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Mark Hughes

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Profile Information

  • First name
    Mark
  • Last name
    Hughes
  • Country
    United Kingdom

About me

  • About me
    I am Patient Safety Learning's Business and Policy Manager. Prior to this I worked in a range of different roles for Alzheimer's Society and two Members of Parliament. I have a strong interest in reforming the social care system and improving patient safety.
  • Organisation
    Patient Safety Learning
  • Role
    Business and Policy Manager

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  1. Content Article
    Surgeons' News is a magazine for surgical, dental and allied healthcare professionals. Published quarterly by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, it features comment and opinion from leading professionals, plus reviews and reports on subjects relevant to all career levels. In an article in the June issue (page 22), Patient Safety Learning's Helen Hughes talks about how Patient Safety Learning and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh are working together on a new wave of education, resources and support to empower surgical teams to embed safety into every aspect of their practice.
  2. Content Article
    On the 7 October 2024 Pfizer, in agreement with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), produced a Direct Healthcare Professional Communication which provided a safety update concerning medroxyprogesterone acetate. This article provides a summary of this update. Medroxyprogesterone acetate Medroxyprogesterone acetate is a type of medicine called progestogen. It is also known by the brand names Depo-Provera and Sayana Press. Progestogens are similar to a natural hormone made in the body called progesterone. Medroxyprogesterone works in the same way as natural progesterone, but has stronger effects. The injection stops your body from releasing an egg each month and also makes it less likely that an egg would be fertilised or develop. This can be administered by injection, and medroxyprogesterone can also come as tablets used to treat hormonal conditions including heavy periods, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and hot flushes caused by treatment for prostate cancer. It also comes mixed with another hormone called oestrogen as a type of hormone replacement therapy, for menopause symptoms. More information can be found on the NHS website here. Meningioma Meningioma is a rare, most frequently benign tumour that forms from the meninges. Clinical signs and symptoms of meningioma may be non-specific and specific to the area of the brain affected. This could include, and is not limited to changes in vision, hearing loss or ringing in the ears, loss of smell, headaches that worsen with time, memory loss, seizures or weakness in the extremities. Safety update This letter states that there is a small increased risk of developing meningioma with high doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate (all injectable and ≥100 mg oral formulations), primarily after prolonged use (several years). It states that for contraception or non-oncological indications: Medicines containing high doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate are contraindicated in patients with a meningioma or a history of meningioma. If meningioma is diagnosed in a patient treated with high doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate, treatment must be stopped. It states for oncological indications: If a meningioma is diagnosed in a patient treated with high doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate, the need to continue the treatment should be carefully reconsidered, on a case-by-case basis taking into account individual benefits and risks. The full letter can be found here.
  3. Content Article
    On the 19 March 2025 the Department of Health launched a consultation on the introduction of a new Regional Framework for Learning and Improvement from Patient Safety Incidents and supporting documentation to replace the current Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) Procedure in Northern Ireland. As part of this process, the Patient & Client Council held a public engagement event on this issue. This included members of the public with lived experience of the current SAI process, those with a general interest, members of the voluntary and community sector, health and social care staff and leaders, healthcare regulation and Patient & Client Council members. This report summarises the views expressed in this event and follow-up written responses shared with Patient & Client Council. They heard from a range of views and experiences, and we have collated these under key themes arising from the engagement conversations. Some of these themes were reflected in the answers to more than one question.
  4. Content Article
    At the start of 2025, the NHS Race and Health Observatory sponsored an infographic, explaining how healthcare professionals can spot the signs of jaundice in babies with dark skin tones. This infographic below, designed by Dr Helen Gbinigie and Dr Oghenetega Edokpolor, in collaboration with FiveXMore and Bliss, serves as a guide for parents' for recognising jaundice in Black and Brown babies, including where and how to seek help.
  5. Content Article
    ‘The Month’ is a new publication from NHS England which provides a strategic update for health and care leaders. This edition includes details of the 100 day plan for Sir Jim Mackey’s first few months as NHS England Chief Executive, information about the new Urgent and emergency care plan 2025/26 and highlights of other recent healthcare publications and developments.
  6. Content Article
    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK. This roundup provides a summary of their latest safety advice for medicines and medical device users. It includes details of medicine recalls, medical device field safety notices and details of how to report drug reactions and device incidents.
  7. Content Article
    Prioritising patient safety is a quarterly blog series from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). Each month, PHSO publishes between 70 to 100 of their casework decisions as a way to share learning that will help organisations improve their service and prevent mistakes happening again. This blog highlights how the PHSO is working with NHS England to improve NHS imaging services and looks at cases that show how organisations are making complaints count by listening, learning and putting things right.
  8. News Article
    Thousands of cancer patients in England are to benefit from a DNA blood test that saves lives by fast-tracking them on to personalised treatments. In a world-first, the NHS will offer patients with lung and breast cancer – two of the most common forms of the disease – a liquid biopsy that detects tiny fragments of tumour DNA. Rapid results from the groundbreaking test mean patients can immediately be offered drugs and treatments specifically tailored to the genetic profile of their disease, significantly increasing their survival chances and paving the way for a new era of precision medicine. Read full article Source: The Guardian, 29 May 2025
  9. News Article
    Mental health patients and nursing staff are being failed by a system “buckling under the weight of demand and decades of underinvestment”, nursing leaders have warned. Their comments came in response to the publication of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB)'s final report in its series of investigations focusing on mental health inpatient services in England. The report warned that staffing and resource constraints in inpatient and community mental health settings were impacting the ability to provide safe and therapeutic care to patients. Read full article Source: Nursing Times, 29 May 2025
  10. News Article
    Doctors trust a parent’s gut instinct that their child is becoming severely ill, research has shown, finding that it is a better indicator of health than medical tests. The study analysed data from almost 190,000 A&E visits by children in Melbourne, Australia, where the parents were routinely asked: “Are you worried your child is getting worse?” Parents’ intuition was “significantly” linked to the likelihood of admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), with children four times more likely to need ICU care if their parents had voiced concerns. Read full article (Paywalled) Source: The Times, 29 May 2025
  11. News Article
    Two external reviews are being commissioned into maternity and neonatal care at the trust with the highest perinatal mortality rates. Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust has claimed its extended perinatal mortality rate – which measures stillbirths and neonatal deaths – is within the expected range, considering it takes many high-risk pregnancies, including some where babies are not expected to survive, as a specialist centre. However, a report to its board meeting today reveals it is commissioning an external review of the issue. The review would examine mortality data. Read full article (Paywalled) Source: Health Service Journal, 29 May 2025
  12. News Article
    The US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has threatened to ban government scientists from publishing in the world’s leading medical journals, which he branded “corrupt”, and to instead create alternative publications run by the state. Kennedy outlined plans to launch government-run journals that would become “the preeminent journals” because National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding would anoint researchers “as a good, legitimate scientist”. The three publications Kennedy targeted are among the most influential medical journals globally, established in the 19th century and now central to disseminating peer-reviewed medical research worldwide. The Lancet and Jama each report more than 30m annual website visits, while the New England Journal of Medicine claims more than 1 million weekly readers. Read full article Source: The Guardian, 28 May 2025
  13. News Article
    A hospital doctor has admitted professional misconduct over an incident in which a patient with meningitis suffered a fatal lack of oxygen to the brain following a dispute with nursing staff over whether a breathing tube had become dislodged. Ilankathir Sathivel appeared before a medical inquiry to face a series of allegations over his treatment of a patient in February 2019 while working as a registrar anaesthetist at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown in Dublin. The hearing before the Medical Council’s fitness-to-practise committee was told Dr Sathivel was making a number of admissions in relation to the care he provided to the 59-year-old male, identified only as Patient A, who had been admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. The committee was informed that Dr Sathivel accepted that his failure to have regard for the stated view of a clinical nurse manager, Rosanne Kenny, that Patient’s A endotracheal tube had become dislodged about 3.58am on February 24, 2019 constituted professional misconduct. Read full story Source: The Irish Independent, 29 May 2025
  14. News Article
    The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP, has urged doctors to vote against industrial action as the British Medical Association (BMA) ballots resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, for strike action that could last for six months. Resident doctors say their pay has declined by 23% in real terms since 2008. If they choose to go on strike, walkouts could begin in July and potentially last until January 2026. The government accepted salary recommendations from pay review bodies earlier this month, resulting in an average 5.4% rise for resident doctors. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 May 2025
  15. Content Article
    Each year since May 2023 the Sands & Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit have published an annual report setting out the extent of pregnancy and baby deaths across the UK. This year’s report argues that progress made to date falls short of what is needed to stop babies dying every day in the UK, and that unacceptable inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss persist despite continued calls for change. It estimates that at least 2,500 fewer babies – the equivalent of around 100 primary school classrooms - would have died since 2018 if the government had achieved its ambition of halving the 2010 rates of stillbirth, neonatal and maternal deaths in England. The report draws on the latest data from MBRRACE-UK, which shows that the gap continues to grow between neonatal death rates in the most deprived areas and those in the least deprived areas of the UK. It highlights that the stillbirth rate among babies of Asian ethnicity has risen sharply, and Black babies are still twice as likely as White babies to be stillborn. It includes 10 key actions for policymakers Renew commitments to save babies’ lives. Specifically, a stillbirth rate of 2.0 stillbirths, and a neonatal mortality rate of 0.5 neonatal deaths for babies born at 24 weeks’ gestation and over (per 1,000 live births). A preterm birth rate of 6.0%. Count miscarriages in the UK. The number and rate of miscarriages are not reported across the UK or for any individual nation. All UK governments should set up routine data collection on miscarriage. Take coordinated and meaningful action to eliminate inequalities. There are a range of policy areas where specific action is needed, including: understanding whether current efforts to reduce inequalities are working, and a comprehensive review of translation and interpreting services in maternity and neonatal care. Strengthen national leadership to make progress on the safety of maternity and neonatal services. Clarify the workforce needed to deliver safe care. Future development of the workforce must move away from a binary debate focussed on whether we do or don’t have enough staff and focus on the staffing requirements needed to deliver safe care, in line with nationally-agreed standards. Put the resources needed in place to deliver safe care. More investment is needed to improve the safety and quality of services if the government is going to deliver on its commitments to reduce rates of stillbirth and neonatal death and eliminate inequalities. Make informed choice a reality. Everyone should receive personalised care, know what they are entitled to, such as their birth choices, and services need the resources and operational capacity to provide this. Address unwarranted variation in care. Too often babies are dying because of care that is not in line with nationally-agreed standards. We need clarity on how national guidance is applied and clear national standards to improve the consistency of service provision. Ensure lessons are learned when babies die. The NHS is still not properly learning lessons when babies die or listening to the experiences of bereaved families to improve care in the future. There must be more robust oversight of the implementation of actions that are identified by reviews and investigations. Prioritise pregnancy and baby loss in research. This requires a broad range of research topics, the involvement of bereaved parents and communities, and a strong connection with policy and practice.
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