.
Kath Sansom, the founder of the advocacy group Sling the Mesh, said: “As every week, month, year passes, women are getting more frustrated, upset. You can’t put their pain on hold. A lot of them have had to give up work or reduce their hours. They’re struggling to make ends meet. We have some members, they’ve had to sell their homes and move in with elderly parents, marriages broken down …
“We see those women at three in the morning trying to put up a post saying, ‘I don’t want to be here any more’ … I’m so angry that these women have their lives ruined and no one is taking accountability by giving them compensation … it’s morally unacceptable.”
Read full story
Further reading on the hub:
Reflections on The Hughes Report: Pelvic mesh, sodium valproate, hormone pregnancy tests and options for redress (a blog from Patient Safety Learning
Sam

NHSE to revive 2000s-style improvement collaboratives

NHS England plans to revive compulsory “structured improvement collaboratives” for outpatients, urgent and emergency care, and frailty services – in an echo of the Modernisation Agency approach of the 2000s.
The three collaboratives will be on a compulsory basis “to improve care at scale across the NHS”.
The approach is explicitly modelled on the “emergency services collaborative”  run by the NHS Modernisation Agency between 2002 and 2005. It played a big part in driving services towards meeting the new four-hour accident and emergency target, according to a 2004 evaluation.
A paper presented to NHSE’s board this week set out a wider reset of NHSE’s improvement framework, making clear responsibility is firmly with providers, while the centre focuses on “creating the conditions”, regional teams “support”, including with strengthened “local improvement networks”. Integrated care boards will focus on commissioning.
But the proposals – developed by Sarah-Jane Marsh, national director of urgent and emergency care and operations, and Glen Burley, financial reset and accountability director – said a “small number of national priorities will require a systematic ‘all-in’ effort to improve care at scale across the NHS”.
These will be targeted at specific changes in the three priority areas, with improvement experts and clinicians facilitating sessions where teams share best practice and improvements.
Read full story
Source: HSJ, 7 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Mike Richards to leave CQC

The chair of the Care Quality Commission is stepping down, just as the struggling regulator seeks a new chief executive.
Sir Mike Richards has been in the role for less than a year but in an announcement this lunchtime said the CQC’s turnaround “will demand a longer-term commitment as chair than I am able to make”.
The CQC was just about to go out to advert for a new CEO, following the resignation of Sir Julian Hartley last year.
Today Sir Mike said: “There is an urgent need to appoint a permanent CEO [and] after careful consideration, I believe it would be best for this appointment to be led by a new chair who can commit to providing long‑term continuity.”
Sir Mike was appointed to help recover the CQC, along with Sir Julian, after far-reaching leadership and operational failures were outlined in external reviews in 2024.
He was a chief inspector at the CQC about a decade ago and is widely respected for a range of senior national clinical leadership roles. Since 2022 he has been chair of the UK National Screening Committee and, as a former oncologist, has led work in recent years on improving diagnostics. 
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 6 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Grieving families who lost babies due to NHS failings hit out at maternity investigation

Families "enduring everlasting grief" after losing babies due to NHS failings are being sidelined by a rapid review into maternity services, a campaign group has claimed.
One woman, whose daughter died in 2022, described how victims are forced to "compress" their experiences into eight minutes, with some re-traumatised by having to choose the most important reasons for their babies' deaths.
The Maternity Safety Alliance has renewed its call for a statutory inquiry into NHS maternity services, urging the Government to "abandon this performative approach".
However, a spokesperson for the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation (NMNI) argued that its rapid review would allow improvements to be made faster than would be possible with a statutory inquiry.
The probe is being led by Baroness Valerie Amos and will examine 12 NHS trusts, with a report due in the spring.
The Maternity Safety Alliance has published fresh criticism of the process, claiming the timescale is “compressed” and the involvement of families is “limited to sharing their experiences rather than participating in the decision-making processes”.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 6 February 2026
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