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Showing results for tags 'Children and Young People'.
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Content ArticleThese videos posted by Melissa Sheldrick tell the story of her son Andrew, who died aged eight from a medication error. The investigation into Andrew's death found that he had been given baclofen by his pharmacy instead of the tryptophan he had been prescribed. When tested, the dose of baclofen in the bottle given to Andrew contained three times the lethal dose of baclofen for adults. PSMF Melissa's story. In this video, Andrew's mother Melissa talks about what happened to Andrew and how it led to her campaigning for mandatory reporting of medication errors by pharmacists across Canada, Australia and the US. Patients taking the lead: Collaborating for safer healthcare. This presentation was originally given at the World Health Organization's (WHO's) World Patient Safety Day conference on 12 September 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. Melissa tells Andrew's story and talks about how she has raised awareness of gaps in accountability for pharmacies and pharmacists. She describes how she was invited to be part of a taskforce to improve safety in pharmacy by the pharmacy regulator in her home state of Ontario—this was the first time a member of the public had been included in such a taskforce.
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News Article
Parents in England urged to ensure children get MMR jab amid uptake drop
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Parents are being urged to get their children vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) after a “worrying” drop in uptake of key vaccines. Figures from NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show 92.5% of children had had the first dose of the MMR jab at five years old by 2022-23, the lowest since 2010-11. The proportion of five-year-olds who had had the second jab by 2022-23 was 84.5%, also the lowest level since 2010-11. Vaccination programmes across England failed to meet the uptake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the year 2022-23. WHO recommends that, nationally, at least 95% of children should be inoculated for diseases that can be stopped by vaccines, in order to prevent outbreaks. NHS data showed no routine vaccine programme met the threshold during the 12-month period. Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, a consultant medical epidemiologist at UKHSA, said the downward trend was a “serious concern”. “The diseases that these vaccines protect against, such as measles, polio and meningitis, can be life-changing and even deadly,” she said. “No parent wants this for their child especially when these diseases are easily preventable. Please don’t put this off, check now that your children are fully up to date with all their vaccines due. Check your child’s red book and get in touch with your GP surgery if you are not sure.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 September 2023 -
News Article
Vapes '95% safer' than cigarettes messaging backfired
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The message that vaping is 95% safer than smoking has backfired, encouraging some children to vape, says a top health expert. Dr Mike McKean treats children with lung conditions and is vice-president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He says the 2015 public messaging should have been clearer - vapes are only for adults addicted to cigarettes. Evidence on the possible health risks of vaping is still being gathered. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Dr McKean said: "Vaping is not for children and young people. In fact it could be very bad for you," although he stresses that it is not making lots of children very sick, and serious complications are rare. "Vaping is only a tool for adults who are addicted to cigarettes." He says the 95% safe messaging was "a very unwise thing to have done and it's opened the door to significant chaos". "There are many children, young people who have taken up vaping who never intended to smoke and are now likely addicted to vaping. And I think it's absolutely shocking that we've allowed that to happen." Read full story Source: BBC News, 26 September 2023 -
News ArticleIt is still unclear how unauthorised metal parts came to be implanted in a number of the 19 children with spina bifida who suffered significant complications after spinal surgery. But it has emerged that one child died and 18 others suffered a range of complications after surgery at Temple Street Children’s Hospital – with several needing further surgery, including the removal of metal parts which were not authorised for use. Parents of the children undergoing complex surgery were left distraught by the disclosures that emerged yesterday, after campaigning for years while the young patients in need of operations deteriorated on waiting lists. Gerry Maguire, of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland, said “absolute horror is being visited on parents and their advocates”. He condemned as disturbing the information which is “being drip-fed to his group and “more alarmingly the families concerned”. One mother expressed concern about further delays in surgery and said children are too complex to be taken for care abroad. Read full story Source: Irish Independent, 19 September 2023
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News ArticleDozens more children than initially thought have come to “severe” harm following failings in audiology care, HSJ can reveal. Two more trusts have confirmed that, between them, 30 children suffered severe harm – which is defined as ”permanent or long-term harm” – after the failings. Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust said an external investigation had revealed 14 such cases, while Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust found 16 more after going through the same process. A total of 36 confirmed or suspected severe harm cases from paediatric audiology failings across six English trusts are now known about. I NHS England wrote to all 42 integrated care boards at the end of August, asking them to ensure the “approximately” 130 paediatric hearing services in England were running safely. Sir David Sloman, then-chief operating officer, and Dame Sue Hill, chief science officer, said the NHSE “review of these trusts has identified root causes that have led to poor service delivery and outcomes… [which include] lack of clinical governance and oversight, poor reporting of data, poor interpretation of results, poor retention of diagnostic data, and lack of accreditation.” The National Deaf Children’s Society called the speed of the NHS’s response “a scandal”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 19 September 2023
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News Article
Sick children’s health worsening as record numbers wait for NHS care in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Sick children’s health problems are getting worse as record numbers wait up to 18 months for NHS care, doctors treating them have warned. The number of under-18s on the waiting list for paediatric care in England has soared to 423,500, the highest on record. Of those, 23,396 have been forced to wait over a year for their appointment. Delays facing children and young people are now so common that Dr Jeanette Dickson, the chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the body representing all UK doctors professionally, warned that children are “the forgotten casualties of the NHS’s waiting list crisis”. “As a paediatrician, I’ve seen first hand the damaging impact that long waiting times have on children, on their education and overall wellbeing, and of course on their families,” said Dr Camilla Kingdon, the president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). The figures came from the RCPCH’s analysis of official performance data recently published by NHS England. The health of some children was deteriorating while they languished on the waiting list because their illness and age meant they needed to have their treatment fast, Kingdon added. “Many treatments and interventions must be administered within specific age or developmental stages. No one wants to wait for treatment, but children’s care is frequently time-critical.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 September 2023 -
News ArticleA London coroner has warned the health secretary that preventable child suicides are likely to increase unless the government provides more funding for mental health services. Nadia Persaud, the east London area coroner, told Steve Barclay that the suicide of Allison Aules, 12, in July 2022 highlighted the risk of similar deaths “unless action is taken”. In a damning prevention of future deaths report addressed to Barclay, NHS England and two royal colleges, Persaud said the “under-resourcing of CAMHS [child and adolescent mental health services] contributed to delays in Allison being assessed by the mental health team”. An inquest into Allison’s death last month found that a series of failures by North East London NHS foundation trust (NELFT) contributed to her death. In her report, Persaud said delays and errors that emerged in the inquest exposed wider concerns about funding and recruitment problems in mental health services. “The failings occurred with a children and adolescent mental health service which was significantly under-resourced. Under-resourcing of CAMHS services is not confined to this local trust but is a matter of national concern,” she said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 September 2023
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Content ArticleOn 3 August 2022 an investigation was carried out into the death of Allison Vivian Jacome Aules. Allison was 12 years old when she passed away on the 19 July 2022. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on the 17 August 2023. The conclusion was that Allison died as a result of suicide, contributed to by neglect.
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News Article
Trusts admit ‘severe’ harm to children
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Children have suffered severe harm at two further hospital trusts as a result of failures in paediatric audiology, HSJ has revealed. HSJ reported in July that three children at Croydon Health Service Trust may have come to “severe harm” – meaning they may have suffered permanent damage – following failures in the trust’s processes in audiology. Now East and North Hertfordshire Trust and North West Anglia Foundation Trust have also confirmed a small number of cases of severe or serious harm; while some trusts have yet to confirm findings from case reviews they have carried out. Major problems emerged earlier this year, initially in Scotland, of poor quality checks missing children with hearing problems who should have received support, and of a failure to inspect the services. NHS England ordered a review of data from the national newborn screening programme which, alongside other review work, identified six English trusts as having likely failures in their service: Croydon, East and North Herts, North West Anglia, Warrington and Halton Hospitals, North Lincolnshire and Goole, and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 14 September 2023 -
News ArticleThe mother of Martha Mills, whose preventable death in hospital has led to calls for extra patients' rights, has said she is to meet the health secretary to discuss "Martha's Rule". If introduced, it would give families a statutory right to get a second opinion if they have concerns about care. Merope Mills said patients needed more clarity and to feel empowered. Her daughter, Martha, died two years ago after failures in treating her sepsis at King's College Hospital. She had entered hospital with an injury to her pancreas after falling off her bike. The injury was serious but should never have been fatal. Within days she had died of sepsis. In an interview on Radio 4's Today programme, Mrs Mills said she had raised concerns but doctors told her the extensive bleeding was "a normal side-effect of the infection, that her clotting abilities were slightly off". The King's College Hospital Trust said it remained "deeply sorry that we failed Martha when she needed us most" and her parents should have been listened to. Read full story Source: BBC News, 12 September 2023
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News Article
USA: Why are so many kids losing Medicaid coverage?
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
At the end of the COVID pandemic, more than half (54%) of US children were covered by Medicaid or CHIP; the vast majority by Medicaid. So, the lifting of the pandemic-related Medicaid continuous enrolment protection this spring is a really big deal, putting low-income children at risk of losing access to health care and/or exposing their families to medical debt. In fact, researchers at federal Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) projected that just shy of three-quarters of children losing Medicaid would be disenrolled despite remaining eligible. Children are most at risk of losing coverage during the unwinding despite being eligible and the likelihood that the child uninsured rate will go up if states do not take care in the process. Over half a million children have lost Medicaid already in 21 states where there is data. And that large number doesn’t include Texas, a state that disenrolled more than 500,000 people on June 1st, and where state agency employees recently blew the whistle on systems errors that caused inappropriate terminations. The Biden Administration must take swift and definitive action to pause all terminations in states with systemic problems. Governors who see large numbers of children losing coverage must pause the process. Coverage must be reinstated for those who lose coverage inappropriately. The time for action to protect children is now. Read full story Source: McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, 23 August 2023 -
Content ArticleTwo years after his 13-year-old child died needlessly in hospital, Paul Laity reflects on life without her. Martha Mills died of septic shock due to a series of serious failures in her care after she injured her pancreas in a cycling accident. Her father Paul talks about the ongoing pain of grief, and the additional burden of knowing that Martha's death was preventable, caused by the complacency of her doctors and a culture in the hospital that meant consultants were reluctant to ask expert advice from paediatric ICU. "Martha’s avoidable death was unusual in that the prime causes weren’t overwork or a lack of resources, but complacency, overconfidence and the culture on the ward. What upsets me most was that the consultants – a different one most days – took a punt that she was going to be OK over the weekend. No one assumed responsibility; they hoped for the best rather than playing safe. Was everything done for Martha that could have been done? Emphatically not. It’s very hard to live with this knowledge. But just as hard is the recognition that I, too, didn’t do enough." Further reading ‘We had such trust, we feel such fools’: how shocking hospital mistakes led to our daughter’s death (The Guardian, 3 September 2022) Prevention of Future Deaths Report: Martha Mills (28 February 2022)
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News ArticleIn September last year, Ebrima Sajnia watched helplessly as his young son slowly died in front of his eyes. Mr Sajnia says three-year-old Lamin was set to start attending nursery school in a few weeks when he got a fever. A doctor at a local clinic prescribed medicines, including a cough syrup. Over the next few days, Lamin's condition deteriorated as he struggled to eat and even urinate. He was admitted to a hospital, where doctors detected kidney issues. Within seven days, Lamin was dead. He was among around 70 children - younger than five - who died in The Gambia of acute kidney injuries between July and October last year after consuming one of four cough syrups made by an Indian company called Maiden Pharmaceuticals. In October, the World Health Organization (WHO) linked the deaths to the syrups, saying it had found "unacceptable" levels of toxins in the medicines. A Gambian parliamentary panel also concluded after investigations that the deaths were the result of the children ingesting the syrups. Both Maiden Pharmaceuticals and the Indian government have denied this - India said in December that the syrups complied with quality standards when tested domestically. It's an assessment that Amadou Camara, chairperson of the Gambian panel that investigated the deaths, strongly disagrees with. "We have evidence. We tested these drugs. [They] contained unacceptable amounts of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, and these were directly imported from India, manufactured by Maiden," he says. Ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol are toxic to humans and could be fatal if consumed". Read full story Source: BBC News, 21 August 2023
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News Article
Study links lung conditions to young people who vape
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Young people who vape are more at risk of bronchitis and shortness of breath, research has suggested, even if they also smoke cigarettes. Researchers from the US tracked the respiratory health of young people in the Southern California Children’s Health Study between 2014 and 2018. They conducted surveys which asked about people’s vape and cigarette use in the last 30 days. Researchers also included questions on bronchitic symptoms, such as a daily cough for three months in a row, as well as wheezing and shortness of breath. The study found the odds of wheezing were 81 per cent more likely among past 30-day e-cigarette users than among “never users”. The odds of bronchitic symptoms were twice as likely, while those of shortness of breath were 78 per cent more likely after accounting for survey wave, age, sex, race and parental education. The researchers said their findings contribute to “emerging evidence from human and toxicological studies that e-cigarettes cause respiratory symptoms that warrant consideration in regulation of e-cigarettes.” Jon Foster, policy manager at Asthma + Lung UK, said it is “interesting” the study found a link between vaping and lung conditions in young people, but pointed out the regulation around the amount of nicotine and chemicals used in e-cigarettes is “much tighter” in the UK than the US. “More research would be needed to find out if the situation in the UK is the same,” he added. “However, given that we still know little about long-term effects, the growing popularity of vaping among children and young people is concerning.” Read full story Source: Independent, 16 August 2023 -
EventuntilCare experienced young people are much more likely to experience poorer health, wellbeing, social and educational outcomes compared with the general population. These inequalities are not new, but were exacerbated by Covid-19 as care leavers experienced disrupted relationships and reduced access to support services. Specific groups of care leavers are likely to face additional disadvantages, such as those from ethnic minority backgrounds, unaccompanied refugee and asylum seeking children and/or disabled young people. Yet the health and health inequalities of young care leavers have largely been ignored within policy and practice. As part of AYPH’s youth health inequalities programme we reviewed the available evidence and undertook a youth engagement project with young people to draw together what we know. In this webinar you will hear directly from young people who will share their experiences of the barriers they face in leading healthy lives and accessing healthcare services. We will also highlight the latest available data on care leavers and health outcomes, demonstrating where inequalities exist for young people aged 10-25. During the event we will be launching two major publications that explore in more detail the role of care experience in understanding young people’s health, this will be the first opportunity to hear the learnings and recommendations from this research. The webinar is hosted jointly by the Association for Young People's Health and Coram Voice and will be co-chaired by a young person with experience on this topic. We will be joined by a range of expert speakers – more information to follow soon. Register for the webinar
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EventuntilVaccine uptake in the UK is dropping, and we are failing to meet the WHO’s 95% coverage target. To help address this, we must understand people’s attitudes and experiences of vaccines, so we can grasp their concerns and better support them. Children’s attitudes are important too, because they must feel empowered to make health decisions. RSPH research with Children and Young People (CYP) shows that they trust vaccines and think they are important to their health. However, trust varies by ethnicity, with results showing that 85% of white CYP trust vaccines, in comparison to 71% of Asian and 74% of black CYP. Knowledge varies around which vaccines they think are available to them and they do not necessarily know which vaccines they can have. Whilst 61% of CYP understood how vaccines worked, they reported concerns about side effects (63%), safety (57%), whether they will hurt (55%) and the costs of accessing vaccines (16%). These findings have practical implications for practitioners working with CYP and delivering vaccines. In this webinar, we will explore: The impact of inequalities on access to vaccines and information about vaccinations. What challenges the public health workforce face in delivering vaccines. How the workforce – and others involved in vaccine delivery - can be supported to develop and deliver vaccines programmes Register for the webinar
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News Article
CQC publish a report on Stoke Mandeville Hospital’s children’s emergency department
Clive Flashman posted a news article in News
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report on Stoke Mandeville Hospital, part of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust following a recent inspection in June. CQC carried out a focused inspection of the trusts children’s emergency department in response to concerns raised about the safety and quality of the service. Inspectors found children and young people received safe care. However, the trust needs to review its systems to make sure potential serious incidents are managed in a way that allows any lessons learned to be shared, to reduce the risk of them happening again. Link to the full report (opens in a new browser window) -
Content Article
The Family Oops and Burns First Aid eBook
Kristina Stiles posted an article in Recommended books and literature
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'The Family Oops and Burns First Aid' is a free children's book written by Kristina Stiles, beautifully illustrated by Jill Latter, created to support children and their families learning about burns prevention and first aid principles together. The book describes an accident prone family who are not burns aware, who have to go to school to learn about burn safety and first aid principles within the home. The book is aimed at KS1 children and their families, and is available as hard copy book by request from Children's Burns Trust and also as an audio/video book via YouTube. -
News Article
Children waiting over a year in pain for NHS tooth removal
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Children in some areas of England are waiting up to 18 months on average for dental general-anaesthetic treatment and teeth extractions, an investigation reveals. Some have been left with prolonged dental pain, according to information shared with BBC News. The parents of one girl who has waited three years for extractions say the pain keeps her up at night. At the start of this year, more than 12,000 under-18s were on waiting lists for assessment or treatment at community dental service (CDS) providers, data obtained by the Liberal Democrats from the NHS Business Services Authority and shared with BBC News earlier this year reveals. Children are referred to a CDS provider when they have tooth decay too severe to be treated in general practice. They also treat those with physical or learning disabilities when general practice is not a practical option. The longest average wait faced by children for general-anaesthetic treatment at a CDS provider is 80 weeks, at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust. Read full story Source: BBC News, 19 July 2023 -
Content ArticleFood allergy affects around 7-8% of children worldwide, or about two children in an average-sized classroom. As children spend at least 20% of their waking hours in school, it is not surprising that data show that 18% of food allergy reactions and 25% of first-time anaphylactic reactions occur at school. This report by the Benedict Blythe Foundations looks at the prevalence and seriousness of allergies in school-aged children, and the devastating consequences when things go wrong at school.
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News Article
Girl, 14, could be left unable to walk after brain surgery cancelled three times
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A14-year-old girl could lose the ability to walk after her brain surgery was cancelled three times as NHS children’s services are stretched to breaking point. Piper Miller, who has severe autism, needs urgent surgery to remove fluid on her brain that if unaddressed could also leave her unable to control her bladder. But her operation has been pushed back three times in the past month due to emergency operations taking priority and severe short staffing made worse by junior doctors’ strikes. Her mum, Toni Milner said the delays had had a “heartbreaking and gut-wrenching” effect on her daughter whose anxiety is “sent through the roof” each time she is told she is not having her surgery. Piper’s story comes as NHS data uncovered by The Independent reveals at least 340 life-saving children’s operations, such as transplant and lung surgery, were shelved from April to December 2022, while 763 emergency operations were refused due to a lack of intensive care beds. Read full story Source: The Independent, 16 July 2023 -
News Article
UK children waiting 16 months on average for ADHD and autism screening
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Children with suspected ADHD and autism are waiting as long as seven years for treatment on the NHS, as the health service struggles to manage a surge in demand during a crisis in child mental health. Experts said “inhumane” waits are putting a generation of neurodiverse children at risk of mental illness as they are “pushed to the back of a very long queue” for children and adolescent mental health services (Camhs). UK children with suspected neurodevelopmental conditions faced an average waiting time of one year and four months for an initial screening in 2022, more than three times longer than the average wait for all Camhs services, according to research carried out by the House magazine and shared with the Guardian. Half of all trusts responding to a freedom of information request had an average wait of at least a year, and at one-sixth of trusts it was more than two years. The NICE guidance for autism and mental health services stipulates that no one should wait longer than 13 weeks between being referred and first being seen. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 July 2023 Related reading on the hub: Long waits for ADHD diagnosis and treatment are a patient safety issue -
Content ArticleThis 2023 updated guidance, produced by the Patient Information Forum, aims to help anyone who creates health information for children and young people improve what they do. It focuses on the practical aspects of creating good health information, including involving children, choosing the right format, writing for children, and tackling sensitive issues. It places health inequality and the need to engage children and young people of all backgrounds people at its centre. Case studies provide both practical tips and inspiration. The guide covers the use of stories and play, social media and apps and how and when to give information. It provides guidance on digital, mental health needs and working with children who are traumatised or at risk of violence. Experts from child psychiatry, leading children’s health charities, Barts Health NHS Trust and NHS England contributed to the guide. This guide was part funded by NHS England.
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News Article
Tens of thousands of children to be treated in ‘virtual wards’ at home
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Tens of thousands of children will be treated in “virtual wards” to free hospital beds for more critically ill patients under new NHS plans. The Hospital at Home service will be expanded to include paediatric care in every region of England this month, the health service announced. As part of the service, clinical teams review patients daily and can provide treatments including blood tests, prescribe medicines or administer fluids through a drip. Ward rounds can include home visits or a video call, and many services use technology such as apps and wearable devices to monitor recovery. Professor Simon Kenny, the NHS’s national clinical director for children and young people, said: “The introduction of paediatric virtual wards means children can receive clinical care from home, surrounded by family and an environment they and their parents would rather they be — with nurses and doctors just a call away.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times. 5 July 2023 -
News Article
Vaping: BMA to review effects of “growing public health epidemic”
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The BMA will review the dangers posed by e-cigarettes, after its annual representative meeting passed a motion warning that vaping was a “growing public health epidemic.” The motion, which was passed by the meeting in Liverpool on 5 July, called on the BMA’s Board of Science to rereview the dangers of vaping, and discuss restrictions on marketing and cracking down on illegal sales to children. The BMA’s last position paper on vaping was published in 2017.1 The motion urged the board to consider whether doctors should include history of e-nicotine use as a “regular and essential” part of patient history and examination. Read full story (paywalled) Source: BMJ, 5 July 2023
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