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Patient-Safety-Learning

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Everything posted by Patient-Safety-Learning

  1. News Article
    The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has set out the next steps towards change, having accepted all the recommendations of an independent review into its culture. In the short-term , the NMC will take the following immediate actions, supported by external advice, to help it make the right decisions, address its cultural issues and follow through on change. An external Empowered to Speak Up Guardian is now in place to support NMC staff to raise concerns and ensure they get independent support from a trained professional. The NMC has invested in a partner to help improve psychological safety within the organisation, starting in Professional Regulation directorate. It has started the process of appointing an equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) advisor to its executive board, to support decision making. It has also made some immediate commitments: The NMC will co-opt one or more senior independent advisers to the Council to increase the challenge and support that the Council receives, to ensure the necessary cultural changes are delivered and to prevent a recurrence of the findings in the report. It has committed to increasing the diversity of its executive board. It will double the amount it spends on staff learning and development so that by October 2024, it can roll out improvements in leadership, line management, safeguarding, casework and tackling poor behaviours identified in the report. It will develop a competency and behaviour framework, to launch in September, that will support recruitment, career progression and performance management. It will offer extended decompression support to staff working on sensitive casework. In the medium term, the NMC is reviewing its existing plans in light of the independent report’s recommendations. It is also working to enhance its approach to safeguarding, people and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). In the longer term, the organisation will focus on wider culture change, including the full implementation of Nazir Afzal and Rise Associates’ recommendations over a projected two-year period. Helen Herniman, Acting Chief Executive and Registrar, said, “The independent report on our culture made difficult reading for everyone at the NMC and for many outside our organisation, including our stakeholders, the professionals on the register and members of the public who have engaged in our regulatory work. We are sincerely sorry to everyone we have let down. We are committed to delivering a change programme rooted in the report’s recommendations, and we are confident this will help us to make a step change in both culture and performance." Read full story Read The Nursing and Midwifery Council Independent Culture Review (9 July 2024) Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council, 24 July 2024
  2. Content Article
    “Wrong route” medication errors can have catastrophic consequences, including paraparesis, paraplegia or death. These types of errors usually occur as the result of misconnections, where medication is administered using the wrong route, such as administering an epidural medication by an intravenous line, administering an intravenous medication by an epidural line or delivering medication intended for intravenous administration intrathecally (into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord). This article by the pharmaceutical company BD looks at how the universal male-female configuration of Luer connectors, which are widely used across the NHS, contributes to wrong route medication errors. It describes the prevalence of these errors and outlines why NHS England is transitioning to using an alternative system for all intrathecal and epidural procedures and delivery of regional blocks.
  3. Content Article
    More information about "Building an NHS that’s there for Long Covid and ME (July 2024)"
    The Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a big impact on the NHS and society. Among those most heavily affected are up to two million adults and children affected by Long Covid. Over 1.5 million people report their daily activities being limited by Long Covid and a significant proportion of Long Covid patients meet the diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) sometimes referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Patients with ME have faced decades of inadequate care and insufficient funding for biomedical research, which have shaped the NHS care available to Long Covid patients. This report was written by Karen Hargrave and Emma Gore-Lloyd, founders of ThereForME, a campaign calling for an NHS that works for people with Long Covid and ME. The report outlines the results of a survey of over 300 people living with Long Covid and ME which aimed to evaluate parts of the new Government's mission plan for the NHS against their experiences. The survey focused on the following three Labour commitments that could have the biggest impact, where people with Long Covid and ME highlight current shortcomings: An NHS that is there when people need it Change so that more people get care at home in their community The promise to introduce a revolution in technology Read the full report Read the executive summary Find out more about the ThereForME campaign The report makes the following recommendations: 1. Commit to an NHS that is there for people with Long Covid and ME Articulate a vision for an NHS where Long Covid and ME patients are listened to, believed and where they can access safe care, building on the best that modern science can offer. Prioritise the urgent publication of the cross-government delivery plan for ME/CFS, ensuring it meets these priorities. Appoint a Minister for Long Covid and ME to signal that improving patients’ care is a priority for a Labour government. Develop an NHS Severe ME Safe Hospitals protocol to ensure the safety of patients accessing hospital care for life-threatening symptoms. 2. Make the most of the UK’s science and technological expertise to advance treatments for Long Covid and ME Commit to at least £100 million of annual research funding for Long Covid and ME. This should prioritise biomedical research, developing biomarkers and trialling treatments, led by patients’ lived experience and priorities. Convene UK-based researchers, clinicians, the private sector and patient advocates to develop a strategy for accelerating treatments. Ensure that emerging research filters down into clinical practice in the NHS. For example, by committing to update the 2021 NICE Guidelines for Long Covid based on new research. 3. Do more with the tools we already have Commit to and take accountability for implementing the 2021 NICE Guidelines for ME/CFS. The guidelines should be applied to all patients with an ME/CFS diagnosis (including those with Long Covid). Support access to emerging treatments within the NHS, including as part of clinical trials. Leverage technology-enabled solutions in the NHS to better support patients to manage their symptoms at home e.g. using wearables for remote monitoring and symptom management. Mobilise tools to measure and reduce the ongoing health burden of Long Covid in the UK. For example, by supporting the wider roll-out of air filtration systems within key public services (e.g. healthcare settings and schools).
  4. News Article
    The body responsible for regulating NHS and care services in England is not fit for purpose, the health secretary has said. Wes Streeting's intervention comes after an independent review found significant failings at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), according to headline findings released by the government. The CQC inspects everything from hospitals and GP practices through to care homes and dental surgeries, covering 90,000 different services. Wes Streeting said he was “stunned” by the scale of the problems as he announced a set of emergency measures. The CQC said it accepted the findings in full. Among the failings identified were: Inspectors lacking the necessary experience – including some being asked to inspect hospitals without ever having been into one before Care home inspectors who had never met a person with dementia A backlog of assessments with one in five services never having been given a rating – this is thought to include new care providers, GPs and private health clinics that have opened in the last five years One NHS hospital having gone more than 10 years since its last inspection A lack of consistency with assessments The full interim report is due to be published on Friday. Among the measures being taken is the appointment of Sir Mike Richards, a vastly experienced cancer doctor who has previously worked in government as national director of cancer care and spent four years as the chief inspector of hospitals from 2013, to work with senior leaders at the CQC and conduct a "rapid review" of the watchdog. The regulator has just appointed an interim chief executive, Kate Terroni, who was deputy chief executive until last month when Ian Trenholm announced he was stepping down as head of the CQC. Mr Streeting told BBC Breakfast he was also looking to appoint a new chief executive and chief inspector of hospitals who the government "can work with to turn the regulator around." Read full story Read the Independent review into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission: interim report Source: BBC News, 26 July 2024
  5. News Article
    A quarter of social care staff in Scotland leave their jobs within three months, while vacancies are at their height, a report has found. The bodies responsible for delivering health and care services across the nation, known as Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), are grappling with a projected funding gap that is up by 187 per cent. The Accounts Commission, a watchdog, has warned of “unprecedented pressures” on IJBs amid dwindling funds and surging demand for services. IJBs play a crucial role in planning and commissioning essential community-based health and care services across Scotland. Their remit includes supporting disabled adults, social work with the elderly, GPs, pharmacists, mental health care and drug and alcohol services. The report also underscored an “unsustainable” dependence on Scotland’s estimated 800,000 unpaid carers. Colin Poolman, Scotland director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: “This damning report sets out the challenges facing community health and social care services. Too often, the focus is on the crisis in acute hospitals, but hospital overcrowding is a symptom of the lack of investment and prioritisation of community services. The whole system is at breaking point.” Read full story Source: The Times, 25 July 2024 (paywalled)
  6. News Article
    One of the NHS’s least digitised teaching hospitals has been forced to carry out “a full forensic investigation” after a cyber attack last week, HSJ has learned. Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust said the incident occurred last Wednesday. It was unrelated to the Microsoft outage, which disrupted some NHS IT systems, mostly in general practice, at the end of last week, the trust said. A trust spokesman told HSJ: “No patient systems are compromised, and [at] this point in the investigation, we do not have any evidence of compromise of patient data. However, the investigation is ongoing and is extremely complex.” NNUH chief digital information officer Ed Prosser-Snelling said the attack had been “detected and terminated [and] all emergency care, elective and outpatient services at our hospitals are continuing to run as normal.” Read full story Source: HSJ (paywalled), 24 July 2024
  7. Content Article
    As people age, they are more likely to develop multiple long-term conditions that require complicated medicine regimens. Safely self-managing multiple medicines at home is challenging. This study aimed to identify interventions to improve medicine self-management for older people living at home and the aspects of medicine self-management that they address.
  8. Event
    until
    Several unknowns face the NHS under the new government – all business-critical for industry to understand. Now that the post-election buzz is beginning to abate, we take a moment to look at the new NHS landscape – what will the new priorities be? And what opportunities for industry will arise? Join this interactive webinar featuring speakers from Wilmington Healthcare and HSJ. The agenda will cover new NHS unknowns for industry to make sense of: Finance and efficiency – the watchword for the NHS in this parliament will be efficiency. Is your engagement strategy readied to offer pathway, cost and workforce efficiencies? Primary care and prevention – what will it mean for industry if pathways are located more in primary, community, pharmacy and homecare? Digital and transformation – AI is being touted as a panacea, but is industry getting on board with it? What other transformational techniques will the NHS now try? And what should be built into your value story? Workforce and access – what can industry offer to the NHS on the workforce front as it battles waiting lists at an all-time high, missing patients, late diagnoses and more? Speakers Oli Hudson, Content Director, Wilmington Healthcare Jyoti Singh, Principal Consultant, Wilmington Healthcare Jonathan Carney, Director of Innovation and Strategy, Wilmington Healthcare Dave West, Deputy Editor, HSJ Register for the webinar
  9. News Article
    It would take more than eight years for the NHS to see all adult patients waiting for ADHD assessments in many parts of the UK, a BBC investigation has found. Through Freedom of Information requests, the BBC has identified 24 services in that position, and nearly 200,000 people waiting. The Royal College of Psychiatrists said no-one should be made to wait years for life-changing care. The new Labour government says delays to ADHD diagnosis are part of a “broken NHS” - which it is working to fix. The long waits have been caused by rising demand - referrals have increased fourfold since 2019 - and three trusts have closed their waiting lists completely. The BBC found one trust, Sheffield, has a waiting list of more than 6,000 people and assessed only three patients last year. Only two providers look able to work through their backlogs in less than a year. All four governments in the UK say they are working to improve matters. There is no official list of adult ADHD service providers in the UK, but the BBC understands there are 70. Sixty-six responded to our request for information and 44 gave the BBC enough information to calculate their backlog. “We’re seeing more people than ever seeking support from ADHD services which are struggling to meet this demand,” the Royal College of Psychiatrists told the BBC. NHS England says it has “launched an independent expert taskforce which will investigate the challenges facing ADHD services and help them manage the rising numbers of referrals.” Read full story Source: BBC News, 25 July 2024 Further reading on the hub: Long waits for ADHD diagnosis and treatment are a patient safety issue
  10. Content Article
    This cohort study in JAMA Network Open aimed find out whether medical insurance type is associated with time to withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy in adult trauma patients in the US. The findings suggest that being uninsured is associated with a shift in decision-making toward earlier withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy, which could indicate that socioeconomic status informs end-of-life care for patients with critical injuries.
  11. Content Article
    Project Aristotle was a project undertaken by Google to understand what makes teams successful. The project aimed to identify patterns and behaviours within teams that led to high performance. Starting in 2012, Google spent two years studying 250 attributes of their 180 teams. Initially, they thought that the recipe for a successful team would be a combination of high performers, an experienced manager and unlimited free resources. However, they would later find out they were wrong. This blog by Bea Poyton describes how when the Project Aristotle team came across the idea of psychological safety, it filled the gaps in their understanding of what makes a successful team. They discovered that members of a team most needed to feel they could speak up and share ideas, challenges and concerns without fear of embarrassment or humiliation. These findings challenged conventional beliefs about team composition and management styles. You can also download The Psychological Safety Action Pack (there is a cost for this resource) written by the Psychological Safety team. It is designed to help managers, team members, leaders and people in training/people functions understand, measure, build and maintain psychological safety in teams and organisations.
  12. News Article
    Medical schools have been urged to protect students who face sexual assaults and “sinister” behaviour from senior doctors, who see them as easy targets, campaigners have warned. Scores of students have come forward with stories of doctors, groping them and making inappropriate comments while they are being trained in hospitals, according to the campaign group Surviving in Scrubs. The group, which aims to address sexual harassment facing medics in the NHS, has raised new concerns over vulnerable students who it says are facing abuse while on training placements in hospitals, It is urging NHS and university leaders to protect vulnerable trainees. Becky Cox, a GP and founder of Survivors in Scrubs, told The Independent: “When they’re out on placement qualified doctors will make inappropriate comments about their appearance and more sinister behaviours, there was a student who was sexually assaulted in the car on the way to the placement. The power dynamic is much greater for students. By and large, this is senior doctors perpetrating this. Medical students are right at the bottom of the food chain, and we feel they are specifically targeted and because the perpetrators know there is very little the students can do to challenge the behaviour, they’re unlikely to raise a concern.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 24 July 2024
  13. News Article
    Expectant mothers at a scandal-hit NHS trust have experienced “discriminatory and racist behaviour” including staff mimicking their accents and refusing to provide interpreters, according to the head of an inquiry into its failings. As part of the largest inquiry into a single service in the history of the NHS, Donna Ockenden’s team is conducting a review with more than 1,900 families who have experienced stillbirth, neonatal death, maternal death or babies diagnosed with brain damage at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust (NUH). Ockenden, a senior midwife, said she had concerns about reports of racist behaviour uncovered during her interviews with families and 744 staff members who have come forward to participate in the review. “Both family and staff are reporting discriminatory and racist behaviour,” Ockenden told the Guardian. “Local women of Asian origin are reporting white women in the bed opposite being treated more kindly. They have had their accents mimicked, their facial movements mimicked, have been made fun of and seen staff laughing at them." Ockenden said women were often not able to give informed consent to difficult procedures as they were told they “understood enough” when they asked for an interpreter. She added that she had found women from the most deprived backgrounds, of all races, were “certainly reporting to me very negative experiences of maternity services.” Anthony May, the chief executive of NUH, said: “I want to apologise to these women and families for the shortcomings identified and pain caused. I also apologise to anyone who has experienced racism in our hospitals." Read full story Source: Guardian, 24 July 2024
  14. News Article
    An ongoing fault with an acute trust’s new pathology system has left GPs with ‘significant’ workload issues and ‘anxiety’ for patient safety. At the start of this month, University Hospital Southampton (UHS) trust transferred to a new pathology IT system which resulted in issues with processing blood tests and communicating results. Wessex LMCs said the trust has shown a ‘distinct lack of understanding’ of general practice, which has caused ‘large issues’ and ‘an enormous associated workload’ for GPs. GPs in the area told Pulse that there was immediately a ‘massive backlog’ from 1 July, as blood test requests were sent using the ‘old forms’ which the lab could not process quickly enough. However, one GP partner, who wished to remain anonymous, said there was ‘absolutely no communication with primary care’ to clarify that the old forms should not be used. As a result of this backlog, UHS introduced a ‘temporary measure’ which told GP practices they could only request ‘urgent blood tests’, meaning all routine blood tests were suspended. This restriction was lifted last week, and UHS has since cleared the initial backlog, however GPs told Pulse that they are still not receiving blood test results, and those they do receive are often not in the correct format. Another Southampton GP partner, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that on top of the initial backlog – caused by slow processing of old forms – there has also been a ‘significant proportion of path results that aren’t coming into GP systems’. In one surgery, around 70% of bloods requested in one week had not yet received results. The GP partner said that "results are being processed at the hospital" but GPs "can’t see them" as a result of faults with the system. She continued: "We are trying to make clinical decisions based on results and we’re not seeing them […] It’s causing a significant degree of anxiety and concern for patient safety." Read full story Source: Pulse, 23 July 2024
  15. Content Article
    Raising concerns is essential to quickly detect and respond to patient deterioration. However, factors such as hierarchy, leadership and organisational culture can impact negatively on people's willingness to raise concerns. This qualitative study in the Journal of Patient Safety investigated how these factors influence healthcare workers, patients and caregivers in raising concerns about patient deterioration. The results showed that positive leadership that challenges traditional professional hierarchies by embracing multidisciplinary teamwork, valuing the input of all stakeholders and championing person-centred practice fosters a positive working culture. This culture has the potential to empower clinical staff, patients, caregivers and family members to confidently raise concerns. Staff development, clinical supervision and access to feedback—all underpinned by psychological safety—were viewed as facilitating the escalation of concerns and have the potential to improve patient safety.
  16. Content Article
    In 2024, the UK’s Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) celebrates its 75th anniversary. To mark the occasion, this article presents the perspectives of 18 Ergonomics and Human Factors (EHF) professionals who were asked to respond to five questions regarding the impact of EHF, contemporary challenges and future directions. The co-authors were in agreement that EHF’s impact has been limited to date and that critical issues need to be resolved, such as: increasing the number of suitably qualified practitioners resolving the research-practice gap increasing awareness of EHF and its benefits. The professionals who took part highlighted the following future directions: advanced emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence the development of new EHF methods enhancing the quality and reach of education and training. The majority felt there will be a need for EHF in 75 years, but many noted that methods will need to adapt to meet new needs.
  17. News Article
    Record numbers of people in England are being diagnosed with dementia, new figures have revealed. The data from NHS England, which cover people of all ages, showed that 487,432 people were diagnosed with dementia in June this year. This was almost 5% more than the figure of 465,516 for the same time last year, and 0.65% more than the figure of 484,277 for May 2024. Dementia diagnosis rates are currently the highest they have been since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NHS England. It acknowledged that the NHS has more to do to meet its ambition to diagnose 66.7% of the total number of people estimated to be living with some form of the disease. However, dementia diagnosis rates have yet to return to prepandemic levels. The estimated dementia diagnosis rate fell by 5.4% between March 2020 and February 2023, from 67.4% to 62%. Dr Jeremy Isaacs, national clinical director for dementia, NHS England said, "NHS staff have worked hard to recover services with the number of people with a diagnosis rising significantly over the last year, and now at a record level." Read full story Source: Medscape, 23 July 2024
  18. News Article
    Cancer patients could be spared the devastating consequences of their tissue samples being lost thanks to a new tracking system being tested in the NHS. The loss of tissue samples can mean vulnerable patients are forced to redo biopsies, therefore delaying diagnosis and treatment. Lost samples cost the NHS an estimated £157m in claims every year. However, losing samples could soon be a thing of the past in the NHS, as one of the UK’s largest health trusts tests a new tracking system its inventors hope will lead to a rollout in hospitals worldwide. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which deals with tens of thousands of cancer cases every year, will trial a real-time tracking system for cancer tissue samples. The system is based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that is widely used in the retail and logistics industry to track assets and has been specially adapted to help improve treatment for people with serious and life-threatening conditions. Dil Rathore, the trust’s biomedical scientist and pathology innovation lead said, "The stress and anxiety felt by patients awaiting a potential cancer diagnosis can be made much worse if they are told their sample has been lost. Unfortunately, this ‘never-event’ happens more often than is acceptable. That’s why we came up with a real-time system to track the precise location of each sample and its movement through our histopathology department. The interpretation of changes in tissue forms the foundation of successful cancer treatment.” Read full story Source: inews, 21 July 2024
  19. Content Article
    More information about "Patient priorities: Research into patient confidence and choice (19 July 2024)"
    This research by the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) aimed to find out about patients’ priorities when making decisions about private healthcare. PHIN engaged directly with patients who have used, or would consider using, private treatment through an online survey and in-depth qualitative focus groups. The report revealed the following key findings: Not all patients have a ‘consumer mindset’ when navigating private healthcare. The report includes guidance to help both patients and the sector ensure that there is better communication, understanding and use of the choices that are distinctive to private healthcare. Patients’ private journeys are diverse because of their priorities and circumstances. So too their appetites for information, which can depend on their physical or emotional state, confidence in handling such information and previous experience in the private sector. Participants told us there’s a lack of clarity and completeness in how private healthcare costs are represented, particularly the full set of in-hospital fees, as well as financing options. This prevents patients from making an informed choice and managing trade-offs. This was especially true for self-pay patients who felt that costs often seemed opaque, if not misleading. Patients told us that consultants should invest in their ‘shop windows,’ including participation in legally-mandated processes like PHIN and provide information that adds a human touch to their clinical information. The focus group participants liked PHIN’s website, neutrality and centrality in the sector, and felt it needed greater promotion; the majority had never heard of it before. However, many thought it would benefit from better navigation and search function, and greater use of everyday health terms. Many patients (71% in our research) are going private not because they want to, but because they feel they have to, especially in the context of much longer waiting-lists and their impact; they also ‘mix and match’ between NHS and private treatments. Patients consult multiple sources of information before making their healthcare choices, with 51% citing the significantly persuasive value of a recommendation from a friend, family member or colleague. Patients would value a ‘map of private healthcare,’ with key decision points highlighted. 30% of people surveyed overall were not confident about using private healthcare, and 19% of those who’d had prior treatment in the past three years were still not confident about navigating through it. The lack of knowledge creates anxiety and, for some, the sense that people with better access to information or understanding of the process can obtain faster or better outcomes. Location is the key factor when choosing a hospital (58%). When researching private healthcare, top topics are hospitals (54%) and procedures (52%). A significant majority (84%) of patients said they hadn’t considered treatment abroad. In our focus groups, many spoke of their concern if something went wrong in a foreign context without comparable standards and support that patients might find in the UK.
  20. Content Article
    Incidental imaging findings (IIFs) are things that show up on a diagnostic image that are not related to the reason a healthcare professional ordered the test. Inadequate follow-up of IIFs can result in poor patient outcomes, patient dissatisfaction and provider malpractice. In an effort to improve awareness of IIFs, this study aimed to investigate communication of IIFs on inpatient discharge summaries after implementation of a new electronic health record (EHR) notification system. The results showed that IIFs were included in 51% of discharge summaries. The authors identified that lack of inclusion of IIFs on discharge summaries could be related to transitions of care within hospitalisation, provider alert fatigue and many diagnostic testing results to distil. The findings demonstrate the need to improve communication of IIFs and the need for care coordinators to follow up on IIFs. This year’s World Patient Safety Day on 17 September 2024 (WPSD 2024) is focused on the theme “Improving diagnosis for patient safety”. Find out more.
  21. Event
    The Health Equity Network (HEN) 2024 conference will take place on Tuesday 8 October in Birmingham. The agenda will feature an excellent array of speakers and a discussion panel. HEN also plans to announce the result of applications to the Health Equity Fund. Registration details will be published soon.
  22. Content Article
    More information about "Health Services Safety Investigations Body Annual Report and Accounts 2023/24 (17 July 2024)"
    The Health Services Safety Investigation Board's (HSSIB's) first annual report and accounts covers the six months from the organisations launch to 31 March 2024. It sets out HSSIB's priorities as a new organisation, highlighting achievements and progress so far. It also provides a useful overview of HSSIB's governance, leadership, staff arrangements and pay arrangements. Highlights include HSSIB's first investigation report which looked at safety management systems, its commitment to working collaboratively with other patient safety organisations and the importance of family and patient engagement in its safety investigations.
  23. News Article
    The NHS’s finances are so dire that the whole health service may break unless it receives a massive cash injection, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has warned. Years of underfunding have left the NHS in England so cash-strapped that it cannot treat patients quickly enough, and the rising tide of ill-health will make matters worse, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. The NAO does not specify how much extra funding the health service needs to get it back on its feet and ensure trusts that provide care can balance their books. But a leading thinktank recently put that figure at £38bn more a year by the end of this parliament. Its grim conclusions raise serious questions about whether Keir Starmer’s government can fulfil its ambitious pledges to rescue the NHS, and again meet key waiting time targets on surgery and A&E care, without spending significantly more money. The NAO said: “When we consider how the health needs of the population look set to increase, we are concerned that the NHS may be working at the limits of a system which might break before it is again able to provide patients with care that meets standards for timeliness and accessibility. There is a wider question for policymakers to answer about the potential growing mismatch between demand for NHS services and the funding the NHS will receive. Either much future demand for healthcare must be avoided, or the NHS will need a great deal more funding, or service levels will continue to be unacceptable and may even deteriorate further.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said, “Not only has this government inherited the worst economic circumstances since the second world war, but also an NHS in deficit. Getting the NHS back on its feet is our priority, but it will take time." Read the National Audit Office report NHS financial management and sustainability 2024 on the hub Read full story Source: Guardian, 23 July 2024
  24. Content Article
    This is the National Audit Office's (NAO's) ninth report on the financial management of the NHS in England. It's previous report published in February 2020 outlined that NHS England (NHSE) needed to carry out financial restructuring to put all NHS bodies were on a realistic path to breaking even.  This report comes after a major change to the ways in which NHS services are funded—the Health and Care Act 2022 introduced Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) on a statutory footing. The 42 ICSs bring together NHS bodies, local government and other organisations.   The report outlines: the NHS’s current financial position and operating context. whether NHSE’s financial management processes allow accurate and timely decision-making and support for NHS bodies that are struggling. the relationship between financial management and NHS performance, productivity and efficiency. the challenges to the NHS’s financial sustainability in the longer term. The report outlines the following conclusions about financial management and sustainability in the NHS in England: The scale of challenge facing the NHS today and foreseeable in the years ahead is unprecedented. While ICSs have resulted in some transformation, the pace of change has been slow as ICSs struggle to manage the day-to-day pressures of elective recovery following the pandemic, continual rising demand for NHS services and significant workforce and productivity issues. As they are statutorily required to do, NHS England and NHS systems have prioritised trying to live within their allocated funding. But, despite great in-year efforts to do so, an increasing number of NHS bodies have been unable to break even. The health needs of the population look set to increase and the NHS may be working at the limits of a system which might break before it is again able to provide patients with care that meets standards for timeliness and accessibility. There is a question for policymakers to answer about the growing mismatch between demand for NHS services and the funding the NHS receives. Either much future demand for healthcare must be avoided, or the NHS will need a great deal more funding, or service levels will continue to be unacceptable and may even deteriorate further.
  25. Content Article
    If you’ve ever had a healthcare professional dismiss your symptoms—say you were “just stressed" or blame your concerns on psychological factors—you’re not alone. In this blog, Karen Lutfey Spencer looks at the phenomenon known as medical gaslighting and why it happens. She also provides advice on how to recognise medical gaslighting and how to advocate for yourself as a patient.

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