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Patient_Safety_Learning

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News posted by Patient_Safety_Learning

  1. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Parts of ceilings have fallen in at two key units of a decrepit NHS hospital, forcing it to evacuate patients and cancel X-rays and scans, the Guardian can reveal.
    The problems at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport, which is plagued by leaks and major structural defects, have prompted claims it is “dangerous for both patients and staff”.
    Read full story
    Source: Guardian, 3 May
  2. Patient_Safety_Learning
    One of the UK's most secretive centres of scientific research - Porton Down - is aiming to stop the next pandemic "in its tracks".
    James Gallagher, Health and science correspondent, passed through the incredibly tight security at this remote facility to get rare access to its scientists.
    They are based in the shiny new Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre.
    Their work builds on the response to Covid, and aims to save lives and minimise the need for lockdowns when a new disease next emerges.
    Read full story
    Source: BBC 7 August 2023
  3. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Groundbreaking treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that work by removing a toxic protein called beta amyloid from the brain may benefit whites more than Black Americans, whose disease may be driven by other factors, leading Alzheimer’s experts told Reuters.
    The two drugs - Leqembi, from partner biotech firms Eisai (4523.T) and Biogen (BIIB.O), and an experimental treatment developed by Eli Lilly (LLY.N), donanemab — are the first to offer real hope of slowing the fatal disease for the 6.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s.
    Although older Black Americans have twice the rate of dementia as their white peers, they were screened out of clinical trials of these drugs at a higher rate, according to interviews with 10 researchers as well as four Eisai and Lilly executives.
    Prospective Black volunteers with early disease symptoms did not have enough amyloid in their brain to qualify for the trials, the 10 researchers explained.
    Read full story
    Source: NBC 31 July 2023
  4. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Sajid Javid has revealed details of his young relative’s “brave battle” against myalgic encephalomyelitis, warning that patients with the condition are being “dismissed entirely” by doctors.
    During a debate held in Westminster Hall on Wednesday, the former health secretary spoke of the distressing experience of his cousin’s “amazing” daughter who developed the debilitating illness seven years ago, aged 13.
    ME is a complex neurological disorder that affects about 250,000 people in the UK and leads to symptoms including exhaustion and pain. Severe cases can be fatal, with patients bedridden and unable to eat or drink, and care held back by a lack of specialist NHS services.
    Read full story
    Source: The Times, 2 May 2024
  5. Patient_Safety_Learning
    The author of a Parliamentary report into ‘failing’ eating disorder services in 2017 says the number of concerning deaths still being reported five years on is ‘very distressing’.
    In the five years since ombudsman Rob Behrens warned of major shortcomings around adult eating disorder services, HSJ has identified at least 19 women whose deaths sparked concerns from coroners about their care (see list below). At least 15 of these were deemed avoidable, and resulted in formal warnings being issued to mental health chiefs.
    Source: HSJ, 14 February 2023
    Read full story
  6. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Campaigners have expressed alarm at new analysis showing a sharp increase in new or expectant mothers waiting for mental health care, with one woman found to have waited 319 days for a first appointment.
    More than 30,000 women who are pregnant or have newly given birth are on waiting lists for mental health support, according to NHS England data analysed by Labour, with the party saying many of them were being left to “suffer in silence”.
    Amid rising demand for what are known as perinatal mental health services, during the period from August 2022 to March 2023 the numbers of women waiting rose by 40%. Over that same period, the numbers who accessed support also rose, but only by 8%.
    Read full story
    Source: Guardian, 4 September 2023
  7. Patient_Safety_Learning
    In the U.S., the prescribing label of Ozempic's sister drug, Wegovy, already warns of possible suicidal ideation because of similar side effects linked to other weight loss drugs.
    Following reports of self-injury and suicidal thoughts among a small number of people who’ve taken Ozempic or Wegovy in Europe and the United Kingdom, health regulators there are investigating whether the drugs carry a risk of these side effects.
    The European Medicines Agency said last month that it was reviewing 150 such reports from people who took drugs in this class, called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which lower blood sugar and suppress appetite by mimicking a hormone in the gut.
    Then last week, the U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency told Reuters that it was reviewing safety data about the drugs following similar reports.
    Neither Ozempic nor Wegovy, which are both versions of a drug called semaglutide at different dosages, carry warnings about suicidal ideation in Europe or the U.K., since clinical trials have not shown evidence of an increased risk.
    But in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration requires that medications for weight management that work on the central nervous system carry a warning about suicidal thoughts. Because the agency approved Wegovy as a weight loss treatment, its prescribing label asks medical professionals to monitor for these symptoms and to discontinue the medication if people develop them. Ozempic, which is only FDA-approved to treat diabetes, does not come with that warning.
    But some patients think it should.
    Read full story
    Source: NBC 1 August 2023
  8. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Jonathan Medland's voice crackles with anger and emotion when he talks about his beloved son Jon, who tragically took his own life aged just 22.
    'He was the most exuberant, engaging, funny and amazing young man you could ever wish to meet — nobody had a bad word to say about him — he was really going places,' says Jonathan, 66, a retired driving instructor from Barnstaple in Devon. 'But that drug did something terrible to his brain.'
    The drug he's referring to is isotretinoin — brand name Roaccutane — a pill first licensed in the UK for the treatment of severe acne in 1983 and since taken by hundreds of thousands of patients.
    Read full story
    Source: Mail Online 31 July 2023
  9. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Soaring use of private healthcare for tests and treatments is piling pressure on overstretched GP surgeries, with family doctors warning that standard NHS care is being squeezed as a result.
    Record numbers of people are paying for private healthcare, with some having procedures such as cataract surgery and hip replacements, amid mounting frustration at NHS hospital waiting lists. Others are opting for private health checks, genetic testing or cosmetic surgery such as liposuction.
    But the surge in private healthcare use is increasing the workload of GPs, many of whom say they are increasingly having to interpret questionable health checks done privately, organise blood tests or scans and manage additional administration related to private care. Some say more of their hours are being taking up providing follow-up appointments after patients paid for treatment or surgery abroad.
    Read full story
    Source: Guardian, 29 October 2023
  10. Patient_Safety_Learning
    A woman died when a major private healthcare provider failed to transfer her to NHS intensive care quickly enough after she became critically ill.
    Sabrina Khan said Spire Healthcare staff "should have known something was wrong" with her mother, Nafisa.
    The BBC also obtained testimony from doctors - contracted by the company to work up to 168 hours a week - who say long hours could put patients at risk.
    Spire Healthcare has apologised for failings in Nafisa Khan's care.
    The death of Mrs Khan from east London is one of several deaths following surgery at Spire Healthcare, looked at by BBC Panorama.
    Read full story
    Source: BBC News, 8 April 2024
  11. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Racism is a significant issue affecting recruitment, retention, and patient care. With this in mind, the Royal College of Psychiatrists launched the Act Against Racism campaign, offering guidance and actions to combat racism in the workplace for better staff well-being and patient care, writes Adrian James
    In June, HSJ revealed that mental health trusts in England are among the biggest users of locum doctors in the NHS. With one in seven medical posts in mental health trusts vacant, many providers now rely on locum doctors to deliver essential services to patients.
    Read full story
    Source: HSJ, 9 August 2023
  12. Patient_Safety_Learning
    More than 150,000 patients had to wait a day in A&E before getting a hospital bed last year, according to new data.
    Freedom of information data compiled by the Liberal Democrats from 73 hospital trusts – about half the total – found that the number of patients forced to wait more than 24 hours in A&E before a bed could be found for them has increased by tenfold since 2019. The majority of those forced to wait were elderly or frail, with two-thirds of the patients over the age of 65.
    Read full story
    Source: Guardian 8 April 2024
  13. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Babylon Healthcare won NHS contracts after being championed by Matt Hancock but the company’s AI tech was oversold and it has now collapsed.
    The NHS spent millions of pounds on a flawed AI chatbot whose creator used aggressive sales techniques and overpromised what it could do, former staff have claimed.
    Babylon Health, a tech start-up championed by Matt Hancock and advised by Dominic Cummings, promised that its AI chatbot could keep patients who didn’t need to be seen by a health professional out of the overstretched NHS.
    But the technology was not as sophisticated as the company claimed, with former staff now claiming that what began as a crude tool based on “decision trees written by doctors, put into an Excel spreadsheet” never realised its promised potential. Concerns — including the fact the app missed clear signs of a heart attack or dangerous blood clots — were raised.
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: The Times, 28 October 2023
  14. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Thousands of patients in England and Northern Ireland are missing out on a life-extending prostate cancer drug that is more widely available on the NHS in Scotland and Wales, say experts.
    Charity Prostate Cancer UK said it was "unacceptable" that men in parts of the UK were facing a postcode lottery.
    Although not a cure, abiraterone can help stop prostate cancer spreading to other parts of the body.
    NHS England said it would review the drug's use for more men next year.
    Read full story
    Source: BBC News, 23 October 2023
  15. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Three patients died after delayed transfers from a private hospital within a nine-month period, coroner’s findings reveal.
    Three prevention of future deaths reports reviewed by HSJ raised concerns about the deaths of patients whose transfer from Spire’s Norwich facility to the NHS hospital in the same city was delayed.
    The sites, which are one mile apart, are run by £1bn-turnover private company Spire Healthcare and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust respectively.
    Read full story
    Source: HSJ, 15 November 2023
    Prevention of Future Deaths reports:
    Geoffrey Hoad (13 September 2023) Prevention of Future Deaths report: Christina Ruse (3 October 2022) Prevention of Future Deaths report: Barbara Hollis (3 October 2022)
  16. Patient_Safety_Learning
    A hospital trust has apologised to families after dozens of children suffered hearing loss following failures in their care.
    Croydon Health Services Trust had already revealed three children “may have been at risk of serious hearing loss or a delay to their speech development”, but it has now confirmed to HSJ that a further 49 “incurred mild to moderate hearing loss or impairment”.
    The south London trust would not disclose the results of its internal review that begun after it declared a serious incident in March 2021, saying it was “ongoing”, but said it had acted on all the “immediate recommendations”.
    The incident was declared after more than 1,400 children were found not to have been followed up by the trust. 
    There was also an external review carried out by an audiologist from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust. It is unclear which review uncovered the incidents of harm. 
    Read full story
    Source: HSJ 1 August 2023
  17. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Trusts may be spared financial penalties if they fail to meet care quality standards under new proposals from NHS England. 
    NHSE is looking at “pausing” the financial element of the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme from next year according to information seen by HSJ. This states “a wider review of incentives for quality” is also under way.
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ, 30 October 2023
  18. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Virtual wards, set up to relieve pressure on A&E departments, could create extra NHS demand as some are only staffed for 12 hours a day, the country’s top emergency doctor has warned.
    The service allows patients to be monitored remotely from their own homes, freeing up hospital beds and capacity in emergency departments.
    Patients are given devices to track their vital signs, such as blood pressure and oxygen levels, with readings sent back to doctors via smartphone apps.
    Dr Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said that virtual wards “must not be seen as a silver bullet for all the problems in urgent and emergency care”.
    “We’re very wary of virtual ward beds being used to say that there are increased beds within hospitals because that’s simply not true,” he said. “The plan for 7,000 or 5,000 extra beds need to be actual beds, with pillows, sheets and staff looking after them.”
    Source: Telegraph, 11 February 2023
    Read full story
  19. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Medical clinics are using fake Google reviews to boost their profiles online, a BBC investigation has found.
    Consumer groups say fake reviews are a "significant and persistent problem" and have called on internet firms to do more to remove them and fine companies.
    Which? has warned it could be a serious issue if someone chooses a treatment clinic based on reading a fake review.
    Read full story
    Source: BBC 2 August 2023
  20. Patient_Safety_Learning
    A weight loss injection could reduce the risk of heart attacks and benefit the cardiovascular health of millions of adults across the UK, in what could be the largest medical breakthrough since statins, according to a study.
    It found that participants taking the medication semaglutide, the active ingredient in brands including Wegovy and Ozempic, had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular disease.
    Read full story
    Source: Guardian, 14 May 2024
  21. Patient_Safety_Learning
    An ambulance spent 28 hours outside a hospital after an "extraordinary incident" was declared due to delays.
    The Welsh Ambulance Service said 16 ambulances had waited outside the emergency department at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, at one time.
    It said multiple sites across Wales were affected.
    The extraordinary incident, which asked people to only call 990 if their emergency was "life or limb threatening", is now over.
    Read full story
    Source: BBC News, 23 October 2023
  22. Patient_Safety_Learning
    A trust pressured into commissioning an external review of dozens of suicides faces fresh criticism and questions about the probe’s credibility after it emerged the investigation will not investigate each case but instead look to ‘identify themes’.
    Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust originally said it would carry out the review of more than 60 patient suicides internally. But following criticism, it U-turned on this decision and last month agreed to an externally-led process.
    Read full story (paywalled)
    Source: HSJ
  23. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Dr Martyn Pitman claimed retaliatory victimisation after raising morale concerns but tribunal says it was his manner that cost him his job.
    A doctor has said raising whistleblowing concerns about maternity care at his hospital “cost me very dearly” after he lost his employment tribunal.
    Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Martyn Pitman was dismissed earlier this year from his job at the Royal Hampshire county hospital (RHCH) in Winchester, where he had worked for 20 years.
    He told the Southampton tribunal, which concluded earlier this month, that he had been “subjected to brutal retaliatory victimisation” after exercising his rights under the Public Interest Disclosure Act.
    A tribunal judgment released on Friday said there had been “unanimous” agreement that the arguments behind the whistleblowing claim “fail and are dismissed”.
    Read full story
    Source: Guardian, 29 October 2023
  24. Patient_Safety_Learning
    Large numbers of midwives report being left feeling undervalued and afraid to speak up due to bullying and widespread staffing shortages, which some say is putting mothers’ and babies’ lives at risk, according to a new publication shared with HSJ.
    The Say No to Bullying in Midwifery report comprises hundreds of accounts, ranging from students, newly qualified and senior midwives, heads of midwifery, maternity support workers and more. It aims to publicise and share concerns they have raised online.
    The report said: “Midwives have described their experiences of toxic cultures within their workplaces, with cliques, preferential treatment, unfounded allegations and poor working conditions leading to a negative impact on their health and wellbeing, including suicide attempts and midwives leaving their job or profession.
    Read full story
    Source: HSJ, 13 November 2023
    Order a copy of the report
  25. Patient_Safety_Learning
    A hospital trust is facing a fine in a criminal prosecution over the death of a baby.
    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is prosecuting Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust over the death of Wynter Andrews.
    Wynter died 23 minutes after she was born by Caesarean section in September 2019 at the Queen's Medical Centre. 
    The prosecution is one of only two the CQC has brought against an NHS maternity unit.
    The trust is due to face sentencing at Nottingham Magistrates' Court later.
    Read full story
    Source: BBC News, 25 January 2023
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