Mark Hughes
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This blog provides an overview of a discussion at a Patient Safety Management Network (PSMN) meeting on Friday 23 October 2026. At this session members shared their views and experiences on the implementation of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF). The PSMN is an innovative voluntary network for patient safety managers and everyone working in patient safety. It has over 2,500 members from more than 650 different organisations. Created by and for people working in patient safety, it provides a weekly drop-in session with guests to talk through issues of importance, offers peer support and creates a safe space for discussion. You can find out more about the network here. -
Content Article
This is the fourth and final Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) report in a series considering the self-administration of insulin by people with diabetes mellitus (diabetes) in community settings. This report focuses on the availability and design of diabetes technologies and insulin pen devices. It also shares findings from across the series of investigations and identifies learning to inform strategic plans for supporting patients in community settings. Many people with diabetes administer their own insulin to manage their blood sugar levels, either by injection or using an insulin pump. However, a disability or impairment may affect someone’s ability to safely administer their own insulin if they are not supported. This can lead to short-term and long-term health problems, which can be life threatening. Across this series of investigations, HSSIB identified patient safety incidents in which people with diabetes requiring insulin, who also had disabilities or impairments, were harmed when they were not supported to administer their insulin safely. -
News article
A trust has all but conceded it cannot meet its financial plan this year, as finding the required savings would most likely be “at the expense of patient safety”. University Hospitals Plymouth Trust (UHP) agreed a breakeven year-end plan with NHS England for 2026/27, but according to recent board papers, there are “risks” of £58m to this position. Read full article (paywalled). Source: Health Service Journal, 2 November 2026 -
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MPs have warned that blind and partially sighted people risk being shut out of the NHS as the government pushes ahead with plans to make the NHS App its ‘digital front door’ by 2028. A report published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment found that 53% of people who responded to its survey rated the app as either ‘not accessible’ or ‘slightly accessible’. The findings, which draw on a survey of 64 people, most of them blind or partially sighted, and evidence given to MPs, also found that 50% who require their healthcare information provided in an accessible format said they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ receive it that way. Meanwhile 46% of respondents who use the app found it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to use, with 56% saying that reading letters or documents was one of the hardest parts of using the app. Read full article. Source: Digital Health, 2 November 2026 -
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Closing two of three consultant-led maternity units run by a hospital group is the best option for safety and staffing, a review by senior local clinical leaders has concluded. Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group bosses stressed no final decisions had been taken on its future model, and that other scenarios being considered included retaining all three, or closing just one unit. The conclusions were outlined in a report, Our Case for Change, the recommendations of which were signed off at the group’s board meeting. Read full article (paywalled). Source: Health Service Journal, 2 November 2026 -
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This paper, published in Advances in Simulation, describes how a single site used simulation-based clinical systems testing during pre-opening operational-readiness work for a newly expanded emergency department, integrating quality improvement methods and human factors frameworks to find problems before real patients encountered them. -
Content Article
In a blog to mark Learning Disability Nurses' Day on 1 November, Professor Ben Thomas highlights why this specialist profession is safety-critical. He sets out how Learning disability nurses are indispensable to safe, equitable and person-centred care and why sustained investment is needed to secure the roles future. -
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A new early warning system is being introduced in hospital emergency departments in England to help busy NHS staff identify sick children who are dangerously deteriorating. It comes after Health Secretary Yvette Cooper promised to stop "corridor care" for sick children because of long waits for hospital beds. The new National Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) asks staff to check, log and grade vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels. A high overall score means a child needs more urgent attention. Concerns from staff, parents, carers or the child themselves will trigger an immediate escalation of care. The initiative is designed to save lives ahead of winter, when pressure on the NHS is at its highest. Read full article. Source: BBC News, 2 November 2026 -
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From 2 to 8 November 2026, the World Health Organization joins the global #MedSafetyWeek campaign to raise awareness of the importance of recognizing side effects from medicines and encourage patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals to report them. Side effects can take many forms, from a skin rash or upset stomach to changes in sleep, mood or other unexpected symptoms. Some may appear shortly after starting treatment, while others develop after prolonged use, a change in dose or when several medicines are taken together. Although medicines undergo rigorous evaluation before they reach patients, not all potential side effects can be identified during clinical trials. Continuous monitoring throughout a medicine's life cycle is therefore essential. Every report matters. When combined with other reports and scientific evidence, it can help identify potential safety concerns, improve understanding of medicine-related risks and inform actions to protect patients. The campaign aims to: raise awareness and highlight the importance of reporting. encourage patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals to recognize and promptly report side effects through national reporting systems, even when they are unsure whether a medicine caused them. Read full article. Source: World Health Organization, 2 November 2026 Related reading Medication adverse reactions and patient safety -
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An AI program is alleged to have ignored the evidence of hundreds of mothers who blamed traumatic labours on the pursuit of a normal birth ideology in the NHS. Mothers who suffered harm when giving birth gave their evidence to a landmark review of maternity care in England led by Baroness Amos. Transcripts of interviews and panel discussions, testimonies, and reports of their care were among more than 10,500 submissions given to the inquiry. Many contained devastating accounts from mothers denied pain relief, who had caesarean sections refused and had concerns about their babies dismissed because they believed doctors and midwives wanted them to have a natural birth. Yet when Amos published her report into maternity care in June it concluded: “We did not find that normal birth ideology was currently widespread.” Read full article. Source: The Times, 31 October 2026 -
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The Patient and Client Council (PCC) is an independent statutory body in Northern Ireland that represents the interests of patients, service users, carers and communities in relation to health and social care. This Casebook showcases the work of PCC Support Service and demonstrates the range of issues they supported in 2026. It highlights how independent, professional advocacy can positively impact on people’s lives; helping them to have their voice heard, uphold their rights and address inequalities. -
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This annual report contains information on: NHS England’s work this year and their achievements and challenges how they have performed against their priorities board members and governance financial statements for 2025 to 2026 -
Content Article
The Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) programme annual report highlights a year of activity aimed at improving maternity and newborn safety for women, babies, and families across England. Between April 2025 and March 2026, MNSI completed 618 investigations and made more than 1,300 safety recommendations. -
Content Article
This report by the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE), based on the Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES), explains why progressive policies have not closed the country’s large health gap and makes recommendations about what needs to change covering the structural drivers of poor health and the implementation landscape. CHES is a partnership between Public Health Scotland, the IEH and three collaborating places: Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. -
News article
Thousands of patients have been unable to access their GP surgery online after a tech firm collapsed into administration. The loss of Silicon Practice means some services, such as entire websites, online consultations and chatbots, are no longer running. Gloucestershire, parts of Wales and London are among the regions that have faced disruption. Patients are being urged to call their GP practice or attend in person if they cannot access services online. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 29 October 2026
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