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Sam

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  1. News Article
    Thousands of lives could be saved if safe rooms were set up in UK cities where people could be supervised while they get high, the world’s largest review of the effectiveness of drug-consumption rooms and overdose-prevention centres (OPCs) has found. The part-government-funded study published on Thursday also found the facilities could slash the transmission of fatal diseases, as well as reduce drug litter, the pressure on ambulance callouts and the burden on hospitals. Similar facilities already operate in France, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Mexico, Iceland and Colombia. Each unit hosts from 20 to 400 users a day and is supposed to provide somewhere for people to take drugs in the presence of trained health workers who intervene if an overdose occurs. They also mean people don’t have to rush their drug taking, can access clean needles, and get help with other health issues, from testing for hepatitis B and HIV to accessing mental-health support. But none has yet been deployed officially in the UK, and the report warns the absence “costs lives”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 January 2023
  2. News Article
    Most key NHS targets have been missed for at least seven years across the UK, BBC News research shows. The review of records going back 20 years also reveals Northern Ireland and Wales have never met the four-hour accident-and-emergency (A&E) target. The analysis focused on the three key hospital targets, covering A&E, cancer and waiting times for planned care. In the past seven, the only one to have been met is the A&E target in Scotland - and that was during lockdown in 2020, when the number of visits to A&E plummeted. All four nations said improving waiting times was a priority and investment was being made. But King's Fund think tank chief analyst Siva Anandaciva said the findings should "act as a wake-up call". "These are the key totemic targets," he said. "The length of time they have been missed is incredible." Patients groups warned the delays were putting patients at risk. Patients Association chief executive Rachel Power said the analysis showed the NHS was in "permacrisis". Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 January 2024
  3. News Article
    Mylissa Farmer’s pregnancy was doomed. But no one would help her end it. Over the course of a few days in August 2022, Farmer visited two hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, where doctors agreed that because the 41-year-old’s water had broken just 18 weeks into her pregnancy, there was no chance that she would give birth to a healthy baby. Continuing the pregnancy could risk Farmer’s health and life – yet the doctors could not act. Weeks earlier, the US supreme court had overturned Roe v Wade and abolished the national right to abortion. It was, legal counsel at one hospital determined, “too risky in this heated political environment to intervene”, according to legal filings. In immense pain and anguish, Farmer ultimately traveled several hours to Illinois, where abortion is legal. There, doctors were able to end her pregnancy. Farmer’s account is detailed in a legal complaint she filed against the hospitals, arguing that they broke a federal law that requires hospitals to treat patients in medical emergencies. In a first-of-its-kind investigation, the US government sided with Farmer and declared that the two hospitals had broken the law. The future of the government’s ability to invoke that law to protect women seeking emergency abortions is now in question. The law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (Emtala), is at the heart of the US supreme court’s latest blockbuster abortion case, which comes out of Idaho. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 January 2024
  4. News Article
    In 2016, Kettering General Hospital (KGH) became the focus of a major criminal inquiry. Documents seen by the BBC reveal detectives looked for evidence of gross negligence manslaughter over the treatment of Jorgie Stanton-Watts, a vulnerable toddler. Seven years of investigations followed, by the hospital, regulators and a coroner. The family has struggled to hold people to account. Since Jorgie's death, a BBC investigation has heard from more than 50 parents with serious concerns about the treatment of their children, many of whom died or suffered injury. The Northamptonshire hospital has also been inspected regularly. In April the Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded the hospital's children's services to inadequate, the lowest possible rating. Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 January 2024
  5. Event
    This conference focuses on improving practice and patient safety to reduce extravasation Injury, ensuring front line clinicians are aware of the risk of extravasation and how to recognise, treat and escalate extravasation injuries when they do occur. This conference will enable you to: Network with colleagues who are working to reduce extravasation injury. Learn from outstanding practice in recognizing, treating and escalating extravasation injury. Reflect on national developments and learning. Ensure vesicants are administered in the safest way. Develop your skills in training frontline staff to recognise evolving injuries. Understand how you can implement preventative measures. Identify key strategies for improvement. Educate patients to raise alarm and improve consent procedures. Develop protocols to support practice. Understand the role and competencies of the NHS trust lead for extravasation. Ensure effective treatment, and early intervention in severe wounds. Learn from case studies in cancer, maternity, radiology and paediatrics. Ensure you are up to date with the latest legal cases. Self assess and reflect on your own practice. Supports CPD professional development and acts as revalidation evidence. This course provides 5 Hrs training for CPD subject to peer group approval for revalidation purposes. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/iv-therapy-summit-2023 or email [email protected] Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #IVTherapy hub members receive a 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
  6. Event
    This conference brings together leading experts at the forefront of Martha’s Rule implementation and offers a comprehensive and practical guide for clinical staff to seamlessly integrate Martha’s Rule into their daily practice. The conference delves into the caregiver’s perspective, principles and implications of Martha’s Rule, legal and patient safety considerations, effective communication strategies, and the use of technology in the adoption of Martha’s Rule. Throughout the day, there will be interactive sessions, small breakout groups, and collaborative exercises, fostering a dynamic learning experience. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/marthas-rule-patient-safety or email [email protected] hub members receive a 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
  7. Event
    Aimed at Clinicians and Managers, this national virtual conference will provide a practical guide to human factors in healthcare, and how a human factors approach can improve patient care, quality, process, and safety. The conference delves into integrating human factors into healthcare systems and processes, clinical decision making, healthcare system design, quality of patient experience, medication safety, and workload, fatigue, and stress management. Throughout the day, there will be interactive sessions, small breakout groups, and collaborative exercises, fostering a dynamic learning experience. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/a-practical-guide-to-human-factors-in-healthcare or email [email protected] hub members receive a 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #HumanFactors
  8. News Article
    The Royal College of Nursing has warned of an increase risk of Covid among hospital staff and patients due to the NHS’s failure to follow World Health Organization advice about infection control during a current spike in cases. The most recent figures showed one in 24 people in England and Scotland had Covid on 13 December, up from one in 55 two weeks before. Last week WHO expressed concern about a new subvariant of Omicron, labelled JN.1, after its rapid spread in the Americas, western Pacific and European regions. To tackle the increase, the WHO advised that all health facilities “implement universal masking” and give health workers “respirators and other PPE”. Now the RCN has written to the four chief nursing officers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland asking why this guidance has not been introduced across the NHS. The letter, seen by the Guardian, points out that existing guidance in the national infection prevention and control manual (NIPCM) does not mandate hospital staff to use masks. It also leaves decisions about respirators to local risk assessors. The RCN says this guidance to UK hospitals is “inconsistent” with WHO advice. The letter by Patricia Marquis, the RCN’s director for England, calls for urgent revision to the NIPCM guidance to ensure the “universal implementation” of masks and respirators for health workers. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 December 2023
  9. Event
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    Themed Together to Regenerate Health and Care, the programme will showcase inspirational improvement work from all sectors and explore how we can create a system of health and care that truly meets the needs of our communities. You can now explore six new topic streams - Safety, People, Population, Change, Leadership and Science, and find sessions that address the challenges that you and your organisation face. Register
  10. News Article
    A mother who endured a botched surgery at the hands of a disgraced neurosurgeon claims NHS Tayside tried to silence her against making complaints. Professor Sam Eljamel removed Jules Rose's tear duct during a failed attempt to operate on a brain tumour - setting the 55-year-old on a path to becoming a prolific campaigner for patients' rights. Ms Rose, however, has received sight of documents that show NHS Tayside writing to the then-health minister Humza Yousaf to say she had been "aggressive" and "vulgar" and they would no longer communicate with her. In a letter in response, Mr Yousaf says he sees no evidence of any such conduct by the mother-of-two and tells the health board to enter into mediation with her. Ms Rose said: "In the letter I have been given, Humza Yousaf writes back and say, 'She's quite right to feel aggrieved at the treatment she's received. "'Therefore, I suggest that you continue liaising with Miss Rose and enter into mediation.' "This was last November but I've only just had copies of the letters sent to me and when I saw them I thought, 'They've tried to shut me down, they're tried to silence me'." The ongoing dispute with NHS Tayside is as a result of Ms Rose's long-running campaign for justice for patients - thought to be as many as 270 - harmed by Eljamel while he was in the health board's employ. Read full story Source: The Herald, 16 December 2023
  11. Content Article
    The Cultural Awareness Hub is a national service which provides interactive, expert experience and sustainable workshops which offer unique insights into culture and history for all organisations working with and supporting the public. It helps organisations to understand and identify barriers to services, while providing realistic and achievable solutions to ensure effective and efficient collaborative engagement is embedded with all communities. The training is developed to transform knowledge and empower both participants and the communities they are supporting. Understanding and respecting different cultures and communities is essential to ensure all services provide personalised care. Training provided through The Cultural Awareness Hub is subject to a fee, please contact us for more information. To find out more and to discuss creating your own training package, please contact [email protected].
  12. News Article
    UK organisations responsible for protecting the public from advertisements of prescription-only drugs are putting patients at risk from the harms of weight loss drugs by not enforcing the law, critics have told The BMJ. The UK’s Human Medicines Regulations 2012 prohibit the advertising of prescription drugs to the general public, and companies that break the rules can be sanctioned with fines, orders to issue a corrective statement, or prosecution. Legal responsibility for regulating advertisements for medicines in the UK rests with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on behalf of health ministers. But there is also a system of self-regulation with a number of organisations operating their own codes of practice, including the Advertising Standards Authority. But The BMJ has found that the MHRA has not issued a single sanction for prescription drugs in the past five years. And among 16 cases where the MHRA took action by requesting changes to advertisements for weight loss drugs from June 2022 to July 2023, all were triggered by external complaints, not internal mechanisms, and none resulted in sanctions. Read full story Source: The BMJ, 13 December 2023
  13. News Article
    Hundreds more middle-aged adults have been dying each month since the end of the pandemic, as obesity and NHS backlogs drive a surge in excess deaths. New analysis of official statistics has revealed that there were an extra 28,000 deaths in the UK during the first six months of 2023, compared with levels in the previous five years. The biggest rise in unexpected deaths has been among adults aged 50 to 64, who are increasingly dying prematurely from preventable conditions including heart disease and diabetes. The Covid inquiry is now being urged to shift its focus from “tactical decisions made by politicians” and to examine the lasting disruption that has kept deaths persistently high since the virus peaked. Experts believe that difficulties in accessing GPs since lockdown and record NHS waiting lists mean that middle-aged patients are missing out on life-saving preventative treatment such as blood pressure medication. Unhealthy lifestyles, obesity and widening health inequalities are also contributing to a rise in avoidable deaths. Professor Yvonne Doyle, who led Public Health England during the pandemic, warned that the official Covid inquiry risks “missing the point” by focusing on the drama and WhatsApps of Westminster politicians. In an article for The Times, Doyle, who gave evidence to the inquiry six weeks ago, says that the tens of thousands of excess deaths since Covid “represent an underlying pandemic of ill health” that should be addressed. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 13 December 2023
  14. Event
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    The health and care workforce continues to face profound challenges, with severe staff shortages and increasing financial pressures across health and care. While the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan aims to support the NHS’s future needs, it does not cover the social care workforce, resulting in a knock-on effect across the entire health and care system, particularly for those who rely on social care services. To resolve the challenges facing health and care, the sector needs to embrace positive disruption and its potential to change the nature of work and to improve recruitment, retention and the health and wellbeing of the workforce. This event from the King's Fund will explore the changing nature of work and how this can support the health and care system to adapt to future challenges. It will look at the different expectations between those already in the workforce and those joining it, and the challenges and opportunities this presents – whether it’s redesigning job roles, reforming education and training and providing different routes into health and care careers, developing a system that embraces flexible working, creating spaces for digital collaboration, or supporting moves to shift care out of hospital and into the community. Attendees will consider how those working in health and care can be supported to make the most of these opportunities against the backdrop of deep-seated cultural issues in the health and care system. Conference sessions will explore how to support the health and care workforce to succeed in their roles, and how organisations can be more responsive to the needs of people who work in them, whether through redesigning job roles to enable staff to deliver the best possible care, reforming regulation to support managers to succeed, or creating development opportunities to enable staff to work in a way that supports their health and wellbeing. Please join us to learn and share your leadership and workforce challenges. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with experts and leaders from across the health and care system through keynote speeches, panel debates and interactive workshops. Register
  15. Event
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    Many people recognise that both the NHS and the health of the nation are in deep crisis. Whether in terms of life expectancy, levels of long-term ill health, inequalities, mental health, or the drivers of poor health such as obesity, England’s recent record is poor and often compares badly to its neighbours. Essentially, there is now a need to think differently about how to design and deliver health and care services to meet the challenge of reducing health inequalities.  This two-day virtual event from the King's Fund will bring together individuals and teams who have been working on shaping, informing and implementing strategies and action plans to address health inequalities at system, regional and place levels. Ahead of the upcoming general election, sessions will also provide an opportunity to discuss and explore the need for urgent action and policy change for the new government to improve population health and implement measures that help people to make healthier choices. Showcasing both international and domestic case studies, this conference will also explore how the health and care system is working in partnership with local authorities, the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector and community leaders to develop a collaborative approach to health inequalities that makes the most of local assets and networks and meets the needs of local communities. Register
  16. News Article
    A London acute trust is planning to provide staff working in frailty units with body cameras and those in antenatal clinics with additional security, as violence and aggression against them goes ‘through the roof’. Matthew Trainer, chief executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust in north east London, described the measures the trust is planning to take in response to growing staff concerns about their safety. Speaking at a King’s Fund event about making NHS careers more attractive, Mr Trainer said: “We need to understand the impact of violence and aggression against the workforce and that’s going through the roof just now. “Our ultrasound technicians have now asked for help as their antenatal scans are becoming so fraught. We are about to introduce body cameras in our frailty wards to help with the increase in violence and aggression against staff there.” Mr Trainer – who joined BHRUT in 2021 from Oxleas Foundation Trust – said a long-running problem with violence and aggression in emergency departments was spreading to other departments. Mr Trainer stressed the main problem, particularly in frailty units, was not patients’ own behaviour, but that of family and friends visiting them. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 13 December 2023
  17. News Article
    A fresh inquest into the death of Raychel Ferguson has found she died of a cerebral oedema, or swelling in the brain, due to hyponatraemia. He said the "inappropriate infusion of hypertonic saline fluid" was the most significant factor. The nine-year-old died at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in June 2001. Coroner Joe McCrisken said her death was due to a series of human errors and not systemic failure. He outlined three causes of the hyponatraemia but said he was satisfied the "inappropriate infusion of hypertonic saline fluid... played the most significant part". The new inquest into Raychel's death was first opened in January 2022 after being ordered by the attorney general but was postponed in October when new evidence came to light. Raychel was one of five children whose deaths over the course of eight years at the same hospital prompted a public inquiry. In 2018 the Hyponatraemia Inquiry - which examined the deaths of five children in Northern Ireland hospitals, including Raychel - found her death was avoidable. The 14-year-long inquiry was heavily critical of the "self-regulating and unmonitored" health service. In his report in 2018, Mr Justice O'Hara found there was a "reluctance among clinicians to openly acknowledge failings" in Raychel's death. Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 December 2023
  18. News Article
    The expert tasked by government and NHS England to investigate maternity scandals has criticised ministers for failing to provide the funding necessary to address the problems. Donna Ockenden said the funding provided so far was “nowhere near good enough” and progress made to improve services had been “extremely disappointing”. After her investigation into the deaths and harm of 295 babies and nine mothers at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, the Department of Health and Social Care endorsed recommendations to invest an additional £200m to £350m per year into maternity services. IMs Ockenden suggests the recent impact of inflation, pay awards, and other rising costs means the full £350m is required. According to NHSE an additional £165m per year has been invested since 2021, and the DHSC said this would rise to £187m from April. Ms Ockenden, a senior midwife, told HSJ: “What I would like to say loud and clear to the government is that we are broadly 50 per cent of the way there in receiving the money we know is needed for maternity services. That is nowhere near good enough. “There are workforce issues across [the whole team], whether that’s midwives, obstetricians or neonatologists, and it’s hardly surprising. “The government must now do more – whilst we were grateful for the endorsement [of her report], the lack of progress in providing what is known to be the required funding is extremely disappointing.” Read more (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 11 December 2023
  19. News Article
    New official guidance on treating menopause will harm women’s health, experts, MPs and campaigners have warned. Last month, new draft guidelines to GPs from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said that women experiencing hot flushes, night sweats, depression and sleep problems could be offered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) “alongside or as an alternative to” hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help reduce their menopause symptoms. But critics have castigated the guidance, saying it belittled symptoms through misogynistic language, and women’s health would suffer as a result of failing to emphasise the benefits of HRT on bone and cardiovascular health as opposed to CBT. In its response to the guidance, Mumsnet said NICE's recommendations used “patronising” and “offensive” language and would be “detrimental” to women’s health. Justine Roberts, the founder and chief executive of Mumsnet, said: “Women already struggle to access the HRT they are entitled to. We hear daily from women in perimenopause and menopause who are battling against a toxic combination of entrenched misogyny, misinformation and lack of knowledge among GPs. “Too often they are fobbed off or told they simply need to put up with severe physical and mental symptoms – often with life-changing effects. “By emphasising the negative over the positive, failing to include information about the safest forms of HRT and placing CBT on a par with hormone replacement therapy, this guidance will worsen that struggle. It will make doctors more reluctant to prescribe HRT and women more fearful about asking for or accepting it.” Carolyn Harris, the MP for Swansea East and the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on menopause, said the new guidance was “antiquated”, “naive” and “ill thought-out”. ”Talking can make you feel better, but it’s not going to take away the aches in your joints and it’s not going to change how you live your life,” she said. “Whatever a woman feels is what she needs to support her through the menopause should be readily and immediately available, and that’s not true currently [of HRT or CBT]." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 December 2023
  20. Event
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    Five people die with sepsis every hour in the UK. Sepsis is a serious complication of an infection. Without quick treatment it can lead to multiple organ failure and death. Sepsis often goes undiagnosed and it is important to raise awareness of the symptoms and what to look out for in order to reduce the number of sepsis-related death. This webinar will give attendees a chance to hear from Dr Ron Daniels, Founder & Joint CEO of the UK Sepsis Trust and Melissa Mead, whose son William died from sepsis in 2014 and has passionately campaigned to raise awareness of the issue ever since. The webinar is free to attend and there will be time for Q&A towards the end. Register
  21. News Article
    Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to provide evidence at the Covid Inquiry on the 6 and 7 of December. Long Covid is one of the most catastrophic consequences of the pandemic and it deserves a prominent place in the discussions during this critical phase of the inquiry. The Long Covid Groups will be delivering a letter to No.10 Downing Street today, urging attention to the unique challenges faced by those with Long Covid. Read the letter and sign the petition
  22. News Article
    Newborn babies could be at a higher risk of a deadly bacterial infection carried by their mothers than previously thought. Group B Strep or GBS is a common bacteria found in the vagina and rectum which is usually harmless. However, it can be passed on from mothers to their newborn babies leading to complications such as meningitis and sepsis. NHS England says that GBS rarely causes problems and 1 in 1,750 babies fall ill after contracting the infection. However, researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that the likelihood of newborn babies falling ill could be far greater. They claim one in 200 newborns are admitted to neonatal units with sepsis caused by GBS. Pregnant women are not routinely screened for GBS in the UK and only usually discover they are carriers if they have other complications or risk factors. Jane Plumb, co-founded charity Group B Strep Support with her husband Robert after losing their middle child to the infection in 1996. She said: “This important study highlights the extent of the devastating impact group B Strep has on newborn babies, and how important it is to measure accurately the number of these infections. “Inadequate data collected on group B Strep is why we recently urged the Government to make group B Strep a notifiable disease, ensuring cases would have to be reported. “Without understanding the true number of infections, we may not implement appropriate prevention strategies and are unable to measure their true effectiveness.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 29 November 2023 Further reading on the hub: Leading for safety: A conversation with Jane Plumb, Founder of Group B Strep Support
  23. News Article
    Patients are at risk of having serious health conditions missed because of the lack of continuity of care provided by GPs, the NHS safety watchdog says. Investigators highlighted the case of Brian who was seen by eight different GPs before his cancer was spotted as an example of what can go wrong. Brian had a history of breast cancer and had been discharged from the breast cancer service. Two years later he began to have back pain. Over the following eight months, he saw two out-of-hours GPs and six GPs based at his local practices as well as a physio and GP nurse, before he was sent for a hospital check-up in late 2020. A secondary cancer had developed on Brian's spine, but it was too late to offer him curative treatment and he was given end-of-life care. He has since died. The watchdog said the lack of continuity of care resulted in the diagnosis of Brian's cancer being missed. One of the key problems was that the different GPs he saw missed the fact he was attending repeatedly for the same issue. Senior investigator Neil Alexander said Brian's case was a "stark example" of what can happen when there is a breakdown in continuity of care. "He told our team 'when I am gone, no-one else should have to go through what I did'." Read full story Source: BBC News, 30 November 2023
  24. News Article
    The number of people with norovirus in hospital in England is 179% higher than the average at this time of year, official data shows, as the NHS comes under mounting winter pressure. Admissions caused by the vomiting and diarrhoea-causing norovirus have surged and cases of other seasonal viruses are also rising, according to NHS England figures. Health chiefs said the impact on hospitals from seasonal viruses was likely to be worsened by the current cold weather. “We all know somebody who has had some kind of nasty winter virus in the last few weeks,” said Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director. “Today’s data shows this is starting to trickle through to hospital admissions, with a much higher volume of norovirus cases compared to last year, and the continued impact of infections like flu and RSV in children on hospital capacity – all likely to be exacerbated by this week’s cold weather.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 30 November 2023
  25. Event

    IHI Forum

    Sam

    Sam posted an event in Community Calendar

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    The IHI Forum is a four-day conference that has been the home of quality improvement in health care for more than 30 years. Dedicated improvement professionals from across the globe will be convening to tackle health care's most pressing challenges: improvement capability, patient and workforce safety, equity, climate change, artificial intelligence, and more. Register

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