Skip to content

News

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

Disproportionate referrals of IMGs and ethnic minority doctors fall “significantly,” GMC says

Progress has been made in reducing the “collective shame” of disproportionate employer referrals of doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds or who qualified outside the UK, the doctors’ regulator says.
The General Medical Council says the proportion of employers with excess referrals in relation to a doctor’s ethnicity or place of qualification has now reduced by 48%—from 5.6% between 2016 and 2020 to 2.9% from 2020 to 2024.
The difference in employer referral rates between ethnic minority and white doctors has also fallen by 61%—from 0.28% (0.58% ethnic minority doctors v 0.3% white doctors) to 0.11% (0.26% v 0.15%).
For non-UK versus UK graduates, the difference in referral rates has dropped by 69%—from 0.42% (0.28% UK v 0.7% non-UK) to 0.13% (0.15% v 0.28%).
The regulator says it is now on track to hit its target of eliminating disproportionate employer fitness to practise referrals by the end of 2026, a goal it set in 2021.
Progress on eliminating discrimination in medical schools and training by 2031 has been much slower, however.
Speaking to The BMJ, GMC chief executive Charlie Massey said, “Inequality and discrimination are pernicious and we should be ashamed collectively about the level of disadvantage that doctors from particular backgrounds face in the NHS.”
He said, however, that the progress made so far is “pretty significant” and shows change is possible. “I don’t think any of us should be complacent. There’s still further distance to travel and we mustn’t let up now,” he said.
Read full story
Source: BMJ, 15 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Attention ADHD waiting lists ‘clogged by patients returning from private care to NHS’

Waiting lists for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in England are being clogged by patients returning to NHS care after difficulties with private assessments, a trust has warned.
The major NHS trust said people referred by GPs to private clinics using health service funding were increasingly asking to be transferred back after care stalled.
These include cases where private clinics are able to diagnose ADHD but their assessments do not always comply with guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, or where providers lack staff with the appropriate qualifications to support continued prescribing.
The consequences for patients can be severe. Some are facing prescription costs of more than £200 a month after GPs said they could no longer work with private clinics under shared care agreements.
The father of one man whose shared care agreement was withdrawn after three years said: “With no warning, the GP practice announced they would stop prescribing within six months because the provider was ‘out of area’. They’ve referred my son to the local NHS service, MPFT [Midlands partnership university NHS foundation trust], but waiting times exceed six months – guaranteeing a treatment gap.
“My son holds down a responsible job and has bought his own home. None of this would have been possible without medication. Without it, he struggles to focus at work, can’t manage daily organisation and experiences overwhelming anxiety. His consultant has warned of ‘predictable harms’ if treatment stops.”
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 23 January 2026
Sam

Norovirus hospital admissions soar by 45% as winter bug peaks

The number of patients in hospital in England with norovirus has jumped 45% to reach a new high for this winter.
An average of 823 hospital beds were filled each day last week by people with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms.T
This is up sharply from the previous week’s average of 567 patients.It is also higher than the figure at this point last year, which was 784 patients.
The data has been published in the latest weekly snapshot of the performance of hospitals in England this winter.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 22 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Urgent call for action as England found to be among worst in Europe for child health

Children in England are facing "some of the worst child health outcomes in Europe," prompting MPs to demand an "urgent" rebuilding of the health visiting workforce.
A new report from the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee has issued a stark warning, highlighting rising obesity levels and "uneven" vaccination coverage among infants.
The cross-party group scrutinised the critical "first 1,000 days" of a child's life, from conception to age two, concluding that government action is imperative to improve national child health.
Committee members urged ministers to expand pledges on Family Hubs, ensuring these vital support centres are accessible in every community.
Crucially, they called for an immediate effort to "urgently rebuild the health visiting workforce," which has seen a significant 43% reduction since 2015.
This has resulted in a shortfall of 5,000 posts, with remaining staff managing “dangerously high” caseloads, the report states.
The report also calls for the target of giving 95% of children their routine childhood immunisations to be reinstated in the NHS.
“The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says the UK has some of the worst health outcomes for young children in Europe. This should be a source of shame.
“Over the last two decades we have seen a hollowing out of health services for infants – the Family Hubs programme still barely touches the sides of what was once provided by Sure Start centres before they were forced to close."
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 22 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Use of ADHD medication in UK more than tripled in 13 years, study finds

The proportion of people in the UK on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication has tripled in the past decade, with a 20-fold increase among women aged 25 and over, a study shows.
Researchers led by the University of Oxford examined electronic health records from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK to estimate the use of ADHD medication among adults and children aged three and above.
Prevalence increased across all five countries between 2010 and 2023, according to the research. The UK had the highest relative increase for all ages, rising more than threefold from 0.12% to 0.39%. In the Netherlands, prevalence more than doubled, from 0.67% to 1.56%.
Adult use increased substantially in all countries, particularly among women. In the UK, prevalence among people aged 25 and over increased from 0.01% in 2010 to 0.20% in 2023, with a more than 20-fold increase in women and 15-fold in men.
Although ADHD medication use remained higher among males, the sex gap in treatment narrowed over time and with increasing age, the researchers said.
“We observed a consistent increase in ADHD medication use across Europe, but the most striking changes were among adults, especially women,” said Xintong Li, the lead study author at Oxford. “These findings likely reflect growing awareness and diagnosis of adult ADHD, but they also raise important questions about long-term treatment patterns and care needs.”
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 21 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Families 'failed' by trust meet ahead of inquiry

Families and former patients who say they were "failed" by a health trust are meeting to discuss what they would like to see covered in a public inquiry.
In 2022, an investigation found major failings in the care the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Trust provided to three teenagers before their death. Last month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced a public inquiry into it.
He said it would "uncover failures in care and look at the concerning number of patient deaths by suicide at the trust over the past 10 years".
Streeting said he wanted the families to play a key role, and later about 50 families and former patients will meet in Middlesbrough to talk about issues they would like answers on.
Christie Harnett and Nadia Sharif, who were both 17, and Emily Moore, who was 18, were all treated at West Lane Hospital in Middlesbrough and all took their own lives within months of each other.
Their families led the campaign for a public inquiry.
Their solicitor Alistair Smith said the pain of their loss "does not go away, but they want this inquiry to make permanent and radical change".
Among those meeting later is Kate, who was a teenager when she was a patient at West Lane Hospital and said she was "haunted" by the things she witnessed and heard.
A critical report described the unit as "chaotic and unsafe" and Kate said her own health rapidly deteriorated while she was there and she self-harmed more regularly.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 21 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

NHSE launches ‘sprint’ in bid to hit waiting list target

NHS England has told trusts to begin a “sprint” exercise in a bid to hit its politically critical waiting list target by March.
HSJ understands “tens of millions of pounds” is likely to be made available to trusts to fund extra elective work.
The pot was still being finalised as of last week, with the money due to be released from contingency funds within NHSE’s existing budget.
Some trust leaders were given assurances about indicative allocations last week and told to use it as soon as possible. A formal briefing from NHSE leaders is scheduled for next week.
Progress on increasing the proportion of patients waiting under 18 weeks from referral to first treatment stalled in the most recent reporting period. It remained at 61.8% in November – the same level as in October and September.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 21 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Doula warning issued after baby's death

The death of a baby girl has prompted a warning over the use of doulas during births after one had "negatively impacted" midwives.
Henry Charles, assistant coroner for Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, issued a prevention of future deaths report after an inquest last month into the death of Matilda Pomfret-Thomas.
Her parents had chosen to hire a doula as part of plans for a home birth, having previously experienced a traumatic hospital delivery with their first child.
Doulas are non-medical support workers who are not regulated, and are employed by some families to provide emotional and practical help during pregnancy and labour.
Their role remains controversial, with supporters saying doulas offer valuable support to women, while critics - including some medical professionals - warn they may increase risks for mothers and babies.
In this case, Matilda died on 13 November 2023 at 15 days old after suffering neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), a form of brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen before or during birth.
Mr Charles said Matilda developed HIE over a period of hours during labour at home and the presence of the doula did "negatively impact" midwives being able to provide advice to the mother and usual care.
He said meconium - a baby's first bowel movement that can indicate distress - had been detected.
Midwives attending the home birth also noted decelerations, which are drops in the baby's heart rate.
Read full story
Source: Sky News, 21 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Why the US measles review matters as experts warn of wider risk

International health authorities are set to convene in April to determine if the U.S. has forfeited its measles-free designation, a year after an outbreak first emerged in West Texas.
Experts are concerned that the vaccine-preventable virus has re-established a foothold, potentially leading the U.S. to follow Canada in losing this significant public health achievement.
The re-evaluation is largely symbolic, contingent on whether a single measles chain has spread uninterrupted within the country for at least 12 months. Public health scientists are currently investigating potential links between the now-concluded Texas outbreak and active cases in Utah, Arizona and South Carolina.
However, medical professionals and researchers assert that the U.S. – and North America more broadly – confronts a significant measles challenge, irrespective of the upcoming decision.
“It is really a question of semantics,” said Dr. Jonathan Temte, a Wisconsin family physician who helped certify the U.S. was measles-free in 2000. “The bottom line is the conditions are sufficient to allow this many cases to occur. And that gets back to de-emphasizing a safe and effective vaccine.”
“The most important thing that we can do is to make sure the people who aren’t vaccinated get vaccinated,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University’s Pandemic Center. “We have not issued a clear enough message about that.”
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 20 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

GMC imposes conditions on anaesthetics at Basildon University Hospital amid concerns for trainee doctors and patients

The General Medical Council (GMC) has placed conditions on the Anaesthetics training programme at Basildon University Hospital, part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, following serious issues relating to patient safety and the quality of postgraduate medical education.
As the regulator responsible for setting the standards of postgraduate medical training, and checking they are being met, the GMC has taken this action to address a range of issues including failures to protect doctors in training from sexual misconduct, misogyny and undermining behaviours, as well as inappropriate staffing levels within the department.
Doctors in training in anaesthetics are currently not working in the department due to the concerns, and the GMC will require evidence of change before conditions can be removed and before they can return.
Professor Pushpinder Mangat, Medical Director and Director for Education and Standards at the GMC, said:
‘We work to make sure that education and training prepares doctors to deliver good, safe patient care by setting high standards and expected outcomes.
‘We need assurance that the required standards and the conditions imposed are being met, including the creation of a working culture where doctors can raise issues openly, without fear of repercussions.’
Read full story
Source: GMC, 19 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Finger-prick blood test could be early warning for children with type 1 diabetes

All UK children could be offered screening for type 1 diabetes using a simple finger-prick blood test, say researchers who have been running a large study.
Currently, many young people go undiagnosed and risk developing a life-threatening complication called diabetic ketoacidosis that needs urgent hospital treatment.
Identifying diabetes earlier could help avoid this and mean treatments to control problematic blood sugar levels can be given sooner.
Some 17,000 children aged three to 13 have already been checked as part of the ELSA, external (Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes) study, funded by diabetes charities.
Imogen, who is 12 and from the West Midlands, is one of those found to have diabetes thanks to the screening.
Her mum Amy says knowing what's coming, rather than being taken by surprise, has made a massive difference to their confidence and peace of mind.
"Imogen took part in the study to further research and help others, but it has helped her too – being forewarned is being forearmed.
"She was always going to develop type 1 diabetes, but through ELSA we've been able to slow down the process and prepare. We know what's coming, but we're not scared."
Imogen is being given ongoing support to prepare her for what is to come.
Amy, who is 44 and has type 1 diabetes herself, is aware of the risks with the disease. She was diagnosed aged 13 after developing diabetic ketoacidosis.
"When I was diagnosed, I had no warning and ended up quite poorly in hospital," she recalls.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 21 January 2026
Related reading on the hub:
Top picks: Key resources about diabetes  
Patient Safety Learning

Botched 'Turkey teeth' op victim warns of dangers

A woman who needs reconstructive surgery after dental work in Turkey failed says she is being kept going by a need to warn others of the dangers.
Leanne Abeyance, 41, from Telford - who underwent a so-called "Turkey teeth" operation - was left unable to breathe through her nose, which then collapsed days before she underwent an implant removal operation.
She remains in constant pain, which she controls with sleeping tablets and morphine every day, and feels too self-conscious to go outside.
"It doesn't get any easier, but I'm glad that it's touched so many people," Abeyance said. "I just want to chop my head off and start again."
She had started using a prosthetic nose but had to stop after suffering an allergic reaction.
In the week before the implant-removal operation at Guy's Hospital in London, she said her septum "came apart" and would not stop bleeding.
"I got my mum round, I got everyone round. I actually said goodbye to my little girls, because I thought I was going to die, I thought I was going to get sepsis and die," Abeyance said.
The failed dental work has also led her to develop auto-immune conditions that are causing damage to her face and have made it painful to eat.
Advice from the NHS for people who are considering going abroad for dental work, external is that while it might be cheaper than the UK, the risks of the surgery need to be weighed against the savings.
Patients should consult their NHS dentist first, it says, as standards vary in different countries.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 21 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

UK glaucoma cases will rise to 1.6m by 2060 amid ‘demographic timebomb’, experts say

New estimates predict at least 1.6 million people in the UK will be living with glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, by 2060.
The figure is much higher than the current 1.1 million people estimated to have the condition, research published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology suggests.
The sharp rise will be driven by an increasingly ageing population and growth in the proportion of higher-risk ethnically diverse groups, prompting a need for an expansion in eye health services to meet demand.
The glaucoma “demographic timebomb” will require “serious planning and action now” to ensure future patients have timely diagnosis and treatment, experts say. They also stressed the importance of annual eye checks for people in middle age, and called for awareness campaigns to be rolled out to address late diagnosis.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 20 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

The finger prick blood test that could revolutionise Alzheimer’s diagnosis

A pioneering trial has begun to assess whether a simple finger-prick blood test could offer an early diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease, even before symptoms manifest. Experts are optimistic that this research will lead to an affordable and straightforward blood test, replacing the currently invasive diagnostic procedures.
At present, a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s requires patients to undergo either a specialised brain scan or a lumbar puncture to obtain a sample of cerebrospinal fluid. Should the new blood test prove successful, it would be significantly more accessible, enabling quick and inexpensive testing within GP surgeries, thereby transforming early detection efforts.
The new test is led by the not-for-profit medical research organisation LifeArc and the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (Gap), with support from the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI).
Dr Giovanna Lalli, director of strategy and operations at LifeArc, said: “Over the last five years, there has been substantial progress in identifying blood-based biomarkers to identify people at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease before their symptoms present.
“Developing cheaper, scalable and more accessible tests is vital in the battle against this devastating condition.
“We are committed to improving patient lives through the development of new tests and treatments, and we are excited about the prospect of a finger prick blood test for Alzheimer’s disease because it will allow more patients to access new drugs, currently being developed, to slow disease progression in its early stages.”
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 19 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Small hospices ‘probably unsustainable’, says Mackey

Some small hospices are “probably unsustainable”, Sir Jim Mackey has told MPs, while also warning integrated care boards they needed to clarify their local commissioning intentions this year.
The NHS England CEO told the Commons public accounts committee evidence session on the sector, held last week, that “an awful lot of rebuilding” was required for ICBs to develop clearer payment mechanisms for hospices.
He admitted publication of the new “modern service framework” for palliative and end of life care, which promises to overhaul the sector, including its funding, had now been delayed from spring to autumn. However, he said he still expected ICBs to work this year to “provide a clarity of direction about what will be commissioned over time”.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 20 January 2026
Patient Safety Learning

Don’t rely on BMI alone when diagnosing eating disorders in children, says NHS England

A child’s body mass index should not be the key factor when deciding which under-18s get help for an eating disorder, the NHS has told health professionals.
The new guidance from NHS England to GPs and nurses follows criticism that over-reliance on BMI has led to children who have an illness such as anorexia or bulimia being misdiagnosed and missing out on care.
“Single measures such as BMI centiles should not be a barrier to children and young people accessing early and/or preventative care and support,” it says.
Other factors, such as changes in behaviour by the young person and concerns raised by their family, should help guide decision-making, according to the document. It was welcomed by Beat, an eating disorders charity, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, both of which helped draw it up.
However, eating disorders campaigner and author Hope Virgo voiced alarm about the plan.
“Whilst I have been actively campaigning for a decade to get clinicians and society to view eating disorders as more than just a BMI issue, removing BMI completely may be a dangerous step,” Virgo said.
Not only would it “dismiss the fact that in some cases BMI will show a person whose body is in a life-threatening state of survival”, she added, it would also fail to “take into account the impact of malnutrition on the brain”.
She added: “I am concerned the NHS are doing it to give them an ‘out’ in treating people. We have seen far too many people with eating disorders being marked as terminal, too ill, complex or not sick enough in the last few years.
“I think it is a slippery slope and one which will mean clinicians are not being monitored effectively on helping those with eating disorders recover.”
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 20 January 2026
Related reading on the hub:
People with eating disorders should not face stigma in the health system and barriers to accessing support (by Hope Virgo) Hope Virgo: What needs to happen to stop people with eating disorders being failed by the healthcare system?  
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.