Mark Hughes
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News article
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for an urgent scale-up of the community-led Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with stronger early detection, contact follow up, access to care, support for frontline health workers and faster delivery of resources to affected communities. The call followed a joint high-level mission to Uganda and DRC on 4 and 5 August, which drew lessons from Uganda’s successful containment of local transmission, assessed operational challenges in Bunia and brought the priorities of communities and frontline responders into high-level discussions with national leaderships in Kinshasa. The mission was led by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, and Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. With visits in Kampala, Bunia and Kinshasa, members of the delegation met national and provincial authorities, response coordinators, health workers, community representatives and partners. The mission assessed progress, identified critical operational gaps and brought the concerns of affected communities and frontline teams directly to national leadership. Read full article. Source: WHO, 6 August 2026 -
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AI tools that are already being rolled out across the NHS face an investigation by the national safety body. The announcement of a probe into AVT came after the Health Services Safety Investigations Body said there were “indications that routes for recognising and reporting AI-related incidents are not yet mature enough to provide confidence that emerging risks are being identified”. The body said AVT adoption was pressing ahead but the service “has focused more strongly on efficiency benefits than on patient safety risk”. Investigators will look at “potential patient safety issues associated with the use of AVT in hospitals”. Read full article (paywalled). Source: Health Service Journal, 6 August 2026 -
Content ArticlePatient experience and safety are central to healthcare quality, yet their relationship remains underexplored. While earlier evidence suggests a positive association, policy and practice are continually developing around the world. This review examined evidence from 30 studies published between 2000 and 2023 to better understand the relationship between patient experience and patient safety.
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Content ArticleIn this blog Natasha Swinscoe discusses how NHS England’s new Quality Strategy puts quality, safety and innovation at the heart of healthcare improvement, and why effective implementation will be critical to achieving better outcomes for patients. Natasha Swinscoe is Chief Executive Officer of Health Innovation West of England and National Lead for Patient Safety for the Health Innovation Network.
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Content ArticleThe New Zealand Health and Disability System Safety Strategy sets a system wide direction for strengthening quality and safety as a foundation for people centred care in New Zealand. The strategy’s aim is to reduce potentially avoidable harm, build trust, and improve the quality and safety of the health and disability system for everyone in New Zealand. It recognises health care as a complex, interconnected system where safety depends on how the system is designed, led and supported. The strategy supports active engagement with patients, whānau and communities so we can understand their experiences, whether services are meeting their needs, and where improvements can be made.
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News article
Medtronic must pay an Alabama man and his wife $88 million, a federal jury decided on Tuesday, in the first case to go to trial out of thousands facing the company from people claiming they were injured by hernia-repair mesh implants made by one of its units. Following a three-week trial in Boston, jurors found that Medtronic's Covidien unit failed to provide an adequate warning about the dangers posed by the mesh implanted in Larry Patterson in 2017, Medtronic and the man's lawyer said. The failure of Patterson's hernia mesh implant required significant reconstructive surgery, according to his complaint. The jury awarded no punitive damages, and it did not find that Covidien engaged in fraud. The verdict was by far the largest in more than a dozen hernia mesh and transvaginal mesh cases that have gone to trial, Patterson's attorney Timothy O'Brien said. Read full article. Source: Reuters, 4 August 2026 -
News article
Patients with motor neurone disease (MND) will get faster access to care and support, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Yvette Cooper, has set out during a visit to the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds (Wednesday 5 August 2026). The announcement comes as the government launches action to tackle delays and fragmentation in support for people living with MND and is part of the first phase of fixing the social care system and pursuing Andy Burnham’s ambition to introduce a national care service. MND patients and families too often face lengthy waits and have to navigate a complex system spanning health, social care and housing services at a time when every day matters. The Rob Burrow Centre brings specialist MND services together under one roof, providing coordinated care, treatment and support in a single location, making accessing services easier for people living with MND and their families. Learning from this, the new fast-track care pathway will draw on these principles of a more joined-up, person-centred approach and help deliver care support more consistently and much more quickly across the country, lessening the need for families to navigate multiple services and reducing stress and delays to care. Read full article. Source: Department of Health and Social Care, 5 August 2026 -
News article
Scottish ministers have been accused of sidelining past maternity failures after choosing a forward-looking model for a national review that officials warned could be “improvement-focused, not investigatory”, The Herald can reveal. Internal papers show ministers were offered a choice between an investigation into historic harm, accountability and redress, similar to major maternity inquiries elsewhere in the UK, and a review centred on the future design of services. They chose principles focused on the latter, prompting political opposition warnings that bereaved families and women who have suffered serious harm could be denied answers, and that catastrophic mistakes could be repeated. Read full article (paywalled). Source: The Herald, 6 August 2026 -
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The NHS has been warned to prepare for potential annual summer crises caused by extreme heat with the same pressures as winter, as heatwaves caused by the climate crisis become routine in the UK. The health secretary, Yvette Cooper, said NHS staff were feeling A&E pressures that would normally be expected only during flu season – and said the government would use major investment in NHS infrastructure to tackle the health service’s resilience to high summer temperatures. Doctors and other medical professionals have warned of the impact that repeated heatwaves are having on the NHS in England, including advice from the Royal College of GPs to cancel surgeries in extreme weather. Radiotherapy machines and MRI scanners have failed in hot weather, wards have overheated and cooling units serving hospitals have broken down. England is on track to record its highest number of heat-related deaths this summer, with an estimated 2,877 people dying in the May and June heatwaves. Read full article. Source: The Guardian, 5 August 2026 -
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There is no link between receiving the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine before age 2 and being diagnosed with autism, according to a new study of more than 2.5 million U.S. children. “These results reinforce existing evidence supporting the safety of MMR vaccination,” the medical research scientists, from University of Washington, wrote last week. The research supports decades of work with similar results, including by the World Health Organization, which said earlier this year there was no evidence that vaccines cause autism. The results come at a fraught time for U.S. public health, and in particular for childhood vaccinations, including the MMR shot. Federal data reveals that MMR vaccination rates have been steadily dropping since before the pandemic and cases of life-threatening measles are at a 35-year high. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 5 August 2026 -
News article
People struggling with their mental health will get help earlier and closer to home, with 159 new NHS mental health facilities opening across England under plans announced today. Backed by £343 million, the rollout is the biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation. It includes 100 new community mental health centres, offering walk-in support without a referral and without a months-long wait, and 59 dedicated mental health emergency departments giving people in crisis specialist care in a place designed for them. Demand for mental health services has risen sharply, particularly among children and young people, with around one in five people experiencing a common mental health condition each year. Too often, people only receive support once they reach crisis point, leaving families without the help they need and placing greater pressure on NHS services. The new centres will make it far easier for people to get the right help the first time they ask for it, by bringing mental health and specialist teams together under one roof – working alongside GPs, councils, the voluntary sector and families, with direct links into housing and employment support. The first sites open from autumn this year, with further facilities following from March 2027. Read full article. Source: Department of Health and Social Care, 5 August 2025 -
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In celebration of World Patient Safety Day 2026, SafetyNet – the NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC) Network invites you to join a special webinar exploring pioneering research helping to improve patient safety across England. The webinar will take place on 17 September, chaired by Prof Ramani Moonesinghe, Director of the NIHR Central London PSRC and NHS England’s Deputy National Medical Director. Bringing together researchers, healthcare professionals, patients and public partners, the event will feature insights from leading experts, and opportunities to discuss how research can drive improvements in patient safety throughout life. Whether you work in healthcare, conduct research, advocate for patients, or have an interest in improving the quality and safety of care, this webinar offers a unique opportunity to learn, connect and contribute to the conversation on building safer healthcare systems. Find out more about this event and how you can secure your place here. -
Content ArticleThe Royal College of Physicians Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme is seeking new members for their Patient and Carer Panel. They are looking for patients and carers with experience of inpatient falls or fragility fractures who would like to contribute their perspectives and help improve care. By joining the panel, members can: Share their experiences of care Help shape national clinical audits Influence improvements in services Ensure patient and carer voices remain at the heart of healthcare Click on the link below for all the role information and how to apply. Applications are open from 3rd August to 14th September 2026.
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Content ArticleAs the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) approaches its third anniversary, in this blog HSSIB Chair Ted Baker reflects on the difference their work has made for the safety of patients. He considers the impact of their patient safety investigations, from helping more patients access potentially life-saving treatment for aortic dissection to improving the detection of jaundice in newborn babies.
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Content ArticleMedical aid in dying is an end-of-life healthcare option in the United States of America in which a mentally capable, terminally ill adult may request a prescription from their healthcare provider for a medication they can choose to ingest to die peacefully. On this website the nonprofit organisation Compassion and Choices provide information about which states medical aid in dying is legalised, who is eligible and links for various information and resources related to this.
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Content ArticleThis guidance is intended to support services and staff by promoting awareness and good practice about the responsible and safe use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health and social care settings, while educating people who use services on what to expect when AI is used in their care. It is national guidance is intended for use by all health and social care services in Ireland, published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).
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News article
What if we could build the safest health system possible from scratch? That's the question posed by Safe By Design: Reimagining Health Care Around the Prevention of Harm, a new white paper that introduces the fictional yet realistic Ambition Health System as a blueprint for designing health care around the prevention of harm rather than reacting to it. Prepared by the Coalition for Advancing Safer Healthcare (CASH), an initiative convened by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI), Safe By Design moves beyond incremental improvements to today's fragmented healthcare system. Instead, it offers expert-informed recommendations that health system leaders can begin implementing now. Developed through the leadership of CASH's four partner hubs—the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins University, the MedStar Health National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Center for Health Innovation at UC San Diego Health, and The University of Utah Center for Evaluation of Health AI—the report also draws on the expertise of more than 100 national leaders in patient safety, healthcare delivery, technology, policy, and patient advocacy. Read full article. Source: Jewish Healthcare Foundation, 28 July 2026 -
Content Article
This report envisions what health care could become if patient safety were designed into every aspect of care from the start. Developed by the Coalition for Advancing Safer Healthcare (CASH), an initiative convened by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, the report introduces the fictional yet realistic Ambition Health System as a blueprint for reimagining health care around the prevention of harm. Drawing on the expertise of more than 100 national leaders in patient safety, healthcare delivery, technology, policy, and patient advocacy, the report challenges health system leaders to move beyond incremental improvements and instead embrace a systems-based approach to creating safer care. -
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Improving productivity is vital to achieving better health outcomes and patient experience within the resources available, while ensuring that the NHS remains on a sustainable footing. This is why the NHS Productivity Commission was established by the Health Foundation. Over the last 18 months, they have been building the evidence and solutions to boost NHS productivity in England over the next decade. This event marks the launch of the Commission’s final report. It will bring together policymakers, NHS leaders and other stakeholders to discuss the Commission’s findings and recommendations. Attendees will hear from the Commission’s co-chairs, Anita Charlesworth CBE and Tera Allas CBE, alongside other members of the Commission. The event will take place at the Wellcome Collection in Euston on Tuesday 22 September 2026 from 10.30am–12.30pm and will be followed by lunch. A detailed agenda will be shared closer to the event. Register here. -
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Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to experimentation in healthcare, it is becoming embedded in real-world clinical practice. As healthcare systems face mounting pressure to improve patient outcomes, increase efficiency and deliver safer, data-driven care, leaders are being challenged to move from ambition to implementation. This in-person meeting, organised by Elsevier in paid partnership with The Royal Society of Medicine, brings together senior healthcare leaders, clinicians, innovators and decision-makers to explore how AI can be implemented responsibly and effectively to transform patient care at scale. Through panel discussion, evidence-based case studies and interactive discussion, attendees will gain practical guidance from organisations already deploying AI in clinical settings, including Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College. Designed to provide actionable insight into what successful AI adoption looks like in practice, this event will help attendees navigate complexity, avoid common pitfalls and confidently lead AI transformation within their own organisation. Why attend? Hear evidence-based case studies and implementation experiences from industry leaders. Explore practical approaches to governance, ethics, patient safety, regulation and risk management as AI adoption accelerates Discover how to integrate AI into clinical workflows, measure impact and move from isolated pilots to organisation-wide transformation Join an influential audience of healthcare leaders and innovators for high-value discussion, collaboration and networking opportunities Aims of the meeting: To explore how artificial intelligence can be applied in clinical practice to transform patient care, improve outcomes and deliver quality at scale To provide practical, evidence-based guidance on implementing AI safely, including governance, risk management, data quality and ethical considerations To equip attendees with actionable approaches to integrating AI into clinical workflows and moving from pilot to organisation-wide adoption Learning outcomes: Evaluate applications of AI in various care settings Identify and address common pitfalls in AI deployment Apply governance, risk management and ethical frameworks when planning and implementing AI in clinical settings Who should attend? This event is designed for senior leaders and decision-makers across healthcare, including: C-suite executives and board members, including CEOs, CMOs, CNOs, CIOs and Medical Directors Clinical leaders within innovation, safety or quality remits, including Clinical Directors and Consultant Physicians Digital, data and AI professionals, including Chief Digital Officers, Directors of Digital Transformation and Clinical Informatics Leads Governance, safety and compliance professionals, including Directors of Patient Safety, Clinical Governance leads and Risk and Compliance Directors Health policy advisors and healthcare strategy directors Register here. -
Content ArticleSAFEST Patient Safety COMPASS is a conceptual guide that includes 101 Perioperative Patient Safety Recommendations to enhance safety and quality of care in hospitals and other healthcare settings. The Compass serves as a reference for safety policies, healthcare training, and standard evaluation, fostering a culture of safety and quality in medical care, for doctors, patients, nurses, and all healthcare team members. The compass originates from the European SAFEST project, which aims to enhance patient safety by harmonizing perioperative care across European countries.
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Content ArticleThis strategy sets out a ten-year vision and priority statements which aim to minimise preventable infection across health and social care in Scotland, supporting safer care, stronger systems and a person-led, rights-based approach to infection prevention and control.
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News article
A machine that keeps donated lungs alive outside of the body is set for use on the NHS, offering hope for the 170 people waiting for a new lung. The move by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) will give organs that would otherwise be discarded a chance to be transplanted. According to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), only 23% of all lungs that meet suitability criteria for transplants are used. The machine warms donated lungs to body temperature and pumps a fluid through them that mimics blood plasma. It also ventilates them to mimic normal breathing. The machine allows transplant teams to treat infection, drain excess fluid, reinflate collapsed areas and monitor how the lungs are functioning. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 27 July 2026 -
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Primary and community care will be expected to play a much bigger role in helping the NHS deal with winter pressures this year, NHS England has told the service. NHSE has also issued a specific set of measures that ambulance trusts must undertake as part of the service’s winter response for the first time. The 2026-27 winter planning guidance instructs integrated care boards to ensure GPs have enough capacity to meet demand, including during “surge periods”, and to check they are contractually compliant in their ability to offer online consultations, same-day appointments, and NHS 111 direct booking. Read full article (paywalled). Source: Health Service Journal, 28 July 2026 -
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Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board recorded the highest number of "never events" in Wales last year, according to its latest annual report. The health board logged 11 new never events during 2025/26 – an increase of six compared with the previous year. The report states the Welsh health board with the second-highest total recorded seven. The figures are contained in the health board’s annual report, which is due to be discussed at its annual general meeting on Wednesday, July 29. Never events are serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not happen if national safety guidance is followed. Examples of never events can include operating on the wrong part of the body, leaving surgical instruments inside a patient after an operation, or administering medication by the wrong route. Read full article. Source: North Wales Live, 28 July 2026
