Patient-Safety-Learning

The healthcare sector is undergoing significant transformation driven by workforce shortages, role imbalances, and technological advances. Traditional health professions, characterised by advanced knowledge and self-regulation, face challenges from two key trends. First, there is a growing reliance on less-trained workers, such as nursing assistants and physician associates, to fill gaps, raising concerns about patient safety and the quality of care. While these roles can assist in simpler tasks, their expanded responsibilities—often exceeding their training—can lead to adverse outcomes, particularly in critical medical scenarios. Second, the rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) offers both opportunities and risks. While AI shows promise in reducing administrative burdens and aiding specialized tasks like image recognition, its limitations hinder its broader adoption, such as reinforcing biases and failing to reason diagnostically. This editorial argues that uncritical reliance on these developments risks compromising healthcare quality. It calls for evidence-based policymaking, robust oversight and updated regulatory frameworks to ensure patient safety while adapting to these shifts.

In this blog, patient safety consultant Suzette Woodward examines the issues that need to be tackled to foster a safer culture in the health system. She discusses the importance of creating clarity around values and behaviours, fostering psychological safety, making sure positive feedback is given, learning from good practice and understanding the working lives of healthcare staff.

This study in JAMA explored whether measures of patient care experience change after private equity acquisition of US hospitals. The study showed that patient-reported care experience, an important dimension of care quality, worsened after private equity acquisition of US hospitals.

PROMPT (Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training) is an evidence-based training package for local maternity staff, previously associated with improvements in maternal and neonatal outcomes, reduction in litigation related to preventable harm and improved safety culture. PROMPT has previously been disseminated internationally using a train-the-trainer model. However, this has been associated with variations in uptake, fidelity and impact. In Wales, the project was supported by Welsh Government, and a structured scaling plan was developed, encompassing ongoing implementation support from a multi-professional team. This study describes the approach and process measures for national scaling of PROMPT across 12 obstetric-led maternity units in Wales.

This annual report from the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) provides information relating to people aged 10 and above who died by suicide between 2012 and 2022 across the UK and Jersey. It also presents findings on the number of people under mental health care who have been convicted of homicide, and those in the general population in the UK. Key findings Patient suicide numbers and rates Over 2012-2022, there were 18,670 suicides by patients in the UK and Jersey, an average of 1,697 deaths per year, 26% of all general population suicides. The number of patient suicides increased in 2018 following a change in the standard of proof for suicide at inquest. In England and Wales, an increase in suicides registered in 2023, suggesting a possible rise in suicides occurring in 2022, has been reported by the Office for National Statistics. It is too early to say if this rise will be evident in our 2022 patient suicide figures. Social and clinical characteristics A high proportion of patients who died by suicide showed evidence of isolation and social adversity; nearly half (47%) lived alone, and a sixth (17%) had recently experienced serious financial problems (see details on page 12). Suicide-related internet use was reported in 8% of patients. A history of alcohol (47%) or drug (38%) misuse was common. Over half (55%) had a comorbid mental health diagnosis. The majority (62%) of patients who died had a history of self-harm. The proportion who had recently (<3 months) self-harmed (31%) has increased over the report period. Clinical care There were 4,718 (27%) patients who died by suicide in acute care settings, including in-patients (5%), and post-discharge care (13%) or crisis resolution/home treatment (13%) (with overlap between these latter two groups), an average of 429 deaths per year. There were an estimated 72 suicides by mental health in-patients in 2022, around 4% of all patient suicides in that year. Of all in-patients, 40% died on the ward, 50% were off the ward on agreed leave, and 10% had left the ward without staff agreement or left with agreement but failed to return. The proportion of inpatients who died on the ward has increased by 31% between 2012-2015 and 2019-2022. There were an estimated 198 deaths by suicide in the 3 months after discharge from mental health in-patient care in 2022, 11% of all patient suicides. The number and rate of post-discharge suicide has risen since 2017. Of all patients who died in the first week after discharge, the highest number occurred on day 3 (63 patients, 20%) post-discharge (taking day 1 as the day of discharge). However, in 2019-2022 the highest number occurred on day 6 (20 patients, 22%). Real-time surveillance study NCISH is establishing an additional method of patient suicide data collection through real-time surveillance (RTS) in England and asking all trusts to notify it of suspected suicides by inpatients or those recently discharged, without waiting for inquest. To date we have been notified of 67 suspected suicide deaths, the majority (44, 67%) by in-patients. Early themes include high proportions of in-patients being detained under the Mental Health Act (55%) and being admitted to wards outside of the patient’s local area (35%). Suicide and bipolar disorder In 2012-2022, there were 1,491 suicides by patients with bipolar disorder, 8% of all patient suicides, an average of 136 deaths per year. The average number in 2019-2022 increased by 19% compared to the average number in 2015-2018. Patients with bipolar disorder were more often female (47%), living alone (52%) and older, with more aged 45-64 (50%), than other patients who died by suicide. Overall, a minority (39%) were receiving lithium treatment and only 12% were receiving psychological treatment. More patients with bipolar disorder were non-adherent with medication (15%) and had experienced drug side effects (12%). Suicide and missed contact and/or non-adherence with medication In 2012-2022, there were 3,817 suicides by patients who missed their last contact with mental health services, 22% of all patient suicides, an average of 347 deaths per year. There were 1,998 suicides by patients who were nonadherent with drug treatment, 12% of all patient suicides, an average of 182 deaths per year. Our estimates for 2022 show an increase in the proportion of patients with missed contact but a fall in those non-adherent with medication. Missed contact was often accompanied by clinical morbidity (for example, additional psychiatric diagnoses, self-harm, alcohol and/or drug misuse), and socioeconomic adversity (for example, unemployment, financial problems, living alone). Services had made contact with the patient’s family in 28% of those who had missed their last appointment. The majority (63%) of non-adherent patients had severe mental illness. Half (47%) were prescribed oral antipsychotics. Reasons for non-adherence were reported to be the patient’s impaired insight into their illness (31%), side effects (15%) and lack of effectiveness (13%). Suicide and recent bereavement In 2012-2022, there were 1,312 suicides by patients who had been recently (<3 months) bereaved, 8% of all patient suicides, an average of 119 deaths per year. The number increased over two-fold in 2016-2022 compared to in 2012-2015, presumably due to better recognition by clinicians. Patients bereaved were more often female (40%) than other patients who had not recently been bereaved and they were more likely to be older, widowed (20%) and living alone (54%). A third (34%) had a primary diagnosis of depression. More died on or near the date of a family member or friend’s death anniversary compared to other patients (7% v. 1%). In 2020-2022, half (51% v. 35%) had reported suffering from insomnia and a third (35% v. 30%) had recently misused alcohol.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an autoimmune disease that affects around 10,000 children aged under 16 in the UK. It is a chronic disease and many patients will continue to have JIA into adulthood. JIA causes inflammation, pain and stiffness in joints, and can be have a big impact on a child's life. This study by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) looked at the quality of care provided to patients diagnosed with JIA. Patients were randomly selected for inclusion in the peer review process if their diagnosis had been made between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2023, and they were diagnosed or experienced symptoms before their 16th birthday. Data included 374 clinician questionnaires and the assessment of 290 sets of case notes. In addition, 122 organisational questionnaires were returned along with 130 primary care questionnaires, survey responses from 68 parents/carers and 117 healthcare professionals. The study report  includes recommendations highlighting areas that are suitable for regular local clinical audit and quality improvement initiatives. Recommendations Raise awareness of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and its symptoms with the healthcare professionals who will see this group of patients. Streamline and publicise local referral pathways with clear measurable timelines for patients with suspected juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Provide timely access to appropriately trained physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pain and psychology services at the diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and then as needed through adolescence and adulthood. Offer age-appropriate information about juvenile idiopathic arthritis and medication risks and benefits to patients and their parents/carers at diagnosis and on an ongoing basis. Provide training to the patient, if age-appropriate, and/or their parents/carers on how to administer subcutaneous injections for juvenile idiopathic arthritis at the point treatment is initiated. Ensure timely access to intra-articular steroid injections by staff who have been trained to deliver age-appropriate care in units where local or general anaesthesia can be delivered. Provide a holistic, developmentally appropriate rheumatology service for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Develop NICE guidance for the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Adverse drug events, including adverse drug reactions and medication errors, pose a significant threat to health, leading to illness and in severe cases death. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of different interventions aimed at healthcare professionals to improve the reporting of adverse drug events. The authors concluded that, compared to usual practice, the number of adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports submitted may substantially increase following an education session, paired with reminder card and ADR report form, and may slightly increase with the use of a standardised discharge form method that makes it easier for healthcare professionals to report ADRs.

It has long been known that a focus on early intervention and prevention in the early years can prevent ill health in the future. With the mental and physical health outcomes of children in England on a downward spiral, the new government’s commitment to raising ‘the healthiest generation of children ever’ has been warmly welcomed by the children’s sector. This blog by Jessica Holden, Policy Adviser at the King's Fund, looks at whether this sentiment will be met with the action needed to address the scale of the challenge.

Professor Shin Ushiro is Executive Board Member at the Japan Council for Quality Health Care (JQ) and Deputy Director and Professor of Patient Safety at Kyushu University Hospital. In this guest blog for HSSIB, Professor Ushiro gives a brief overview of the history of patient safety in Japan, looks at similarities with other countries and outlines the work of the International Patient Safety Organisations Network.

Historically, policies about patients waiting to go into surgery have stated no food for six hours before surgery, clear fluids until two hours before surgery and then ‘Nil By Mouth’ (NBM) until their operation. In practice, it can be difficult to predict when the operation will start, so some patients are kept starved for hours. This can cause dehydration and discomfort. Sip Til Send is a worldwide initiative allowing patients to sip small volumes of water (or similar fluid) while waiting before surgery until they are sent for to have their operation. Allowing people to sip water until they are sent for by the operating theatre team means that they are hydrated and more comfortable with less nausea, fewer headaches and a lower chance of needing an intravenous drip. This webpage includes: Details of the new protocol List of contraindications (when the protocol should not be used) Tips for implementation Patient information leaflet

The use of surveillance technologies including CCTV, body-worn cameras and wearable sensors is becoming increasingly common in inpatient mental health settings. Surveillance of this kind is commonly justified as an effort to improve safety and cost-effectiveness. However, the use of surveillance technologies has been questioned in light of limited research conducted and the sensitivities, ethical concerns and potential harms of surveillance. This systematic review aimed to: map how surveillance technologies have been used in inpatient mental health settings. explore how they are experienced by patients, staff and carers. examine evidence regarding their impact.

This US study explored how the cervical cancer screening experiences of women with physical disabilities (WWPD) can be improved. Interviews with WWPD indicated that access to self-sampling options would be more comfortable for cervical cancer screening participation. The authors highlight that these findings that can inform the promotion of self-sampling devices for cervical cancer screening.

This study looked at attitudes towards, and perceptions of, participating in clinical trials among patients with cancer and their relatives. It explored what factors are associated with their willingness or hesitation to engage. The researchers carried out a survey of 978 patients with cancer and their relatives in Turkey. They found that willingness to participate and knowledge about clinical trials were limited and highlight the existence of significant gaps in understanding and persistent concerns about participation.

This large retrospective study used data from the US National Cancer Database to look at factors associated with timely surgical care among Asian and White women with breast cancer and highlight the importance of evaluating disaggregated ethnic and racial data. Their findings showed that there was no difference between Asians and Whites with respect to receiving surgery within eight weeks. However, disaggregating Asian populations identified disparities among Southeast Asian women, with only 78% having timely surgery, relative to East Asian women (83%) and South Asian women (84%). Compared to East Asian women and South Asian women, Southeast Asian women had statistically significantly higher rates of comorbidities and advanced cancer stages as well as socioeconomic barriers, including lower education levels and income levels. They were also less likely to be treated at high volume or academic hospitals and were less likely to receive breast conserving therapy. Southeast Asian women were the only Asian subgroup significantly less likely than White women to receive timely surgery.

In the US, compounding drugs are medications produced by compounding pharmacies, who typically make personalised versions of medications, such as custom dosages, combinations or allergen-free options. In this JAMA article, US journalist Kate Ruder looks at patient safety concerns linked to the rapid increase in demand for anti-obesity medications including semaglutide and tirzepatide. Kate highlights how high demand, ensuing scarcity, prohibitive costs and restrictive insurance coverage have fuelled the production of compounded versions of these medications under a provision allowing compounding pharmacies to make copycats during drug shortages. Concerns have been raised about the quality of ingredients, accuracy of doses and the supply of counterfeit medications by companies selling fake products, as well as about the potential for user error when they give themselves the medication.

Frequent attendance at A&E—when a person goes to A&E five times or more in a year—is often because someone desperately needs help and care yet they have nowhere else to turn. Unmet social, emotional and practical needs can drive their physical and mental ill health to crisis point.   A&E too often serves as a last resort when someone has not received, or cannot access, appropriate care and support earlier. Supporting people to get the help they need before this point improves their health and wellbeing, and reduces pressures on A&E and ambulance services. This research from the British Red Cross aims to deepen understanding of the needs of people who frequently attended A&E in Dorset. The findings and recommendations set out in this report reflect the importance of addressing health inequalities and highlight areas for national and local focus to better support people who frequently attend A&E.  Key findings People who frequently attend A&E constitute a small and vulnerable minority of people in Dorset who struggled to get the support they needed for their clinical and non-clinical care needs. They made up a significant proportion of A&E attendances, 1.7 per cent of Dorset’s population account for 13.8 per cent of the county’s A&E attendances. There is a clear relationship between socio-economic deprivation and frequent A&E attendance. People who frequently attended A&E were 72 per cent more likely to live in Dorset’s most deprived areas. Hospital visits among people frequently attending in Dorset were more likely to be classed as urgent cases and have an emergency admission. Two groups made up around 70 per cent people frequently attending in the county: people over 70, most of who had multiple long-term conditions and people aged 20-49, particularly women aged 20-29 with high levels of mental ill health and a significant link with deprivation. More than a third (36 per cent) of frequent attendance periods by people in this second group required a new mental health referral. 70.2 per cent of these were closed within seven days. This does not include ‘did not attends’. There were increased rates of frequent A&E attendance, primary care use and mental health referrals among children and young people aged 19 and under following the height of Covid-19. Recommendations Continue to roll out and expand HIU services. Increase the breadth and availability of accessible, linked data, and harness it to identify people at risk of frequent attendance and opportunities for targeted support. Improve availability of, and access to, mental health support, with a particular focus on community services. Further develop multidisciplinary proactive care in primary care for people with long-term conditions, prioritising people most at risk of experiencing poor health outcomes due to other risk factors. Ensure that funding and performance measures support a preventative community-based approach which addresses nonclinical drivers of frequent attendance at A&E. Align targets and funding to support sustainable action on health inequalities.

This is one of a series of Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) investigations on the theme of patient safety in mental health inpatient settings. The investigation examined how providers conduct timely and effective investigations into deaths of patients receiving care in inpatient units or within 30 days of discharge. This included a review of local, regional and national oversight frameworks, as well as data collection mechanisms. The aim of the investigation was to understand how providers learn from deaths, and how they use that learning to improve. The investigation sought to understand the impact on individuals involved in the care of patients who died while in mental health inpatient care or shortly after discharge. It reflects the experiences of families, carers and staff. The investigation recognises the complex nature of mental health inpatient care and discharge. The findings present opportunities to improve systems and practices in mental health services, with potential relevance to other healthcare settings in England. The investigation identified significant challenges in maintaining safety, conducting effective investigations, managing data on deaths and ensuring system-wide learning. These findings reiterate findings from other reports on inconsistencies in data reporting, lack of consistent terminology and difficulty in cross-provider comparisons. The investigation found gaps in discharge planning, crisis service accessibility and access to community therapy that were potentially contributing to poor patient outcomes, including deaths. The investigation highlighted system-level issues in service commissioning, patient flow, integrated working and accountability, compounded by a lack of system-level learning and application. The investigation found there is a culture of blame in which individuals and organisations are afraid about safety investigation processes. The report emphasises the need for a systemic approach to safety investigations and learning with a focus on collaboration, transparency and oversight, with a shift from procedural practices to a culture rooted in empathy, person-centred care and active involvement of families. Findings Understanding how providers ensure timely and effective investigations Investigations into patient safety incidents in mental health do not always take a system-wide perspective, limiting the ability to capture the full complexity of care. The current national framework for incident response faces implementation barriers in mental health settings, due to the differences in care requirements compared to acute physical health settings. Training for the implementation of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework includes developing knowledge of systems thinking and system-based approaches to learning from patient safety incidents. However, some organisations described their training focused on acute physical health contexts and does not sufficiently account for the mental health care context. There is no national system to track and ensure the implementation of investigation recommendations, resulting in limited strategic oversight of patient safety investigations and a lack of structured learning for improvement. Many families feel marginalised and excluded from the investigation process, experiencing investigation processes as a ‘tick box’ exercise and without a culture of transparency, learning, and accountability. Processes for learning from deaths are feared by families, staff and organisations because of a reported focus on blame which does not align with the stated goals of an effective safety culture that is orientated around learning to support systemic change. Families often feel excluded from care processes, with their concerns about safety planning and risk mitigation often overlooked, which complicates their ability to help keep their family member safe. Legal processes within organisations may unintentionally shut down opportunities for learning, fostering a culture of defensiveness rather than reflection. Staff lack the time, permission and safe spaces to support open, reflective conversations about patient safety incidents, which are essential for learning and improvement. Patient safety incident investigations, and other associated investigation processes if a death occurs, often do not consider the emotional distress experienced by all affected. This results in compounded harm. The investigation also became aware of areas of mental health inpatient care where investigations had not effectively addressed ongoing concerns about inpatient mental health care: Gaps were identified in discharge planning, crisis service accessibility and community therapy provision, and staff skilled in mental health, resulting in people being left in unsafe situations where they may self-harm. There is significant variability in therapeutic engagement and a lack of personalised care which has left some patients feeling hopeless and disconnected. The term ‘therapeutic engagement’ may be interpreted differently across mental health services. This has resulted in some approaches becoming clinically focused rather than person focused. Providers told the investigation that incidents of people using items of clothing to ligature resulting in catastrophic self-harm was increasing. However, the investigation did not identify specific guidance on how to reduce and respond to non-anchored ligature risks, or on managing access to known ligature risk items. Staff face ongoing challenges in balancing ‘least restrictive approach’ policies and the therapeutic benefit of decisions about care, with the need to ensure patient safety, often creating tension in care delivery. Examining national, regional, and local oversight and accountability frameworks for deaths in mental health inpatient services Many previous national recommendations to improve the care of patients with mental health needs have not been taken forward to date, leaving no clear plan for implementing the recommendations. Some integrated care boards do not have full oversight of patient safety risks across all the services they oversee. Instead of having a clear, formal structure for accountability in patient safety investigations, they often rely on informal relationships or collaborations between providers. This lack of complete oversight can make it difficult to ensure that patient safety investigations are thorough and standardised across different organisations, leading to potential inconsistencies in addressing safety issues. Some integrated care boards and regional teams struggle with gathering and analysing data on patient safety due to resource and reporting limitations. This means they do not always have a complete picture of the risks at a system-wide level. Data gaps limit the ability of integrated care boards to identify co-morbidities (when patients have multiple health conditions) and understand health inequalities, especially among people with serious mental illness. This creates challenges for integrated care boards to address broader health trends and inequities within their regions effectively. The involvement of patient safety partners and people with lived experience in safety meetings is variable, limiting their ability to contribute. Some non-executive directors with responsibility for safety and quality struggle to scrutinise and interpret complex data sets on patient safety and deaths due to the volume and lack of triangulation of information presented. This limits meaningful oversight and learning. Examining the mechanisms that capture data on deaths (and near misses) across the mental health provider landscape, including up to 30 days after discharge There is inconsistency in data reporting. Mental health providers report deaths and near misses in varied ways, using different definitions and methods. This inconsistency makes it difficult to compare data across providers and understand overall trends in patient safety. There is not a standardised national system requiring providers to report deaths in the same way. This means that each provider’s reports may look different, which reduces the reliability of data for understanding patient safety across the board. There is not a single, comprehensive database that includes all deaths and near misses within mental health services, including those occurring within 30 days after a patient’s discharge. This makes it hard to see the full picture of patient safety outcomes and identify patterns or risks. There is not a centralised organisation or process effectively overseeing and co-ordinating data on deaths. This lack of oversight limits the ability to identify systemic issues, reduce duplicated efforts, and drive consistent improvements across mental health services. There is currently limited co-ordinated effort among organisations that produce data relating to deaths, and individual providers may be collecting and analysing similar data on their own. This leads to duplicated work, wasting time and resources that could be better used if there was improved collaboration. It also results in considerable variation in the data being presented. Recommendations and observations HSSIB makes the following safety recommendations: Safety recommendation R/2025/052: HSSIB recommends that the Department of Health and Social Care works with NHS England and other relevant stakeholders, to clarify national expectations for meaningful and restorative learning from patient safety events and deaths in mental health services. This is to ensure effective learning is supported through processes that provide high-quality and transparent investigations within a culture of compassion. Safety recommendation R/2025/053: HSSIB recommends that NHS England works with other stakeholders to define the term ‘therapeutic relationship’. This is to support building trust and compassionate relationships between staff and patients from admission to inpatient settings through to discharge, to improve patient outcomes. Safety recommendation R/2025/054: HSSIB recommends that NHS England, working with other relevant national bodies, develops guidance on how to reduce and respond to non-anchored ligature risks. This will help staff to support people who attempt to hurt themselves with non-anchored ligatures and improve patient safety whilst maintaining a therapeutic environment. Safety recommendation R/2025/055: HSSIB recommends that the Department of Health and Social Care creates a national oversight mechanism that supports co-ordination, prioritisation and oversight of safety recommendations to implementation across the system. This is to ensure that recommendations from public inquiries, independent patient safety investigations and other patient safety investigation reports, as well as prevention of future death reports from inquests, are analysed and monitored and reviewed until their implementation using a continuous quality improvement approach to learning. Safety recommendation R/2025/056: HSSIB recommends that the Department of Health and Social Care working with NHS England, and other relevant stakeholders, develop a comprehensive, unified data set with agreed definitions for recording and reporting deaths in mental health services to include deaths that occur within a specific time period after discharge. This will support any revisions required to the current NHS England Learning from Deaths Framework. The creation of a comprehensive, unified data set would enhance system-wide visibility, co-ordination and collaboration, reduce duplication of effort, and maximise the impact of improvement work through strategic oversight. HSSIB makes the following safety observations: Safety observation O/2025/057: Integrated care boards and organisations that provide mental health care can improve patient safety by working together to support the facilitation of cross-organisational investigations and learning. This should be achieved in a way that enables people involved in an investigation to come together to share perspectives and build relationships to enable learning. This may provide opportunities for effective and meaningful organisational learning and facilitate reparation and trust-building for everyone involved. Safety observation O/2025/058: Organisations that provide mental health care can improve patient safety by adopting a comprehensive person-centred care approach that prioritises the individual needs, preferences and rights of each patient. This approach should ensure consistent access to meaningful therapeutic activities, actively involve families in care planning and decision making, and create supportive environments tailored to the sensory and emotional needs of neurodivergent individuals. Safety observation O/2025/059: NHS boards can improve patient safety by supporting their non-executive directors (NEDs) with responsibility for quality and safety to attend NED-specific training on quality of care and patient safety. This may include modules on compassionate leadership, the importance of psychological safety, safety science in investigations and techniques for supportive challenge. By fostering these skills, NEDs can better understand the complexities of healthcare delivery, engage meaningfully with staff, and ensure that patient safety and quality care remain at the forefront of their governance role. Safety observation O/2025/060: Integrated care boards and organisations that provide mental health care can improve safety by involving people with lived experience and family carers in coaching for executive leaders. This could include creating learning networks within provider collaboratives. By embedding these roles, executive teams and non-executive directors would receive direct insights from those with personal experience of mental health services, helping them to co-produce learning from deaths and drive improvements in care. Related HSSIB reports Learning from inpatient mental health deaths and near misses: assessment of suicide risk and safety planning (September 2024) Mental health inpatient settings: creating conditions for the delivery of safe and therapeutic care to adults (October 2024) Harm caused by mental health out of area placements (November 2024) Mental health inpatient settings: Supporting safe care during transition from inpatient children and young people’s mental health services to adult mental health services (December 2024)

The number of people living with dementia in the UK is rising. Even if treatments can be developed quickly, the social care system needs to change in order to better support the growing numbers of people affected. This report by the Nuffield Trust sets out what the current challenges are with providing good social care for people with dementia, and makes recommendations about what needs to change to improve social care for people with dementia.

This report from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eating Disorders highlights the urgent need for a national strategy to address the growing eating disorder crisis in the UK. It is based on evidence given by people with eating disorders, carers, healthcare professionals, managers and academics, alongside information obtained from Freedom of Information requests and data analysis. You can find out more about this report in this blog by Hope Virgo, author and Secretariat of the APPG. The report reveals that: people face significant barriers to accessing treatment. healthcare providers are insufficiently trained. care pathways are fragmented. there is a lack of standardised data around eating disorders. there is a postcode lottery in service provision. patients are at times being discharged from services with dangerously low BMIs. The report makes five recommendations that call on the Government to: develop a national strategy for eating disorders. provide additional funding for eating disorder services This funding should address the demand for both adult and children’s services. launch a confidential inquiry into all eating disorder deaths. increase research funding for eating disorders: The aim is to enhance treatment outcomes and ultimately discover a cure for eating disorders. ensure non-executive director oversight for adult and children's eating disorder services. This oversight and accountability should be implemented in all NHS Trusts and Health Boards in the UK.