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

Chase ‘quick wins’ to hit A&E target, hospitals told

Hospitals are being encouraged to target children, less sick patients and “near miss breaches” in the final weeks of the financial year, in an attempt to hit the government’s A&E target.
NHS England said in a paper to its board meeting on Thursday that it was taking “significant further action” coming out of winter to try to hit the bar of 78 per cent of patients being treated within four hours. This was the recovery target set by government for the service for 2025-26.
NHSE said the “action” will include “targeting clear areas of improvement opportunity [for example] in non-admitted performance, paediatric, and ‘near miss’ breaches”.
The move has been criticised by some experts as “focusing on easy improvements” while “ignoring” the more serious long accident and emergency waits, which do more harm to patients.
Royal College of Emergency Medicine president Ian Higginson told HSJ: “The main problem causing long waits in our [EDs] is patient flow. Focusing on perceived ‘quick wins’ mustn’t distract from what is happening in our corridors.
“For instance: how does focusing on marginal gains such as ‘near miss breaches’ help an elderly patient who is going to be waiting for a bed for 12 hours or more?
“It is of course important to get non-admitted patients in and out of ED as quickly as possible, but these are not the patients coming to most harm.
“We have yet to see meaningful plans to address the fundamental problem of getting the sickest patients, who need admission, into hospital. It is these patients who are at the greatest risk of harm, and that is where the main focus needs to be.”
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 6 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

36 UK infants ill after drinking contaminated baby formula

Thirty-six infants in the UK have had suspected food poisoning from contaminated baby formula.
It comes after specific batches made by Nestle and Danone were recalled because of contamination with the toxin, cereulide.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it has received clinical notifications of young children developing symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea, consistent with cereulide poisoning.
None of the infants – all around or under one – are reported to be gravely ill, the BBC understands.
Gauri Godbole, from UKHSA, said it was not unexpected, given "the widespread availability" of the affected products prior to the recall and "subsequent testing".
Godbole said there did not seem to be any signs that huge numbers of children had been affected so far.
"Current surveillance indicators do not show unusual increases in reports of vomiting in children under the age of one for this time of year," she added.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 5 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Researchers find most Americans with high blood pressure don’t have it under control

Four out of five U.S. adults living with high blood pressure don’t have their condition under control, researchers said Tuesday, signaling possibly deadly repercussions.
Some 120 million Americans are affected by the chronic condition, which can raise people’s risk of kidney disease, heart failure, dementia or a deadly heart attack or stroke.
Controlling high blood pressure – also known as hypertension – is crucial to lower these risks and improve overall quality of life.
People can do that through maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly, as well as taking medication that helps to keep their hearts from being overworked.
But the researchers also found that more than 61% of Americans with uncontrolled blood pressure aren’t taking medication.
"Clearly, the vast majority of patients really need to have optimization of their blood pressure, and there's a big gap in blood pressure management that is not being addressed,” Dr. Benjamin Hirsh, director of preventive cardiology at New York's Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital, told HealthDay News, reacting to the findings.
“This can portend negative adverse health effects for these patients who are undertreated.”
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 5 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Autistic girls much less likely to be diagnosed, study says

Females may be just as likely to be autistic as males but boys are up to four times more likely to be diagnosed in childhood, according to a large-scale study.
Research led by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden scrutinised the diagnosis rates of autism for people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2020. Of the 2.7 million people tracked, 2.8% were diagnosed with autism between the ages of two and 37.
They found that by the age of 20, diagnosis rates of men and women were almost equal, challenging previous assumptions that autism is more common among males.
“Our findings suggest that the gender difference in autism prevalence is much lower than previously thought, due to women and girls being underdiagnosed or diagnosed late,” said the lead author, Dr Caroline Fyfe.
The research calculated that in childhood, boys were diagnosed on average nearly three years earlier than girls – the median age at diagnosis was 15.9 for girls, but 13.1 for boys. Overall, boys were three to four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism under the age of 10, although girls were found to “catch up” by the time they were 20, owing to a rapid increase in autism diagnosis during adolescence.
“These observations highlight the need to investigate why female individuals receive diagnoses later than male individuals,” the authors conclude.
Patient and patient advocate Anne Cary, writing in a linked editorial, said the research supported arguments that it was “systemic biases in diagnosis, rather than a true gap in incidence” that were behind the discrepancy in diagnosis rates.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 4 February 2026
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Period blood test could offer less invasive alternative to cervical screening

Testing period blood for signs of cervical cancer could be an accurate and convenient way of screening for the disease, researchers say.
The current NHS test involves a nurse or doctor taking a sample of cells from the cervix - but a third of women invited for screening do not attend.
A study of the new test, which can be carried out at home, used blood collected on a cotton strip attached to a standard sanitary pad.
Cervical cancer charities say finding new and potentially gentler ways of testing for the disease is encouraging and could improve access, although it is still early days for this research.
The NHS is already sending at-home test kits to women in some areas of England who have missed several cervical screening appointments. These DIY test kits containing a vaginal swab will be sent out more widely at some point this year.
Testing period blood would be an even less invasive option, say the Chinese researchers behind the new study in the journal The BMJ, external, adding it could be "a robust alternative" to current methods.
Five million women are not up to date with the test, research shows, and there are many reasons why - including fear, pain and discomfort.
"Cervical screening can be difficult for some women for many reasons, like if they have had a bad previous experience, they are menopausal, they have a physical or learning disability, cultural barriers, or are a survivor of sexual violence," says Athena Lamnisos from charity The Eve Appeal.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 5 February 2026
Related reading on the hub:
Top picks: 12 resources about improving access to cervical screening - Patient Safety Learning's Top Picks - Patient Safety Learning - the hub
 
Patient Safety Learning

Trust bosses clash over ‘car park care’

Ambulance service leaders have clashed with a large hospital trust for putting “pressure” on its crews to deliver “car park care” while patients wait to be admitted.
The row has even resulted in senior figures from one provider – University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust – suggesting the West Midlands ambulance medical director was “compromising his registration” by resisting it, according to meeting minutes published last week as part of January’s board meeting papers. 
West Midlands Ambulance Service University Foundation Trust said it is battling pressure, chiefly from UHBFT, to allow “treatment of patients by [emergency department] staff in [the] rear of ambulance, or patients being treated in ED and put back on ambulance” after receiving initial treatment, such as catheterisation or infusion.
Minutes of the WMAS quality governance committee, reporting on one meeting between senior leaders about the issue, said: “UHB did challenge whether the WMAS medical director [Richard Steyn] is compromising his registration by not allowing them [ED staff] to provide care in the back of the ambulance.”
WMAS “should not be supporting the requests from the hospital to develop standard operating procedures and procedures for the treatment of patients in the ambulance”, according to the minutes published last month of a committee meeting that took place in November. 
Doing so, it said, risked “this [becoming] the ‘norm’ whereby the ambulances will be used as an additional cubicle and whilst doing this our patients are dying”.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 5 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Coroner warning to pregnant woman over drug used to treat migraines after baby death

A coroner has warned against a type of medication that can be used to treat migraines during pregnancy after the death of a four-day-old baby.
On 13 November 2024 in Sunderland, Baby Avery Hall, died with lung damage, low oxygen levels and reduced blood flow – complications known to arise when prescription drug Candesartan is used throughout pregnancy, particularly in the second and third trimester.
Avery’s development in pregnancy was compromised by reduced amniotic fluid, leading to poor lung development and impairment of urine production by the kidneys.
His mother was prescribed Candesartan, a medication that relaxes blood vessels, to treat her recurring migraines before she became pregnant.
But in April 2024 when she fell pregnant, doctors gave her “unclear and indecisive advice”, and she was not told specifically to stop using Candesartan, despite the known risks.
David Place, a senior coroner for the City of Sunderland, issued a prevention of future deaths report on Monday. He concluded that Avery died from complications known to arise when Candesartan is used throughout pregnancy and that “action should have been taken”.
“His mother had continued to use this medication which had been prescribed to her since 2022 being unaware of the risks it posed due to a combination of unclear and indecisive advice at the outset and no additional advice about the safety of the medication from clinicians involved in her antenatal care,” Mr Place said.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 3 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Hospital told to improve safety probes a decade after baby deaths

A hospital in East Ayrshire has been ordered to improve the way it handles patient safety incidents in its maternity unit, almost 10 years after it was the centre of an investigation into baby deaths.
The report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) made 16 requirements for improvement at the unit in Crosshouse University Hospital, near Kilmarnock, including for delays women faced when they contacted the triage unit.
It said some staff were reluctant to report patient safety events, and reviews into incidents took too long to the detriment of families.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran said it is committed to ensuring patients receive safe and dignified care at all times.
In 2016, a review was ordered into failures of care at the hospital after BBC Scotland News revealed there had been six "unnecessary" baby deaths at the hospital. NHS Ayrshire and Arran was told to improve the way it investigated adverse events.
Last year, the Scottish government said it would carry out a national review of maternity care after another BBC investigation revealed ongoing safety concerns across several maternity units.
In total, the latest report made two recommendations and 16 requirements.
Other areas for improvement include flushing of infrequently used water outlets and improvements in the cleanliness of patient equipment.
The HIS report also highlighted 10 areas of good practice including "positive and respectful" interactions between staff and women, families and babies and that staff felt well supported in an under-pressure environment.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 4 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Obesity in pregnancy ‘contributing to avoidable harm’ as doctors issue new warning

Doctors have warned that rising obesity rates among pregnant women are endangering both mothers and babies.
Over a quarter of pregnant women in the UK are now classified as obese.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has urged that this be "recognised as an urgent and growing public health challenge".
Obesity is “contributing to avoidable harm” while also putting increased pressure on NHS maternity services, according to the new report.
The college said there must be “bold, joined-up action” from food policy, education and healthcare to better prevent obesity in general.
The “stigamatisation” of women’s weight also “remains an issue” and should be replaced by non-judgmental care before, during and after pregnancy, experts said.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 4 February 2026
 
Sam

Alleged bullying, harassment and toxic culture at hospital revealed in leaked report

Staff members at Wales' largest hospital have faced disciplinary proceedings after a "toxic culture" leaving some feeling unsafe at work was uncovered.
The leaked Cardiff and Vale health board internal review included reports of "bullying and harassment" and "violent and aggressive" behaviour at a University Hospital of Wales (UHW) department.
The investigation, which was completed in August 2024 but not made public, found "systemic failure at all levels" and "unchecked" poor behaviour at the Cardiff HSDU unit, which is responsible for the sterilisation and decontamination of medical equipment.
The health board said it had acted "robustly and fairly" to deal with the "historic allegations".
It said five members of staff had since been "subject to disciplinary action", and that "leadership oversight, management arrangements and team culture" had also been strengthened.
Read full story 
Source: BBC News, 3 February 2026
Sam

Three-quarters of cancer patients in England will survive by 2035, government pledges

Three in four cancer patients in England will beat cancer under government plans to raise survival rates, as figures reveal someone is now diagnosed every 75 seconds in the UK.
Cancer is the country’s biggest killer, causing about one in four deaths, and survival rates lag behind several European countries, including Romania and Poland. Three-quarters of NHS hospital trusts are failing cancer patients, a Guardian analysis found last year, prompting experts to declare a “national emergency”.
In a new plan published today, ministers will pledge £2bn to resolve the crisis by transforming cancer services, with millions of patients promised faster diagnoses, quicker treatment and more support to live well.
Some cancer performance targets have not been met by the NHS since 2015. Under the national cancer plan, all three waiting times standards will be met by 2029, ministers will announce.
And, for the first time, the government will commit to ensuring that, from 2035, 75% of patients will be either cancer-free or living well, which means a normal life with the disease under control five years after being diagnosed. Currently, six in 10 survive five years or more.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), this would mean 320,000 more lives saved over the 10-year plan.
Cancer was “more likely to be a death sentence in Britain than other countries around the world”, said health secretary Wes Streeting, but he was determined to change that. “Thanks to the revolution in medical science and technology, we have the opportunity to transform the life chances of cancer patients.”
“Our cancer plan will invest in and modernise the NHS, so that opportunity can be seized and our ambitions realised. This plan will slash waits, invest in cutting-edge technology, and give every patient the best possible chance of beating cancer.”
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 4 February 2026
Sam

Nearly 23 million extra deaths worldwide by 2030 as aid cuts bite, study says

Nearly 23 million additional deaths are expected by 2030 as a result of countries like the US and UK dramatically cutting their overseas aid, a new report estimates.
The peer-reviewed study, produced by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and published in the influential health journal The Lancet, finds that cuts to aid programmes in 93 countries - including 38 in Sub-Saharan Africa - will result in 22.6m extra deaths by 2030.
With that total including some 5.4 million children under the age of five, the findings have been labelled a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
“These findings give a voice to millions of vulnerable people and show the profound moral cost of the zero-sum approach many political leaders are taking,” said Dr Rajiv J Shah, president of The Rockefeller Foundation, which helped to fund the report.
“Though it will take years to adequately assess the full toll of aid cuts, this early projection is an urgent call to action,” added Dr Shah, who is also a former administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is the agency that managed most American aid programmes before it was closed by Donald Trump last year.
“This humanitarian catastrophe is not inevitable, but preventing it will require all of us to act with urgency,” Dr Shah added.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 2 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Revealed: Bid to overhaul key emergency target

National officials are in talks about a major overhaul of the ambulance response time target that covers more than half of emergency calls.
Category 2 is by far the largest group of ambulance incidents, at 51% covering relatively minor concerns up to suspected heart attacks and stroke.
Their formal target response time is 18 minutes. This has rarely been met at a national level, but – in the wake of a huge rise and outcry from 2022-24 – there has been a big improvement over the past year. The NHS is trying to meet a 30-minute recovery target this year, which falls to 25 minutes in 2026-27.
However, ambulance leaders are now suggesting major changes be made to how their providers are measured for Category 2 calls, including putting more weight on care quality indicators and less on response time.
Speaking to HSJ,  Association of Ambulance Chief Executives chair Jason Killens also floated the possibility of splitting Category 2 into more and less urgent incidents, allowing the latter to have a slower response. This has not yet been formally put forward by AACE or discussed with NHSE.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 3 February 2026
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Father-of-three not told of aneurysm before death

A father-of-three died of a brain haemorrhage following failings at the hospital where he worked, health bosses have admitted.
Craig Green, 39 was a catering assistant who worked at the QE and was referred by his GP to the hospital following hearing loss.
He attended an ear, nose and throat emergency clinic on the 1 April 2025.
An MRI scan was later carried out and doctors found an aneurysm in one of the arteries to his brain, which was flagged as a high priority to be reviewed by the neurovascular team at the trust.
However, the referral was never finished and neither Craig Green nor his GP were made aware of the findings.
"What's very hard to understand is that, if he knew, he could've put things in place. He could've spoken to his family," his father, Dennis Green, said.
A spokesperson for the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust said there were failures in communication by their staff over Craig Green's case. The Department of Health said the failure was unacceptable.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 3 February 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Lack of mental health beds contributed to UK teenager’s death, inquest finds

A shortage of mental health beds and poor communication between agencies contributed to the death of a teenage girl on hospital grounds, an inquest has found.
Ellame Ford-Dunn, 16, who had a history of self-harm, died in March 2022 after absconding from an acute children’s ward where she had been put because of a dearth of appropriate mental health beds.
Her family and campaigners say Ellame’s death exposed a mental health system “crumbling at the seams”.
The inquest jury at West Sussex coroner’s court was told that Ellame absconded “multiple times” during her stay at Worthing hospital’s Bluefin ward, which was not a specialist mental health unit.
Jurors concluded the decision to place Ellame there was “inappropriate” and “more than minimally” contributed to her death. They found “inadequate provision” of mental health beds also contributed to her death.
The coroner Joanne Andrews said she would issue a prevention of future deaths report to warn that more children would die unless the inadequate provision of mental health beds was tackled.
Ellame’s parents, Ken and Nancy Ford-Dunn, urged the government to increase funding for mental health services to ensure “other families don’t have to experience the worst thing imaginable”.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 2 February 2026
Sam

Emergency pneumonia cases surge to half a million a year in England

The number of people requiring emergency care for pneumonia has risen by a quarter over two years to reach more than half a million cases, new figures show, amid warnings that preventable cases are adding pressure on overstretched A&E departments.
Analysis of the most recent NHS England data from between April 2024 and March 2025 found that there were 579,475 cases of pneumonia requiring emergency hospitalisation, and this was likely to have risen further since, according to the charity Asthma + Lung UK. There were 461,995 cases between April 2022 and March 2023.
Pneumonia is the single biggest cause of emergency admissions and is responsible for more than double the number of cases of the next biggest. It can also be deadly: between April 2022 to March 2025 more than 97,000 people died of pneumonia after ending up in hospital.
Dr Andy Whittamore, the clinical lead at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “These alarming figures are the result of respiratory care being neglected and deprioritised for too long.
“Following recommended basic care guidelines for respiratory conditions can save and transform lives. I’ve seen first-hand with my patients the dramatic effect good basic care has on reducing hospital admissions.
“However, too often we’re not getting the basics right and the result is increasing A&E and hospital pressures, rising healthcare costs and people with lung conditions left to deteriorate without support.”
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 3 February 2026
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