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A union has criticised a hospital trust for “jeopardising patient safety” by issuing “highly inappropriate” instructions for resident doctors to approve prescription requests from physician associates. The British Medical Association has written to University Hospitals Plymouth Trust to raise “serious concerns about the apparent unsafe and unprofessional working arrangements” between resident doctors and physician associates at the trust. The letter comes after a leak on social media appeared to show resident doctors at one of UHP’s departments being instructed to set up a rota to sign off requests for prescriptions and imaging investigations made by a physician associate. The BMA has called for these instructions to be “urgently rescinded”. Guidance from the General Medical Council states that physician associates cannot prescribe medication, even if they held prescribing rights in a previous role. The letter to UHP’s interim chief executive Mark Hackett, from BMA council chair Phil Banfield, said the instructions “contain highly inappropriate directions to resident doctors which, if acted upon, would cause them to breach professional standards set by their regulator, risk their professional indemnity, and jeopardise patient safety. “The rules on prescribing are clear, physician associates are not qualified or legally entitled to prescribe. This is not ‘due to a number of issues’ (as claimed in the instructions) that can somehow be circumvented by the trust – it is a necessary legal restriction put in place to protect patient safety. “Our guidance (and that of the GMC) is clear that no resident doctor should automatically prescribe medications or request ionising radiation on behalf of another practitioner…. That resident doctors have been asked to organise a rota implementing such unsafe practices speaks volumes about the way they are viewed by their employer”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 19 June 2025

Breakthrough drugs that slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease will reportedly be refused for use on the NHS this week in a blow to thousands of patients. The two drugs, Lecanemab and donanemab, slow down the decline in Alzheimer’s patients' ability to carry out daily activities. The drugs’ success in halting the progression of Alzheimer’s was heralded as a “new era” by campaigners and researchers. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) is expected to refuse to recommend them on the NHS, according to The Sunday Times. The regulator has already issued two decisions, one in October last year and another in March, saying they would not recommend the drugs for use on the NHS. A final decision will be published on Thursday. The regulator will reportedly turn down both drugs on the grounds of cost-effectiveness, with one insider telling The Sunday Times: “It is the end of the road for these drugs on the NHS”. Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the decision to turn down the drugs would be “deeply disappointing”. She added: “These treatments are not perfect, and we recognise the challenges they pose around cost, delivery and safety. But scientific progress is incremental, and these drugs represent a vital foundation to build on.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 15 June 2025

A UK trial has found that a chemotherapy-free approach to treatment may lead to better outcomes for some leukaemia patients, in what scientists are calling a "milestone". The groundbreaking UK-wide trial could reshape the way the most common form of leukaemia in adults is treated. Researchers from Leeds assessed whether two targeted cancer drugs could perform better than standard chemotherapy among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The Flair trial, which took place at 96 cancer centres across the UK, saw 786 people with previously untreated CLL randomly assigned to receive standard chemotherapy; a single targeted drug, ibrutinib, or two targeted drugs taken together, ibrutinib and venetoclax, with treatment guided by personalised blood tests. Researchers found that after five years, 94% of patients who received ibrutinib plus venetoclax were alive with no disease progression. This compares with 79% for those on ibrutinib alone and 58 per cent for those on standard chemotherapy, according to the study, which has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented to the European Haematology Association congress in Milan, Italy. Dr Talha Munir, consultant haematologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, who led the study, said the Flair trial is a “milestone”. “We have shown that a chemotherapy-free approach can be not only more effective but also more tolerable for patients,” she said. Read full story Source: The Independent, 16 June 2025

A senior figure in the health service has criticised it for deep-seated racism after his mother “got a black service, not an NHS service” before she died. Victor Adebowale, the chair of the NHS Confederation, claimed his mother Grace’s lung cancer went undiagnosed because black people get “disproportionately poor” health service care. The NHS’s failure to detect her cancer while she was alive shows that patients experience “two different services”, based on the colour of their skin, Adebowale said. His mother, Grace Amoke Owuren Adebowale, a former NHS nurse, died in January aged 92. He highlighted her care and death during his speech this week at the NHS Confederation’s annual conference as an example of “persistent racial inequalities in NHS services”. His remarks prompted fresh concern about the stark differences between the care received by those from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds and white people. “My mum, who worked for many years as a nurse, died earlier this year at the age of 92. It was difficult. It was not the dignified death that we would have wanted for her,” Adebowale told an audience of NHS bosses. “It wasn’t the death she deserved. So it makes me clear about the need to address the inequity. I think she got a black service, not an NHS service.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 June 2025

The government is aiming for a significant expansion of clinical trials in the UK, and plans to use the NHS app to encourage millions of people in England to take part in the search for new treatments. Patients will eventually be automatically matched with studies based on their health data and interests, via the app. The plans envisage alerting them to the trials using smartphone notifications. NHS trusts that fail to meet targets on trials will also be publicly named, and the best performers will be prioritised for funding, as part of improvements designed to restore Britain’s global reputation for medical research. The strategy is one of the first to emerge from the government’s forthcoming 10-year health plan for England. It aims to take advantage of changes simplifying NHS records by quickly identifying people suitable for a trial. It will also include measures to streamline the paperwork required for the studies. It is hoped the reforms will speed up the trials process and attract more pharmaceutical companies to host them in Britain, as ministers in all departments are ordered to find pro-growth measures. The 10-year health plan will promise to slash set-up times for trials. While it takes about 100 days to set up a trial in Spain, it now takes 250 days in the NHS. The plan will push for commercial clinical trial set-up times to fall to a maximum of 150 days by March 2026. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 16 June 2025

Women would no longer be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy in England and Wales under a proposed shake-up of abortion laws. MPs are set to get a free vote next week - meaning they will not be told how to vote by their party - on a change to the law. It comes amid concern more women are being investigated by police on suspicion of illegally ending a pregnancy. Abortion is illegal in England and Wales, most often prosecuted under a piece of Victorian legislation, the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861. But it is allowed up to 24 weeks and in certain other circumstances under the terms of the 1967 Abortion Act. This requires two doctors to sign it off and even before 24 weeks can require a woman to testify that her mental or physical health is at risk. An amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, tabled by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, aims to decriminalise abortion at any stage by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy, ending the threat of investigation or imprisonment. The framework by which abortion is accessed would remain the same. But abortions would only need to be signed off by two doctors - as the law currently demands - if the procedure takes place in a hospital or other healthcare setting. Time limits would also still apply in healthcare settings. "The police cannot be trusted with abortion law – nor can the CPS or the wider criminal justice system," Antoniazzi said. "My amendment to the crime and policing bill will give us the urgent change we need to protect women." Read full story Source: BBC News, 20 June 2025

Boston Scientific Corp. will have to pay a total of $26.7 million in damages to four women in a court ruling related to its vaginal mesh product. Following a federal court trial in Miami, jurors found that the company’s Pinnacle pelvic floor replacement kit had a faulty design and the company failed to effectively warn patients and doctors about the possible risks associated with the device. Pelvic organ implants are used to treat female patients experiencing major discomfort due to pelvic organ prolapse. This was the first federal trial related to Pinnacle. Others lawsuits are pending. Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when a pelvic organ—such as the bladder—drops (prolapses) from its normal place and pushes against the walls of the vagina. This can happen when the muscles that hold pelvic organs in place are weakened or stretched from childbirth or surgery. Many women will have some kind of pelvic organ prolapse. It can be uncomfortable or painful, but isn’t usually a big health problem. It doesn’t always get worse. And in some women, it can get better with time. Boston Scientific officials told Reuters that they disagree with the verdict and have a strong case for post-trial motions and appeal. Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific is one of seven companies, including Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon division and C.R. Bard, faced with lawsuits over similar mesh products. Officials with Endo International plc said in September it the company has set aside $1.6 billion to settle “substantially all” the cases against it and its American Medical Systems unit. Read full story Source: Medical Product Outsourcing

Should health systems tell patients when they’re using AI? UC San Diego Health says yes. The health system uses a generative AI tool from Epic that drafts MyChart patient portal messages for providers. But UC San Diego Health notifies patients when the responses are drafted by AI with the disclosure: “Part of this message was generated automatically and was reviewed and edited by [name of physician],” according to a May 9 NEJM AI article. Members of the organisation’s AI governance committee debated whether it was necessary, as providers use other documentation shortcuts and generative AI could elicit concern from patients, but ultimately came to the same conclusion. “Transparency is necessary, as AI-assisted replies may stand out to patients — especially if they differ from clinicians’ usual communication style,” wrote the authors, UC San Diego Health Chief Medical Information Officer Marlene Millen, MD, Professor Ming Tai-Seale, MD, and Chief Clinical and Innovation Officer Christopher Longhurst, MD. Lack of transparency “could lead to patients questioning the authenticity of the replies, potentially damaging the crucial doctor-patient trust,” the authors wrote. “With tens of thousands of physicians nationwide using AI to support patient communication, now is the time to begin transparent disclosure.” Read full story Source: Becker's Health IT, 12 May 2025

A surgeon found to have left patients in "agony" after using artificial mesh to treat prolapsed bowels faces allegations he falsified medical notes. Tony Dixon was suspended after the surgery was found to have caused harm to hundreds of patients at two hospitals in Bristol. Now, a new hearing will examine Dr Dixon's records. He is accused of dishonestly creating patient records long after he was involved in their care, something he "strongly denies". The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) will begin Monday. It will examine claims medical records for seven patients contained false information, and were not created at the correct time. A spokesperson for Dr Dixon said: "[He] always endeavoured to provide the highest standard of care to his patients. "He strongly disputes falsifying any medical records and will provide his detailed evidence about those serious allegations to the tribunal, initially by way of a detailed witness statement which he has provided to the General Medical Council." Read full story Source: BBC News, 12 May 2025

People from minority ethnic backgrounds in the most deprived areas of England are up to three times more likely to need emergency treatment for asthma than their white counterparts, analysis has found. Analysis of NHS statistics conducted by the charity Asthma and Lung UK found that Asian people with asthma from the most deprived quintile in England are almost three times more likely to have an emergency admission to hospital than their white counterparts. Black people with asthma in the most deprived quintile are more than twice as likely than their white counterparts to be admitted to hospital. People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) aged between 45 and 54 in the most deprived quintile are nine times more likely to be admitted as an emergency than those in the least deprived quintile, according to the analysis. Sarah Sleet, the charity’s chief executive, said the figures highlighted “shocking health inequalities in our society”. Sleet said: “The UK has the worst death rate in Europe for lung conditions and they are more closely linked to inequality than any other major health condition. The fact that people from the most deprived communities and from ethnic minority backgrounds are much more likely to reach crisis point is yet another wake-up call. “Social disadvantages – including poor housing, mould, damp and air pollution – can both cause chronic lung conditions and make them worse. And it’s the poorest in society and those in ethnic minority communities who are more likely to be living in low-quality housing and in areas with high levels of air pollution.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 12 May 2025

Thousands of people in a mental health crisis are enduring waits of up to three days in A&E before they get a bed, with conditions “close to torture” for those in such a distressed state. At one hospital, some patients have become so upset at the delays in being admitted that they have left and tried to kill themselves nearby, leading nurses and the fire brigade to follow in an attempt to stop them. A&E staff are so busy dealing with patients seeking help with physical health emergencies that security guards rather than nurses sometimes end up looking after mental health patients. The findings are included in research by the Royal College of Nursing. Its leader, Prof Nicola Ranger, called the long waits facing those in serious mental ill health, and the difficulties faced by A&E staff seeking to care for them, “a scandal in plain sight”. The RCN’s research into “prolonged and degrading” long stays in A&E also disclosed that: Some trusts that previously had no long waits for mental health patients now have hundreds. The number of people seeking help at A&E for mental health emergencies is rising steadily and reached 216,182 last year. The recruitment of mental health nurses has lagged far behind the rise in demand. The number of beds in mental health units has fallen by 3,699 since 2014. Rachelle McCarthy, a senior charge nurse at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust, said: “It is not uncommon for patients with severe mental ill health to wait three days. Many become distressed and I totally understand why. I think if I was sat in an A&E department for three days waiting for a bed I would be distressed too.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 May 2025

Vulnerable patients at a struggling A&E died or needed intensive care after their needs “were not met” while being cared for in corridors and waiting areas, inspectors have warned after an unannounced inspection. The Care Quality Commission has raised concerns about how some of the “most vulnerable patients” were being treated in temporary escalation spaces at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, according to a document published in board papers this month. NHSE has said systems should “consider reporting the number of patients” in temporary escalation spaces, which include corridors or makeshift wards. Its guidance followed the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary that included scenes of patients being neglected in corridors in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Published CQC reports have since raised concerns about corridor care, but senior figures told HSJ the findings at the Royal Cornwall were among the most severe of this kind. The inspectors said one 96-year-old woman in a temporary escalation space died following a fall and staff “were unaware of the risk of falls due to lack of verbal handover”. Another patient “with a history of delirium” suffered a fractured collarbone from a fall in the same area of the hospital. In another case, an incontinent patient was transferred to a “fit to sit” area but by the end of the day “had deteriorated and was in intensive care”. The CQC’s letter said: “We were concerned the most vulnerable patients were not having their needs met when cared for in a temporary escalation space. “We weren’t assured that every ward is accounting for additional patients in the temporary escalation areas in terms of staffing numbers and skill mix.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 13 May 2025 Further reading on the hub: Corridor care: are the health and safety risks being addressed? The crisis of corridor care in the NHS: patient safety concerns and incident reporting A nurse's response to the NHSE guidance on their principles for providing safe and good quality care in temporary escalation spaces