Jump to content
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    16,226

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Patient Safety Learning

Administrators

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Patient Safety Learning

  1. Content Article
    Have your eyes ever felt sore and itchy after spending too much time staring at a screen? You might have a condition known as bixonimania—or at least that’s what several popular AI-powered chatbots might have told you if you’d asked last year. Millions of people around the world turn to AI chatbots for medical advice every day, often as a supplement to a doctor’s visit but also sometimes in place of it. That can lead to dangerous consequences and in rare cases, even death. Almira Osmanovic Thunström is a researcher at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Center for Digital Health and Chalmers Industriteknik. She’s also the creator of bixonimania. In this interview with Scientific American, Almira says this totally made-up disease reveals some very real problems with the way we train and use large language models.
  2. News Article
    Answers are needed from NHS England and others on 11 issues to make sure its controversial expansion of advice and guidance is safe, the Care Quality Commission has declared. Advice and guidance allows GPs to seek pre-referral advice from specialist clinicians working in secondary care, and is designed in part to reduce referrals. NHS England has planned to substantially ramp up its use this year, including by making its use mandatory – rather than initial referral – in at least 10 locally-chosen specialties. This has proven controversial with many clinicians, particularly GPs. NHSE last month issued a letter seeking to clarify some aspects of the policy, including stepping back from a target that in the chosen specialties there would be a “diversion rate of at least 25 per cent by March 2027”. British Medical Association GP Committee chair Katie Bramall had also written to the Care Quality Comission in March to raise concerns express the BMA’s reservations relating to the national implementation of mandated A&G. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 27 May 2026
  3. News Article
    The NHS care watchdog has launched an inspection of a troubled trust after The Independent exposed delays in diagnosing and treating dozens of patients, including some with cancer. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has sent inspectors to review care at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester, just days after The Independent revealed that there were serious concerns about the safety of its gynaecological services. The trust launched an audit of the care of hundreds of women at Salford Royal Hospital’s gynaecology department in 2024, prompted by concerns that the necessary follow-ups were not carried out. It found that dozens of patients, including cancer patients, all under the care of Dr Jim Wolfe, were harmed when their diagnosis and treatment were delayed as a result of “admin failures”. Whistleblowers from the hospital’s gynaecology service came forward to The Independent with further concerns, alleging that the trust’s leadership was ignoring safety issues. At the same time, an unpublished NHS England review of the service from 2024 warned that it had a “significant backlog” of more than 2,000 patient letters, including test results and referrals for treatment, that hadn’t been sent to GPs as required. This resulted in some patients’ treatment being delayed by at least five months. The report also warned that the service was “heavily” reliant on agency doctors, and that its ability to provide on-call doctors had been affected by “significant sickness absence and suspension” among its consultants. Read full story Source: The Independent, 26 May 2026
  4. News Article
    Nurses and midwives who should have been banned from treating patients have practised over the last 12 years because of “potentially dangerous” failings by a medical regulator. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has admitted that its “completely and utterly unacceptable” mistakes meant it failed to protect the public from about 15 professionals whom it should have banned from ever working in healthcare in the UK because they had broken the law. The nurses and midwives told the NMC about their criminal convictions when they applied to join or stay on the regulator’s register, which they need to be on in order to practise in Britain. However, NMC staff who assessed their applications did not then refer them on to an assistant registrar at the regulator to investigate and decide if they could treat patients, which they should have done. The 15 or so nurses and midwives involved now face being struck off because their law-breaking is so serious that they should not be allowed to keep having contact with patients. The Patients Association warned that the NMC’s failure to properly look into the background of those concerned undermines patients’ trust that health staff are safe to care for them. The Royal College of Nursing accused the regulator of an “astounding failure of its primary purpose to safeguard the public, as well as to provide assurance to the nursing workforce that they and their colleagues had all undergone the necessary checks to practise”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 May 2026
  5. News Article
    Safety concerns linked to AI voice tech are not being properly reported because many providers are unaware of the regulation system or too busy to use it, experts have told HSJ. The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority is responsible for ensuring ambient voice technology products, in which the NHS is about to invest heavily, are safe. Data shared with HSJ showed there had only been five reports under the regulator’s “yellow card” system covering the 12 months to the beginning of May. The regulator said the five reports covered “a range of issues relating to the system capturing incorrect information; file save errors; and concerns relating to patient consent of use of the product”. However, experts said five reports was fewer than they would have expected, considering AVT systems are already being used widely in primary care, and in secondary care under what providers are describing as pilots. HSJ checked each of the 23 AVT providers registered with NHSE against the MHRA’s “yellow card” reporting website, and only three were recognised. An MHRA spokesperson said in this case, complainants could fill out a separate form. However, after being asked by HSJ about the missing 20, the regulator said it had now added all of them. But Hugh Harvey, founder of healthtech consultancy Hardian Health, told HSJ: “The yellow card system is the recommended way for users to report issues with medical devices, but it is currently underused, partly due to a lack of awareness, and partly due to the friction involved in doing so.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 26 May 2026
  6. Content Article
    The letter attached is from Professor Catherine Ross, Chief Scientific Officer for Scottish Government, with an update on the work relating to ‘Healthcare Science in Scotland’ and the theme of ‘quality, safety and, assurance’ as set out in Healthcare Science in Scotland: Defining Our Strategic Approach.    The Scottish Government has commissioned the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) to carry out a Right Touch Assurance (RTA) assessment of the Healthcare Science workforce. This work will examine the potential risk of harm to patients, particularly as many roles in Healthcare Science are not currently subject to statutory regulation. The assessment aims to inform future decisions about whether additional regulation may be needed to strengthen quality, safety and assurance across the profession. Stakeholder engagement will form a key part of the process, with opportunities to contribute evidence and views. A final report is expected by Spring 2027, after which the Scottish Government will consider next steps.
  7. Event
    The guest for this LFE community call will be Dr Sapna Kudchadkar - an inspirational colleague from the US. Sapna has led a number of excellent initiatives, most notably the "PICU UP" programme (PICU Up! An AMP Program) - a project which aims to improve patient outcomes through early mobilisation in intensive care. Sapna's approach to change management is refreshing and energising. Register
  8. Event
    The World Health Organization (WHO) are pleased to invite you to the fourth webinar in a five-part global webinar series on the implementation of the World Patient Safety Day Goals for safe care for every newborn and every child. This webinar will bring together global experts and practitioners to discuss practical solutions and evidence to reduce risks for small and sick newborns The webinar will focus on: Why reducing risks is essential for the safety of small and sick newborns. How Goal 5 can be implemented in practice at the point of care. What health care workers, leaders, managers, and policymakers can do to reduce risks for small and sick newborns. This webinar series is co-hosted by the World Health Organization, the International Pediatric Association, and the Child Health Task Force. Register
  9. News Article
    Australia has recorded its first diphtheria death in almost a decade as the country grapples with the worst outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease in decades. In March, the Northern Territory (NT) declared an outbreak of diphtheria with cases also in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. Cases started rising in late-2025 with a sharp increase in February. This year, there have been 245 cases, marking the largest outbreak in Australia since 1991, mainly in remote Indigenous communities. On Tuesday, NT's health minister said autopsy results from an overseas lab found diphtheria was the cause of a man's death in April at Royal Darwin Hospital, the first such case since 2018. In recent weeks, the government has ramped up vaccination efforts in areas most at risk and the number of new cases was now falling, health officials said on Tuesday. "Our government has taken this situation very seriously, and we are working hard to understand the causes and working to contain the situation," NT Health Minister Steve Edgington said. Since 30 March, there have been 10,407 vaccinations, he said. Authorities are urging affected communities to update their vaccinations, especially teenagers and adults who need to get booster shots. Read full story Source: The Independent, 26 May 2026
  10. News Article
    Mobile NHS scanning units, strategically placed in supermarket car parks, sports stadiums, and high streets across England, have detected lung cancer in over 10,000 individuals, new figures reveal. Crucially, more than three-quarters of these cases were identified at early stages one and two, significantly boosting treatment success rates, NHS England confirmed. This vital initiative forms part of the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme, which began in 2019, specifically targeting areas most affected by the disease. Early detection is paramount, with officials stating that patients diagnosed in the initial stages are 13 times more likely to survive for five years compared to those whose cancer is found later. Mobile NHS scanning units, strategically placed in supermarket car parks, sports stadiums, and high streets across England, have detected lung cancer in over 10,000 individuals, new figures reveal. Crucially, more than three-quarters of these cases were identified at early stages one and two, significantly boosting treatment success rates, NHS England confirmed. This vital initiative forms part of the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme, which began in 2019, specifically targeting areas most affected by the disease. Early detection is paramount, with officials stating that patients diagnosed in the initial stages are 13 times more likely to survive for five years compared to those whose cancer is found later. Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, said: "Lung cancer checks and scans save lives, so it’s fantastic the NHS has now diagnosed over 10,000 people – the majority at an early stage, when treatment is most effective. The Lung Cancer Screening Programme has been designed around where people already are, bringing scanners into their local communities to make it easier for people to get checked." Read full story Source: The Independent, 25 May 2026
  11. Content Article
    This report examines the public's attitudes towards AI in healthcare – both its personal use and its role in clinical settings – revealing a public that is already engaging with AI technology, but with significant anxieties and divisions about how far it should go. Drawing on a major survey of the UK population, carried out with Focaldata, the study explores how people are already using AI chatbots for health advice, public attitudes to AI in NHS clinical decision-making, and what the public expect in terms of oversight, consent and accountability. The findings highlight where public attitudes align with or diverge from the current reality of AI adoption in healthcare – exposing knowledge gaps, a strong demand for regulation, and a consistent divide between men and women that runs through almost every measure. One in seven (15%) of the public have used AI chatbots for health advice instead of contacting a GP or other NHS service, and one in ten (10%) say they have used AI for mental health therapy or wellbeing support instead of seeing a trained professional. But the findings raise questions about the risks of this shift. One in five (20%) of those who sought health advice from AI say the technology did not encourage them to seek a professional opinion – and a similar proportion (21%) report having decided against seeking professional healthcare advice because of something an AI chatbot said. This comes as recent evidence shows AI chatbots misdiagnose in up to 80% of early medical cases
  12. Content Article
    A new study reveals how the immune system behaves in people who have had complications from surgical mesh implants. Result? There is evidence of ongoing, abnormal immune activation throughout the body, not just at the implant site. Most research on mesh complications looks at local problems such as damage or inflammation where the mesh is placed. However, this paper asks a bigger question. Do these patients also have a whole‑body (systemic) immune response, not just a local one? The answer appears to be YES. The study was conducted by a team at the NHS Newcastle Mesh Complication Centre who say the mechanisms underpinning mesh complications remain largely unknown. Also, there are no reports characterising systemic immune dysregulation – in other words, the immune system not working as it should. The paper shows that people with mesh complications have measurable changes in their immune system throughout the body, suggesting complications may be partly driven by systemic inflammation not just local damage.
  13. News Article
    Misinformation about perimenopause is putting women at risk of unintended pregnancies, unnecessary medication and missed diagnoses, experts have said. Awareness of menopause and treatments such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been raised by efforts including a prominent documentary by Davina McCall. But as a growing number of women encounter misleading information on social media, there are concerns that some could be led to false conclusions that can obscure real underlying health difficulties. “Everyone thinks they’re menopausal,” said Dr Paula Briggs, a consultant in sexual and reproductive health. “So we are seeing younger and younger women asking for HRT when what they need is hormonal contraception, as they’re still fertile. “I work in an abortion service and we’re seeing more women over 35 now who believe themselves to be menopausal and are gobsmacked when they become pregnant.” Briggs said misinformation around perimenopause is concerning. “I look at things like Instagram to see what they are exposed to and I am horrified,” she said, citing examples of women in their 30s being told to demand HRT if they are unable to sleep or are struggling with migraines – and to switch GPs if denied. Or women being told they should seek testosterone treatment. “I’m not anti any of these things in the right person, but females produce their own testosterone lifelong, even women without ovaries, so the idea that everybody has to demand testosterone is bonkers,” Briggs said. Dr Channa Jayasena, an expert in reproductive endocrinology at Imperial College London, also raised concerns. “It’s great that there’s better [public] awareness [about perimenopause]. And I think many doctors are completely unaware about how debilitating the symptoms of perimenopause can be,” he said. “But the flipside of that, I think there’s a risk that some women are being mislabelled as having perimenopause when they have other things that are wrong.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 25 May 2026
  14. News Article
    The NHS is paying private firms record sums to analyse diagnostic scans because hospitals are too busy and understaffed to do the work themselves, research has revealed. The amount being spent on outsourced the interpretation of CT and MRI scans is “spiralling out of control” and reflects a short-sighted failure to train enough doctors, ministers are being told. Scans are vital for diagnosing diseases such as cancer and for monitoring patients’ responses to treatment, so they need to be done quickly. Many hospitals, however, rely on non-NHS health companies reading some scans to ensure they get the results promptly. NHS trusts and health boards across the UK gave £241m to private firms to undertake such work last year. As demand increases, spending has doubled in five years from £120min 2021 and tripled from the £81m spent in 2018. The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), which collated the figures in its annual workforce census, said health service spending on private scan reading was “ballooning”. The NHS-wide shortage of radiologists has left hospitals with too little capacity to read all scans, meaning the service is “haemorrhaging” cash to independent firms, it said. The RCR also raised concerns that the analysis done by private firms was sometimes so poor that NHS radiologists had to read scans again, raising questions about the benefit of outsourcing. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 25 May 2026
  15. News Article
    Twenty-one trusts delivered their entire 2025-26 elective improvement in March alone, analysis shows, prompting concerns about the “fragility and sustainability” of the NHS’s waiting list recovery. The NHS’s overall performance on the 18-week standard rose by 2.7 percentage points in March – a very large month-on-month improvement – to secure its 65% year-end target. HSJ analysis of official data reveals that 21 providers (nearly 20%) of general acute trusts that were able to report improvement in their 18-week performance between April 2025 and March 2026 were in fact entirely reliant on steep gains in the final month. Between April 2025 and February 2026, the share of their patients treated within 18 weeks had fallen. Waiting list expert Barry Mulholland told HSJ that where trusts had “effectively delivered their entire annual recovery in March alone… that is extremely hard to achieve through ‘normal’ improvement activity”. Mr Mulholland, CEO of consultancy MBI Health, said: “It does not mean the gains are fake, but it does suggest fragility, risk, and raises questions about the overall sustainability. “Similarly, I would want to understand the changes that have been made by the trusts which made large structural improvements, to see what enabled the consistent improvement and if those changes can be replicated more widely.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 26 May 2026
  16. News Article
    A cancer patient had the wrong part of their bowel removed during an operation after a surgeon mistook a tattoo for the site of a tumour, a report has said. It is one of 10 "never events" in the past 12 months, according to a report for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which manages the NHS in north Wales. Five were listed as "wrong site" procedures, two involved incorrect implants, two involved retained objects such as swabs left inside patients, and one involved medicine administered by the incorrect route. In one case, a surgeon at Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd located what was said to be a very visible tattoo or marking and operated assuming it indicated the site of the patient's tumour. "This led the surgeon to take out the segment of bowel that did not have the cancer in it," said the report. A patient at Wrexham's Maelor Hospital attended a dermatology one-stop clinic after being referred through an Urgent Suspected Cancer clinical pathway, and underwent cryotherapy treatment in which cancer cells undergo extreme cold treatment. The patient was also listed for a minor operation the same day and it was after that procedure they told the clinic nurse that the incorrect area had been treated so further surgery was carried out the same day. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, said the report which is due to be considered at a meeting on Thursday. Read full story Source: BBC News, 24 May 2026
  17. Content Article
    Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of serious bacterial infection in the first few weeks of life and is a major global cause of neonatal meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia. This report examines clinical negligence claims related to early onset GBS disease in neonates. The analysis reviewed 19 closed claims notified between January 2016 and March 2023, of which 11 were settled with damages paid. The total cost of these closed claims was £1,430,894, including claimant legal costs, NHS legal costs and damages. The report makes practical recommendations for maternity and neonatal services, including improved triage systems, robust processes for tracking and communicating test results, and enhanced staff training in recognising signs of sepsis. Did you know? Most babies in this group were symptomatic within the first 24 hours of life. Most babies in this cohort presented as being unwell at the time of birth or with early jaundice or poor feeding. 79% of infants required a prolonged inpatient admission, with the mean stay being 6.6 days and the maximum being 21 days. Across all these claims, this included days on neonatal units (NICUs), paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), postnatal wards and paediatric wards. Only 25% of babies in this group received antibiotics within the nationally recognised 1-hour target. In this group of babies with early onset GBS disease, the proportion of mothers known to be colonised during pregnancy, found to be colonised during or after the delivery, and not known to be carrying GBS at all were almost equal (i.e. around a third in each of these categories). Further reading on the hub Top picks: 7 resources about Group B Strep
  18. Content Article
    This simulation presents the challenge of integrating regional health system payments in a context where parties each operate independently and the social determinants of health are incompletely addressed. Set in New Hampshire, responding to a federal initiative, the simulation features five roles, each essential to the integration challenge. This case provides students with an experiential view on the challenge of breaking down silos in social impact service delivery.
  19. Content Article
    This paper from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change considers how governments should weigh the risks and benefits of adopting AI in health when health systems everywhere are struggling to meet people’s needs. It proposes a framework for assessing new health technologies against current practice, focusing on comparative risk. The paper also outlines the practical steps that governments can take to create the conditions for safe adoption at scale, thereby improving services and outcomes for their populations.
  20. Content Article
    Too many older teenagers face difficulties when moving from paediatric to adult health services, with conflicting approaches across the NHS making it impossible for some young people to know who really owns their care. Following a discussion at last week’s RCPCH annual conference, Leonora Merry and Ronny Cheung emphasise the importance of improving the situation – and suggest a solution that might work.
  21. Event
    until
    Too many patients move through a health and care system that is fragmented, complex and hard to navigate. Services are designed around organisations, not people. But what would it look like if we put the patient at the centre - not as a policy ambition, but as a lived reality? This session from the Patients Association brings together a GP with national experience in neighbourhood health, a patient, the National Academy for Social Prescribing, and a Consultant Surgeon to explore what genuine person-centred care looks and feels like - and what needs to change to make it the norm, rather than the exception. Register
  22. News Article
    Patients risk having serious conditions missed by doctors working from home under an NHS revolution championed by Wes Streeting. Doctors will deliver millions of virtual hospital appointments at their convenience – and from their own homes – as part of plans to tackle the NHS backlog that Mr Streeting set out when he was health secretary. However, health leaders and patient groups are concerned about patients falling through the cracks and the risk that serious conditions such as cancer could be missed. They also fear the creation of a “two-tier” health system in which the digitally capable are “fast-tracked” while others who are older or more vulnerable are forced to wait longer for care. The new “Online NHS Trust” will be officially formed on 1 June and start seeing patients from October 2027, The Telegraph can disclose. Patients facing some of the longest waits will be the first to test the new service, with the virtual hospital to be piloted on gynaecology, urology, gastroenterology and ophthalmology. Patients referred to a consultant will have the option to connect remotely to one of the specialists across the country via the NHS app – with more specialities and conditions added over time. But concerns gathered by Healthwatch, an official health service body that represents patients, have warned that serious conditions such as cancer could be missed in video calls. And one patient advocate said it was “described as being optional, but in reality, if there is a long waiting list for an in-person appointment, the patient may ‘choose’ the online appointment instead, eg if the GP says it’s a shorter waiting time to get seen online, it is not a fair choice”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 18 May 2026
  23. Content Article
    The Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) released a new briefing, in partnership with the NHS Race and Health Observatory (NHSRHO), to raise awareness and encourage positive change around bias and discrimination in patient safety investigations at all levels across the NHS. This briefing is informed by contributions from a national roundtable held in November 2025. This collaborative event brought together individuals with lived experience, patient advocates, clinicians and senior healthcare leaders. The briefing identified a series of recommendations, which include: embedding explicit consideration of racism within investigation standards improving expectations for family involvement strengthening leadership accountability for equity ensuring more consistent use of data to identify inequalities anti-racism to be a core component of patient safety investigations robust mechanisms to monitor implementation and impact.
  24. News Article
    The family of a mother of five who died after getting a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) has written to the government to demand it brings in a new law to regulate the cosmetic industry. Alice Webb, 33, became unwell and later died in hospital after the treatment given by Jordan James Parke at his Gloucester salon in 2024. Webb's sister, April Palmer, and her former partner Ben Kingscote have written to health secretary James Murray calling on him to introduce Alice's Law, which would restrict liquid BBL procedures to qualified surgeons. Webb's family have said they are "disgusted" at the "extremely troubling" lack of progress since she died. The government insisted that it is "taking action". The family has previously backed the campaign launched by Save Face three years ago calling for greater regulation. The government has announced proposals to restrict BBLs and other high-risk procedures, but the family's letter criticised ministers for not acting soon enough, despite knowing the dangers. "Had the Government acted on those warnings when they were raised, Alice might still be with us," the letter from the family said. "Alice's Law is very important to us as a family, as we believe it could prevent avoidable harm and spare other families the same heartbreak," they said. "Every month of inaction risks further, entirely preventable fatalities." Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 May 2026
  25. News Article
    The number of cases from the most serious form of skin cancer have reached a record high across the UK, according to analysis by a leading cancer charity. Melanoma cases in the UK have risen above 20,000 for the first time ever, with 20,980 people being diagnosed with the form of cancer in 2022, according to analysis of the latest figures by Cancer Research UK. The charity has projected that by 2040, there could be a record 26,500 new cases of the disease every year in the UK, an increase of 23% in men, and 26% in women. The increases in skin cancer cases reflect the UK’s growing and ageing population, the charity said. Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said it was concerning to see the rising numbers of people being diagnosed with melanoma skin cancers across the UK. The fact that most of these cases are preventable underlines the importance of people taking sun safety seriously,” Mitchell said. “Take care when the sun is strong by seeking shade, covering up and applying sunscreen and, if you notice any unusual changes to your skin, contact your GP. Whether it is a new or changing mole, a sore that doesn’t heal, or an area of your skin that looks out of the ordinary, it’s important to get it checked out. It probably won’t be cancer, but if it is, getting it diagnosed and treated early can make all the difference.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 May 2026

© 2026 Patient Safety Learning. All rights reserved.

Patient Safety Learning is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission Registration number 1180689.

×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.