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

Researchers warn doctors could be ‘overtesting’ for prostate cancer

Doctors are “overtesting” men for prostate cancer and not targeting “those most likely to benefit,” researchers have warned.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, affecting 55,300 men a year, but prostate-specific antigen testing (PSA) is only routinely recommended for men with certain symptoms.
This type of testing remains controversial because it has led to an increased number of healthy men being diagnosed and treated unnecessarily for harmless tumours, which can lead to erectile dysfunction or incontinence, according to Prostate Cancer UK.
Researchers at the University of Oxford, in a study of more than 10 million men in England, aimed to find out how PSA tests are used.
The study, published by the BMJ, highlights that there is a lack of consistent guidance and many patients are tested more frequently than recommended, even patients without recorded symptoms.
The major concern raised in this study “is that unregulated PSA testing will result in large costs and harms and increase the incidence of prostate cancer likely to remain undetected, while doing little to identify prostate cancer most likely to cause symptoms and death”.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 8 October 2025
Patient Safety Learning

Top 10 trust served warning notice as quality ‘declines significantly’

A trust ranked in the top 10 of the government’s new provider league table for the mental health and community sector has been served with a warning notice after a Care Quality Commission inspection found multiple breaches of regulations. 
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust has been told to make urgent improvements, after the CQC rated safety in one of its key services as “inadequate”.
The trust sits within segment one of the four-tier league table and is ranked ninth out of the service’s 61 mental health and community trusts. It achieved the third-highest score for a dedicated mental health trust.
K&M was given an “above average” score for patient safety, one of the five domains that make up the overall league table ranking. This rating was given despite one of the two indicators used to calculate the domain rating – the proportion of staff “raising concerns” – placing the trust 52nd out of 61 mental health and community trusts.
K&M was ranked as “high performing” in the “effectiveness and experience of care” domain.
The CQC inspection of the trust’s community mental health services for working age adults raised concerns over the lack of up-to-date risk assessments, long waiting times and insufficient staffing levels.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 9 October 2025
 
Patient Safety Learning

New ‘unusual’ side effect of weight-loss drugs becoming more common, research suggests

A new “unusual” side effect of weight-loss drugs is becoming more common, research has suggested.
Weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy have soared in popularity. About one in eight U.S. adults said they’ve taken a GLP-1 drug, used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll published in May 2024.
But like with any other drugs, there are side effects, including a newly found one that could interfere with medical imaging.
Researchers from Alliance Medical, a European imaging service provider, reviewed oncologic FDG PET-CT scans in patients taking GLP-1 drugs.
Alliance Medical researchers found several abnormal patterns of FDG uptake in patients taking GLP-1 drugs, according to a September presentation at the Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine. These abnormal patterns could be misinterpreted by doctors if a patient’s medication history is not considered.
“We noticed unusual uptake in one of our patients on a GLP-1 agonist, which prompted a wider review across our network,” lead author Dr. Peter Strouhal, Medical Director at Alliance Medical, said in a statement published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
“We found that these altered patterns are increasingly common, yet there is currently no national or international guidance in the UK addressing this emerging issue.”
If patients’ scans are misinterpreted, it can lead to unnecessary tests, incorrect cancer staging and delays in treatment.
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 8 October 2025
Patient Safety Learning

Trusts in Northern Ireland spend £22m on restricted procedures such as tummy tucks

Northern Ireland's health trusts spent almost £22m in a single year on restricted procedures which should only be carried out in very specific circumstances, according to the auditor general.
Dorinnia Carville said about 12,000 operations, which include tummy tucks and tonsillectomies, were carried out in 2023-24 without any assurance they complied with government policy.
Ms Carville described the lack of oversight by the Department of Health and the trusts as "very disappointing".
The Department of Health and the five health trusts acknowledged the concerns raised in the Audit Office report and accepted that oversight arrangements must be strengthened.
Health trusts must adhere to the Effective Use of Resources (EUR) policy which restricts 29 medical procedures, with six of these not permitted at all.
The Audit Office report found 40 restricted procedures were carried out each day during that year.
Other restricted procedures include liposuction, breast reduction, removal of breast implants, carpal tunnel and tattoo removal.
The auditor general found the EUR policy was "not resulting in good value for money being achieved".
She said: "Trusts have not put in place arrangements to verify that medical staff are complying with the policy."
"At a time when our health service is facing increased demands and significant financial pressures, measures introduced to ensure the effective use of resources are vital.
"However, these can only be successful if they are properly implemented and monitored."
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 8 October 2025
Patient Safety Learning

Scientists develop first ‘accurate blood test’ to detect chronic fatigue syndrome

Scientists say they have developed the world’s first blood test to diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
There is currently no test for the condition and patients tend to be diagnosed based on symptoms, which means many can go undiagnosed for years.
The lead researcher, Prof Dmitry Pshezhetskiy, from the University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich Medical School, said: “ME/CFS is a serious and often disabling illness characterised by extreme fatigue that is not relieved by rest. We know that some patients report being ignored or even told that their illness is ‘all in their head’. With no definitive tests, many patients have gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years.
“We wanted to see if we could develop a blood test to diagnose the condition – and we did. Our discovery offers the potential for a simple, accurate blood test to help confirm a diagnosis, which could lead to earlier support and more effective management.”
Scientists at UEA and Oxford Biodynamics (OBD) looked at how DNA was folded in patients diagnosed with the condition, which could provide tell-tale signs of ME/CFS.
They examined blood samples from 47 patients with severe ME/CFS and 61 healthy adults. The team discovered a unique pattern that appears consistently in people with ME/CFS that is not seen in healthy people, enabling them to develop the test.
However, some experts not involved with the research urged caution and said the test would need to be fully validated in better designed and independent studies before it could be considered for use in clinical practice.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 8 October 2025
Related reading on the hub:
Exploring the barriers that impact access to NHS care for people with ME and Long Covid Improving healthcare services for people with ME and Long Covid: Patients share their challenges, and the actions needed
Patient Safety Learning

Comparing trusts on new productivity metric is misleading, experts warn

Recent productivity improvements will be hard to sustain in future years, experts have warned, as they said newly published NHS England data fails to show which trusts are the most productive.
The Department for Health and Social Care announced last month that productivity at acute and specialist trusts had grown by 2.7% in 2024-25 compared to the previous year – exceeding the 2% target set by government.
The productivity measure, which compares cost-weighted activity growth against real-terms resource growth to give a “productivity growth estimate”, is also one of three finance measures used to determine which segment of the NHS Oversight Framework providers are assigned.
The data, which compares 2023-24 with 2024-25, has last month published what effectively amounts to a productivity “league table”.
HSJ has learned some trusts, including two specialist providers which appeared to be the worst performers when the data was first published last month, have raised concerns to NHSE that their figures were inaccurate.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 7 October 2025
Further reading on the hub:
Waste not, harm not: The moral case for efficiency and productivity in healthcare
Sam

‘Wild west’ of AI suppliers face new NHSE checks

A new national registry for ambient voice technology providers to combat the “wild west” of suppliers is due to launch this week, England’s national chief clinical information officer has announced.
Alec Price-Forbes told delegates at the Healthcare Excellence Through Technology (HETT) conference today that the new register was a “tactical response” to the rapid rollout of AVT across the NHS.
The AI software automatically transcribes patient-clinician conversations into structured medical notes, freeing up clinicians from manual documentation and allowing them to focus more on patient care.
The NHS 10-Year Health Plan pledged a mass rollout of AVT to deliver productivity gains among clinicians and improve their engagement with patients.
Dr Price-Forbes announced that NHS England would imminently launch a national “self-certified registry” for AVT, underpinned by “clear business capabilities and application requirements for all AVT suppliers to evidence compliance”.
He added that the registry would list existing and recognised regulatory, clinical safety and interoperability standards, but would also go further by introducing specific criteria for “greater safety governance and performance monitoring” of AI and large language models.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 7 October 2025
Related reading on the hub:
New AI system to identify patient safety issues announced: Patient Safety Learning’s initial reflections Balancing promise and risk: AI hallucinations, confabulations and omissions in healthcare Patient safety and the role of AI in a cautiously optimistic future: A blog by Ian Fearnley
Patient Safety Learning

Deaf people criticise hospital interpreter delays

A deaf man who spent 24 hours in hospital without the support of an interpreter said staff were shouting out his name despite being told he could not hear.
Terry Murray, from Rugby, is among a group of NHS patients to have been left feeling frustrated or vulnerable at a city hospital because of a lack of sign language interpreters.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Association for the Deaf (CWAD) said it had received more than 100 complaints over delays in getting access to interpreters at University Hospital Coventry.
The trust running the hospital said its interpreter service provider LanguageLine Solutions would be engaging with CWAD.
Mr Murray told BBC Radio CWR he was taken to hospital with potential brain issues and asked for an interpreter but was not given one for 24 hours.
He said he had a CT scan and an MRI but the staff could not explain anything for him because there was nobody who knew sign language.
"They just basically took me, put me in, I had the scan and then was told to leave," he said.
Another CWAD service user said such situations could have safety implications.
Helen Patterson, from Solihull, said she requested an interpreter four or five times in advance before hospital appointments but none had been there when she arrived.
She said it felt like a waste of her time and money, adding that she had sometimes been offered an interpreter over a video link but said there were often connection issues.
"If we're sat there as deaf people, we don't know if there's a fire alarm, if there's a bomb or if there's an emergency," she said.
"We're at risk not having an interpreter present with us. We're very vulnerable."
National hearing loss charity RNID told the BBC that the NHS was "flouting equality law", adding that under the Accessible Information Standard, the NHS should be providing interpreters and accessible means of communication when needed.
Read full story
Source: BBC News, 4 October 2025
Related reading on the hub:
Top picks: 11 resources to support people with hearing loss or deafness
Patient Safety Learning

Pharmacies facing angry and confused patients over Covid jab eligibility

UK pharmacies have reported having to deal with angry and confused patients after the NHS booking system allowed non-eligible patients to book Covid jabs.
According to Community Pharmacy England (CPE), which represents more than 10,000 chemists, between a third and half of patients who booked via the national booking system are not actually eligible for the vaccination.
CPE director of NHS services Alastair Buxton told the BBC that many patients had arrived at their pharmacy having booked the Covid-19 jab, only to be told they could only get the flu jab.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said the situation has been “deeply frustrating” for both patients and pharmacists.
"That obviously takes a lot of explaining to patients. It causes upset, concern and maybe anger for some patients,” Mr Buxton said.
"We've certainly had examples of some patients becoming abusive with pharmacy team members."
Read full story
Source: The Independent, 7 October 2025
Patient Safety Learning

Children’s unit to close over staffing and CQC concerns

A children’s mental health unit struggling with short staffing has been forced to close for several months, in the wake of a Care Quality Commission inspection.
Chalkhill Hospital, an inpatient unit run by Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust in the grounds of the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, has capacity for up to 16 young people aged 12 to 17.
The trust confirmed it has closed to new admissions and, although it is not at full capacity, is seeking to relocate its seven current residents. However, the trust expects this to take up to 12 weeks. 
A board paper shows the trust was contemplating closure from mid-September, citing “no consultant cover”, and said admissions were paused following concerns from the CQC.
The CQC inspected the unit at the end of August, but has not yet published its report, and would not comment further.
HSJ understands the trust has recently recruited a new “responsible clinician” – a regulated role required for patients detained under the Mental Health Act – but they will not take up the post for several weeks.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 6 October 2025
Patient Safety Learning

Trump launches website to help Americans buy cheaper drugs, with Pfizer signing up

The US president, Donald Trump, has announced a new web portal—dubbed TrumpRx—to allow Americans to buy drugs at reduced prices from next year.1
Prices listed on TrumpRx will be the “most favoured nation” price, said Trump—essentially, the lowest price paid by other developed nations such as Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, Switzerland, and Denmark. In a press conference announcement on 30 September Trump reiterated that US drug costs were higher than in other developed nations.
The website is intended to facilitate direct-to-consumer access to prescription drugs at lower prices,2 although the announcements did not say how prescriptions would be verified, and no further detail was disclosed at the press conference.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: BMJ, 3 October 2025
Patient Safety Learning

Covid-19: Lack of surveillance leaves UK in dark as hospital admissions rise, experts warn

The UK’s current method of recording Covid-19 cases “is not a sensible approach to managing the spread of infection,” virologists have warned.
Latest data showed an uptick in the number of UK covid cases and hospital admissions that experts said was “worrying, so early in autumn.”
The latest surveillance report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed that in the week starting 15 September the overall weekly hospital admission rate for covid was 2.73 per 100 000 people. This was up by 60% from a month prior, when the rate was 1.71 per 100 000 in the week starting 18 August. And latest data from the following week show that covid cases rose 22%—from 2012 weekly cases to 2459—in the week to 24 September.
Amanda Doyle, NHS England’s primary care director, said, “It’s concerning to hear flu and covid-19 cases are already creeping up ahead of winter,” urging people who were eligible to come forward for vaccinations as soon as they could.3
But Young warned that reduced data now collected by the UK on the virus could mean that health officials were flying blind into the winter period. “The lack of routine [covid] testing means we have no idea about the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the general population, making it difficult to predict any future waves of infection,” he said.
Current testing predominantly focuses on hospital patients rather than community or primary care, which Young said could make it “difficult to identify and monitor outbreaks.” He added, “Relying on hospitalisations as a measure of surges in infection is not a sensible approach to managing the spread of infection and planning for pressures on the NHS.”
Read full story
Source: BMJ, 3 October 2025
Patient Safety Learning

More than 60,000 cancer patients in England ‘not getting necessary radiotherapy’

More than 60,000 cancer patients a year in England are not getting the radiotherapy they need at all, while some face waits of up to six months to begin the treatment, research has found.
The situation is so dire that nearly 100 heads of radiotherapy and oncology – three-quarters of England’s radiotherapy leaders – have warned in an open letter that the government is failing patients.
International experts agree that more than half (53%) of all cancer patients will typically need radiotherapy, but exclusive analysis of the latest NHS data in England shows only 35% actually receive it. The study by the charity Radiotherapy UK found 181,023 cancer patients should have received radiotherapy but only 120,569 did, leaving 60,455 patients a year without any radiotherapy at all.
Regional inequalities are rife. In south-west England, 36% of patients receive radiotherapy, meaning around 7,200 patients miss out, while in the south-east, 33.7% receive treatment, with more than 10,100 missing out.
The leading oncologist and chair of Radiotherapy UK, Prof Pat Price, said: “Thousands of cancer patients risk dying prematurely either because they are not getting radiotherapy at all or because of huge delays in starting radiation treatment.”
She added: “Radiotherapy is one of the most cost-effective and curative cancer treatments we have. It is not a ‘nice to have’, this is a life-saving treatment.”
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 3 September 2025
Patient Safety Learning

Maternity units disrupted for nine months by IT fault

An IT fault has prevented several major maternity units in South London from properly storing foetal heart monitoring records for more than nine months, HSJ has learned.
St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group (GESH) and Kingston and Richmond Foundation Trust have confirmed they are affected by a problem which prevents cardiotocography (CTG) traces from being automatically downloaded and stored.
A manual workaround has been put in place, which the trusts said ensured CTG traces were captured and safely stored, but the fault is not yet fixed.
CTGs can track a baby’s heart rate and a mother’s contractions during labour and are often critical evidence in clinical negligence investigations.
Board papers from GESH, published in September, said CTG traces from Neoventa STAN machines were not being downloaded or stored as expected.
It warned that the absence of CTG traces “presents a clinical and legal risk”, given their frequent role in determining breach of duty in clinical negligence claims.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: HSJ, 3 October 2025
Patient Safety Learning

Call to allow ‘safe and effective’ at-home abortions up to 12 weeks in UK

At-home abortions should be allowed for up to 12 weeks of pregnancy across the UK, according to academics, after a study found they were just as safe and effective as hospital care.
A medical abortion involves taking two medications, mifepristone and misoprostol, to end a pregnancy. In 2022, at-home medical abortions were made permanent in England and Wales, after temporary legislation allowed them to take place at home during the pandemic. In Northern Ireland, at-home abortion care is not permitted at any gestation.
Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) recommending that early medical abortions can occur safely at home in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, legislation across England and Wales limits this to 10 weeks.
The study, published in BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health, looked at the outcomes of abortions carried out between 10 and 12 weeks of pregnancy in hospital and at home across NHS Lothian in Scotland, between 2020 and 2025. At-home medical abortions are legal in Scotland up to 12 weeks.
During this period, 14,458 referrals were made to the abortion service, and of these 485 women (3.5%) were assessed as being between 10 and 12 weeks of pregnancy either by the date of their last period or by an ultrasound scan.
The researchers found that 97% of abortions were successful for both groups of women.
They also found cases of serious complications, such as heavy bleeding or infection, one month after the procedure among those who had opted for a medical abortion at home. But despite this, the researchers concluded it was a rare complication among women who are less than 20 weeks pregnant.
Read full story
Source: The Guardian, 
Sam

The doctors banned from practising abroad cleared to treat in NHS

he health secretary has ordered an urgent review of vetting procedures for foreign qualified doctors after a Times investigation exposed how medics banned from practising overseas have been cleared to treat NHS patients.
Wes Streeting described the findings as “horrific” and “a serious failure in our medical regulatory systems that I will not tolerate”.
One doctor was fired when The Times approached their employer with its revelations, and another is under suspension.
Sujan Thyagaraj, a psychiatrist employed by a Bradford NHS trust, lost his US medical licence for having sex with a patient. Sattar Kadhem, a radiologist, lost his Swedish and Norwegian medical licences for misreading scans.
Despite this, both were granted the right to practise in the UK.
They were among 22 doctors identified by The Times who have been subject to discipline or restrictions overseas but with no record of it showing on their General Medical Council (GMC) licences.
In each case the GMC had either failed to spot the overseas findings — despite in some cases this information being public record — or it did not think the information should be available to patients.
Read full story (paywalled)
Source: The Times, 2 October 2025
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