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Showing results for tags 'Communication problems'.
Found 220 results
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News Article
Damning report on surgeon's botched operations
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A damning report has highlighted failures in how NHS Tayside oversaw a surgeon who harmed patients for years. Prof Eljamel, the former head of neurosurgery at NHS Tayside in Dundee, harmed dozens of patients before he was suspended in 2013. The internal Scottish government report into Prof Sam Eljamel, which has been leaked to the BBC, said the health board repeatedly let patients down. It outlined failures in the way Prof Eljamel was supervised and the board's communication with patients. The report was commissioned last year over unanswered questions and concerns from patients Jules Rose and Pat Kelly. Mr Kelly has been left housebound and Ms Rose has PTSD after the neurosurgeon removed the wrong part of her body. After her operation in 2013, Ms Rose discovered that Prof Eljamel had taken out the wrong part of her body. He removed her tear gland instead of a tumour on her brain. She still has not been told exactly when health bosses knew he was a risk to patients. The latest Scottish government report said she should receive an apology. The written apology she received from the board last month said it was sorry she "feels" there has been a breakdown in trust. "I actually rejected the apology," she said. Ms Rose said she wanted the chairwoman of the health board to explain why it will not offer a "whole-hearted apology" for its failures. Scottish Conservative MSP Liz Smith called for a public inquiry, saying there had been a lack of accountability and the investigation had still not got to the truth. Read full story Source: BBC News, 3 November 2022 -
News Article
Eighteen deaths following Tees health trusts' safety lapses
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Eighteen people died at two Teesside hospital trusts following patient safety lapses over a 12-month period. Sixteen such deaths were recorded at the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with two at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. Examples of patient safety lapses include a failure to provide or monitor care, a breakdown in communication, an out-of-control infection in a hospital, insufficient staffing or a missed diagnosis. NHS England figures show that, between April 2021 and March this year, there were 16,557 incidents at the South Tees Trust, which operates James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, and Northallerton's Friarage Hospital. Thirty-four resulted in "severe" harm. Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the figures were a concern and that he planned to take them up with the South Tees Trust's chief executive. He said NHS staff worked under "the most demanding of conditions" but added: "Every person going into hospital rightly expects to receive the best treatment. Patient safety is paramount and no family wants to see a loved one suffer." Dr Mike Stewart, the trust's chief medical officer, said: "We encourage an open and transparent culture and promote the reporting of all patient safety incidents, even when there is uncertainty over a direct link between any problems in care and incidents of severe harm or death. "In the last year there were no deaths graded as definitely preventable due to a problem in the care delivered by the trust. "While our reporting has increased consistently over the last three years, the number of serious incidents has not risen, which is strong evidence of a positive safety culture." Read full story Source: BBC News, 30 October 2022 -
News Article
'Speaking about the 22 babies I lost is seen as taboo'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Imtiaz Fazil has been pregnant 24 times, but she only has two living children. She first fell pregnant in 1999 and, over the subsequent 23 years, has had 17 miscarriages and five babies die before their first birthdays due to a rare genetic condition. The 49-year-old, from Levenshulme in Manchester, told BBC North West Tonight her losses were not easy to talk about, but she was determined to do so, in part because such things remained a taboo subject among South Asian groups. She said she wanted to change that and break down the stigma surrounding baby loss. She said her own family "don't talk to me very much about the things" as they think "I might get hurt [by] bringing up memories". "It's too much sadness; that's why nobody approaches these sort of things," she said. Sarina Kaur Dosanjh and her husband Vik also have the hope of breaking the silence surrounding baby loss. The 29-year-olds, from Walsall in the West Midlands, have set up the Himmat Collective, a charity which offers a virtual space for South Asian women and men to share their experiences. The couple, who have had two miscarriages in the past two years, said the heartache was still not something that people easily speak about. "I think it's hidden," Sarina said. "It's really brushed under the carpet." Read full story Source: BBC News, 13 October 2022 -
Content ArticleTransitions of care between hospital departments are necessary, but they may disrupt care coordination, such as discharge planning. Family carers often serve as liaisons between the patient and healthcare professionals, but they frequently experience exclusion from care planning during intrahospital transfers (IHTs). This has the potential to decrease their awareness of patients’ clinical status, postdischarge needs and carer preparation. This study aimed to explore family carers’ perceptions about IHTs, patient and carer ratings of patient discharge readiness and carer self-perception of preparation to engage in at home care.
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News ArticleAn ambulance service rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission has set out a wide-ranging improvement plan, including ‘civility training’ for senior leaders and ensuring board members hear a mix of ‘positive and negative’ stories from patients and staff. South Central Ambulance Service has been moved into the equivalent of “special measures” by NHS England, in the wake of the Care Quality Commission report in August which criticised “extreme positivity” at the highest levels of the organisation. This means 3 out of only 10 dedicated ambulance service trusts in England are now in segment four of NHSE’s system oversight framework, the successor to special measures. The other ambulance services in segment four are East of England and South East Coast. In a damning inspection report published in August, the care watchdog said that leaders were “out of touch” and staff had faced a “dismissive attitude” when they tried to raise concerns. One staff member told inspectors: “When sexual harassment is reported it seems to be brushed under the carpet and the person is given a second chance. Because of this, a lot of staff feel unsafe, unsupported and vulnerable when coming to work.” An improvement plan summary published at the start of last month included a large number of priorites and actions, including to “ensure [a] mix of positive and negative patient/staff stories are presented to [trust] board meetings” – an apparent attempt to address CQC concerns that its positive outlook could feel “dismissive of the reality to frontline staff”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 11 October 2022
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News ArticleThe Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued two fixed penalty notices to University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust totalling £8,000 for failing to seek consent to care and treatment of someone in their care. A 55-year-old gentleman who had diagnoses of epilepsy and autism was admitted to Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham on six occasions between 12 May 2019 and 6 October 2019. He had also been deaf since birth and communicated via British Sign Language (BSL) and lip reading. These fixed penalty notices relate to the trust’s care and treatment of the patient at Good Hope Hospital in relation to three medical procedures, which occurred in September, October and November 2019. CQC found that on these three occasions, the trust did not comply with Regulation 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, requiring registered persons to obtain the consent of the relevant person when providing care and treatment to them. Regulation 11 also states if someone is 16 or over and is unable to give consent because they lack capacity, the registered person must act in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The three procedures where CQC found consent failures, were feeding tubes, aimed at providing nutritional support to the patient, who was struggling with food. Read full story Source: CQC, 7 October 2022
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News Article
We must challenge 'doctor knows best' attitude, bereaved mother says
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Merope Mills, an editor at the Guardian, has questioned doctors' attitudes after her 13-year-old daughter Martha's preventable death in hospital. Martha had sustained a rare pancreatic trauma after falling off a bike on a family holiday, and spent weeks in a specialist unit where she developed sepsis. An inquest concluded that her death was preventable, and the hospital apologised. Ms Mills said her daughter would be alive today if doctors had not kept information from the parents about her condition, because they would have demanded a second opinion. She added that doctors' attitudes "reeked of misogyny", citing a moment when her "anxiety" was used as an argument to not send critical care to Martha. In a statement, Prof Clive Kay, chief executive of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said he was "deeply sorry that we failed Martha when she needed us most". "Our focus now is on ensuring the specific learnings from her case are used to improve the care our teams provide - and that is what we are committed to doing." Watch video Source: BBC News, 6 October 2022 Further reading on the hub ‘We had such trust, we feel such fools’: how shocking hospital mistakes led to our daughter’s death (The Guardian) “Are you questioning my clinical judgement?” Suppressing parents’ concerns is a serious patient safety risk -
News ArticleTina Hughes, 59, died from sepsis after doctors allegedly delayed treating the condition for 12 hours while they argued over which ward to treat her on. Ms Hughes was rushed to A&E after developing symptoms of the life-threatening illness on September 8 last year. Despite paramedics flagging to staff they suspected sepsis, it was not mentioned on her initial assessment at Sandwell General Hospital, in West Bromwich. A second assessment six hours later also failed to mention sepsis while medics disagreed over whether to treat her on a surgical ward or a high dependency unit. The grandmother-of-five was eventually transferred to the acute medical unit at 3am the next morning where sepsis was finally diagnosed, but she continued to deteriorate and was admitted to intensive care four hours later and put on a ventilator. She died the following morning. A serious incident investigation report by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust has since found there was "a delay in explicit recognition of sepsis". Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 4 October 2022
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News Article
Coroner criticises NHS trust’s treatment of family of woman who killed herself
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
An NHS trust has “not covered itself in glory” in its dealings with the family of a vulnerable young woman who killed herself after being refused admission to hospital, a coroner has found. The three-day hearing looked at evidence withheld from the original inquest into the death of Sally Mays, who killed herself in 2014 after being turned away from a mental health unit. Mays was failed by staff “neglect” at Miranda House in Hull, a 2015 inquest ruled, after a 14-minute assessment led to her being refused a place, despite being a suicide risk. Her parents, Angela and Andy Mays, won a high court battle in December to hear details of an informal chat outside the building between Laura Elliot, a community mental health nurse who was supporting Mays, and the consultant psychiatrist Dr Kwame Fofie, which only later came to light. This was ruled to be “neither a clinical conversation nor an attempt to escalate her care” by senior coroner Prof Paul Marks on Wednesday. He said: “It was a conversation between colleagues in which the frustrations of the working day were vented.” But, he said: “The trust has not covered itself in glory with regard to its dealings with the family and the disclosing of documents.” The Mays have spent the last seven years fighting to hear details of the car park conversation, which could have changed their understanding of what happened before their daughter died. Angela Mays added: “I never considered myself to be a campaigner. I have only considered myself to be a mother who actually wants the truth about the facts relating to her daughter’s death.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 28 September 2022 -
News ArticlePhrases such as “cutting edge,” “game changing,” and “ground breaking” have no place in the description of new drugs by the government and NHS agencies, a therapeutics specialist and GP has warned. James Cave, editor in chief of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB), said in an editorial1 that the degree of hyperbole and omission of important information in government press releases and media statements “leaves patients and healthcare professionals with a limited and unbalanced view of a medicine.” In a letter to the heads of NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) he referred to a loss of objectivity in statements about new drugs over the past few years. Rather, some statements contained “a degree of hyperbole that might be more associated with an advertising agency.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: BMJ, 28 September 2022
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Community Post
Can the NHS learn from healthcare systems overseas?
Steve Turner posted a topic in Organisational
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Is it time to change the way England's healthcare system is funded? Is the English system in need of radical structural change at the top? I've been prompted to think about this by the article about the German public health system on the BBC website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62986347.amp There are no quick fixes, however we all need to look at this closely. I believe that really 'modernising' / 'transforming' our health & #socialcare systems could 'save the #NHS'. Both for #patients through improved safety, efficiency & accountability, and by making the #NHS an attractive place to work again, providing the NHS Constitution for England is at the heart of changes and is kept up to date. In my experience, having worked in healthcare for the private sector and the NHS, and lived and worked in other countries, we need to open our eyes. At present it could be argued that we have the worst of both worlds in England. A partially privatised health system and a fully privatised social care system. All strung together by poor commissioning and artificial and toxic barriers, such as the need for continuing care assessments. In my view a change, for example to a German-style system, could improve patient safety through empowering the great managers and leaders we have in the NHS. These key people are held back by the current hierarchical crony-ridden system, and we are at risk of losing them. In England we have a system which all too often punishes those who speak out for patients and hides failings behind a web of denial, obfuscation and secrecy, and in doing this fails to learn. Vast swathes of unnecessary bureaucracy and duplication could be eliminated, gaps more easily identified, and greater focus given to deeply involving patients in the delivery of their own care. This is a contentious subject as people have such reverence for the NHS. I respect the values of the NHS and want to keep them; to do this effectively we need much more open discussion on how it is organised and funded. What are people's views? -
News ArticleThe American Medical Association and three other major health groups have warned that patients across the nation could suffer “irreparable harm” due to the shattered legal landscape left in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In a statement, co-authored with the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists and the National Community Pharmacists Association, the groups said they were deeply concerned by state efforts to limit access to medically necessary medicine. Ongoing questions about state laws are already impacting patients, and language in newly enacted rules is “vague,” “unclear” and “disrupting care,” they said. “Physicians, pharmacists, and other health care professionals face a confusing legal landscape due to state laws’ lack of clarity, confusing language, and unknown implementation by regulatory and enforcement bodies,” the statement reads. “Without such guidance, we are deeply concerned that our patients will lose access to care and suffer irreparable harm.” The groups pointed to reports that some hospitals had prioritised caution over healthcare, others that have removed emergency contraceptives from kits for victims of sexual assault and pharmacies that have imposed “burdensome” steps for prescriptions. Read full story Source: HuffPost, 9 September 2022
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Content Article
Opposition to vaccines has a long history (26 April 2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
In January 2019, not long before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Laurent-Henri Vignaud and Françoise Salvadori published what would turn out to be a very timely book, Antivax: Resistance to Vaccines from the 18th Century to the Present Day. In a recent presentation at the French College of General Medicine's 15th Congress of General Medicine, Vignaud, a historian of science, gave examples from the past to show that opposition to vaccines, which has come to light during the COVID-19 pandemic, is neither a recent phenomenon nor specific to France. -
News Article
‘Overwhelmingly negative narrative must stop’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England’s chief strategy officer has called for a “reset” of the current “overwhelmingly negative narrative” about the health service. Chris Hopson said there was a collective responsibility to present a more balanced picture, while still being honest about problems. The service should do more to emphasise successes, improvements and where there is good performance, he said. He acknowledged there were too many instances where good quality care could not be delivered due to current pressures on the service. But they were being addressed and improvements being made. “We need to make sure that our staff, our patients but also the taxpayers hear that more balanced narrative,” he said at the Ambulance Leadership Forum event on Wednesday. Ambulance services – whose response times have sky-rocketed, well beyond their targets, over the past 18 months – have been at the centre of much recent negative coverage. Mr Hopson argued that the constantly negative narrative was having an impact on staff – whose work was not being recognised – and creating a sense that the NHS was broken. “That narrative is partly being driven by opponents of the NHS and also [those] who want to attack the government,” Mr Hopson said, although he acknowledged that it also reflected genuine instances of staff and patient experience. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 8 September 2022 -
News Article
California approves bill to punish doctors who spread false information
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Trying to strike a balance between free speech and public health, California’s Legislature on Monday approved a bill that would allow regulators to punish doctors for spreading false information about Covid-19 vaccinations and treatments. The legislation, if signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would make the state the first to try to legislate a remedy to a problem that the American Medical Association, among other medical groups and experts, says has worsened the impact of the pandemic, resulting in thousands of unnecessary hospitalisations and deaths. The law would designate spreading false or misleading medical information to patients as “unprofessional conduct,” subject to punishment by the agency that licenses doctors, the Medical Board of California. That could include suspending or revoking a doctor’s license to practice medicine in the state. While the legislation has raised concerns over freedom of speech, the bill’s sponsors said the extensive harm caused by false information required holding incompetent or ill-intentioned doctors accountable. “In order for a patient to give informed consent, they have to be well informed,” said State Senator Richard Pan, a Democrat from Sacramento and a co-author of the bill. A paediatrician himself and a prominent proponent of stronger vaccination requirements, he said the law was intended to address “the most egregious cases” of deliberately misleading patients. Read full story (paywalled) Source: New York Times, 29 August 2022 -
Content ArticleOn 3 September 2021 assistant coroner Jonathan Stevens commenced an investigation into the death of Martha Mills, aged 13 years. Martha sustained a handlebar injury whilst cycling on a family holiday in Wales. She was transferred to King’s College Hospital London and died approximately one month later. Her medical cause of death was: 1a refractory shock 1b sepsis 1c pancreatic transection (operated) 1d abdominal trauma.
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News Article
Covid: Pregnant women targeted with false vaccine claims
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Covid vaccination advice in pregnancy has not changed, contrary to false social media posts, UK health agencies have clarified. Inaccurate messages shared by thousands claimed that pregnant or breastfeeding women were now recommended not to take the vaccine. In fact, the NHS says the vaccine is both safe and strongly recommended for this group. The misleading claim came from a now out-of-date document from 2020. The document went viral after a Twitter user - whose account has since been suspended - shared a post stating incorrectly that the UK government had, "quietly remove[d] approval for use of Covid vax in pregnant and breastfeeding women". She linked to a report from December 2020 which said, "reassurance of safe use of the vaccine in pregnant women cannot be provided at the present time", because of an absence of data and that, "women who are breastfeeding should also not be vaccinated". This was true at the time, but since then data has been gathered finding no link between the vaccine and problems in pregnancy or birth. In fact, the Covid vaccine seems to reduce the risk of still-birth and pre-term delivery. And unvaccinated pregnant women are more likely to need hospital treatment if they catch Covid, especially in the third trimester. This evidence led to the recommendation being changed - so the statement found in this report no longer stands. Read full story Source: BBC News, 1 September 2022 -
Content ArticleTimely written communication between primary and secondary healthcare providers is paramount to ensure effective patient care. In 2020, there was a technical issue between two interconnected electronic patient record (EPR) systems that were used by a large hospital trust and the local community partners. The trust provides healthcare to a diverse multiethnic inner-city population across three inner-city London boroughs from two extremely busy acute district general hospitals. Consequently, over a four-month period, 58,521 outpatient clinic letters were not electronically sent to general practitioners following clinic appointments. This issue affected 27.9% of the total number of outpatient clinic letters sent during this period and 42,251 individual patients. This paper from Patel et al. describes the structure, methodological process, and outcomes of the review process established to examine the harm that may have resulted due to the delay.
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News Article
Minister misled Parliament over ambulance crisis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A health minister incorrectly told the Commons yesterday “we have procured a contract” for surge support for ambulance services, despite the contract not having been awarded yet, HSJ has learned. There are also doubts about two other points made by health minister Maria Caulfield in Parliament yesterday in a debate about the current high pressure on ambulance services. She said: “We have procured a contract with a total value of £30m for an auxiliary ambulance service, which will provide national surge capacity if needed to support the ambulance response during periods of increased pressure. That capacity is there, should we need it.” However, NHS England, which advertised the contract in May, confirmed to HSJ today that it “is yet to be awarded”. Ms Caulfield was responding to an urgent question from Labour shadow health and social care secretary Wes Streeting about pressure on ambulance services and the heatwave. HSJ reported on Tuesday that all 10 major ambulance services in England were on the highest level of alert. Read full story (paywalled) Source: 14 July 2022 -
News Article
'More help needed' to make patient info accessible
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People with disabilities must be helped more by health providers to access information, a report has found. Over 300 people in North Yorkshire were asked about communication from GPs, hospitals, and healthcare providers in a survey by watchdog Healthwatch. The report said there is "some good practice" but many patients are not being contacted in their preferred format. This leads to missed appointments which "costs time and money". Since 2016, the Accessible Information Standard means health and care organisations must legally provide a "consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing, and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss," Healthwatch said. But the report said some people receive printed letters which they are unable to read meaning they have to ask for private and confidential information to be relayed. Scarborough respondent Ian said it was "amazing" that in the 21st Century many are still facing such issues. "The [GP booking] system doesn't anticipate that not everyone can use the phone," he said. "The problem is a lot of organisations haven't moved with the times". Read full storyp Source: BBC News, 21 June 2022 -
News Article
Language around birth should be less judgemental, midwives' report says
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The language used around childbirth should be less judgemental and more personal, a report led by midwives has found. Most women consulted said terms such as "normal birth" should not be used, it says. The report recommends asking pregnant women what language feels right for them. Maternity care has been under the spotlight after a recent review found failures had led to baby deaths. The new guidance "puts women's choices at its heart, so that they are in the driving seat when it comes to how their labour and birth are described", Royal College of Midwives chief executive Gill Walton said. About 1,500 women who had given birth in the past five years gave their views. Most preferred the term "spontaneous vaginal birth" to "normal birth", "natural birth" or "unassisted birth". Words suggesting "failure", "incompetence" or "lack of maternal effort" should also be avoided, they said. They wanted labour and birth to be a positive experience and for the language used to be non-judgemental, accurate and clear. Read full story Source: BBC News, 15 June 2022 -
Content Article
Royal College of Midwives: Re:Birth summary report 2022
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Maternity
In every aspect of our lives, language matters – and in health and care settings, it’s even more important. How we communicate with each other can determine the quality and impact of the care given and received, which is why developing a shared language is so important. Pregnancy and birth are extraordinarily personal, and personalising care is central to good outcomes and experience. There has been a great deal of debate in recent years about the language around birth, and the impact it can have. During this project from the Royal College of Midwives, for example, women said terms such as ‘failure to progress’ or ‘lack of maternal effort’ can contribute to feelings of failure and trauma. There has been particular debate around the term ‘normal birth’. Despite being the term used by organisations including the International Confederation of Midwives and the World Health Organization, it has often taken on negative connotations in the UK, and particularly in England. In 2020, the Royal College of Midwives, which counts the majority of midwives practising in the UK among its membership, took the decision to address this, and to try to develop an agreed shared language, working with maternity staff, users of maternity services and others involved in the care and support of pregnant women and families. Over the course of 18 months, the consultation has involved nearly 8,000 people from across all four UK nations. How we use language inevitably evolves over time, but the Re:Birth project will help to embed a shared, respectful way of discussing labour and birth. -
News Article
National Deaf Children’s Society urges NHS trusts to use clear face masks
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The National Deaf Children’s Society has written to every NHS trust in England urging them to start using transparent face masks because standard ones create a “serious communication barrier” for deaf patients. The letters, co-signed by the British Academy of Audiology, said deaf patients could “miss vital information about their health” as opaque masks make lip reading impossible and facial expressions difficult to read. It is likely that face masks will remain widespread in the NHS, as new guidance issued at the start of June states they will still be required in a number of settings, including cancer wards and critical care units, and staff may wear them in other areas depending on personal preference and local risk assessments. Susan Daniels, the chief executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “Transparent face masks are fully approved and they could transform the healthcare experience for deaf people. However they communicate, almost all deaf people rely on lip reading and facial expressions. Opaque face masks make these techniques much more difficult and this could seriously affect communication at a time when they might need it the most.” Three types of transparent masks, designed not to fog up, are now approved for use as PPE in healthcare settings, and although they are not currently available on the NHS supply chain, they can be bought direct from suppliers. The government previously delivered 250,000 clear masks to frontline NHS and social care workers in September 2020. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 15 June 2022 -
News ArticleClose contacts of people infected with monkeypox have criticised health officials for a lack of communication and support while they have to isolate. Public health experts and scientists have said the government needs to offer financial support to people forced to self-isolate for 21 days, as it emerged that one local council has already stepped in to provide sick pay for an infected man who could not work from home and was told he would not be paid. With cases of monkeypox on the rise in the UK – 106 were infections detected as of Friday – it’s thought hundreds of people have been told to self-isolate since the beginning of May. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it was providing daily calls for infected individuals and close contacts to offer support. However, one man from Leicester, whose housemate contracted monkeypox after visiting Gran Canaria pride festival, described UKHSA’s handling of his case as a “farce”, saying he has waited days for instruction from officials. “They couldn’t provide any meaningful or helpful information and nothing about housemates or close contacts,” the housemate told The Independent. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has meanwhile said countries should take quick steps to contain the spread of monkeypox and share data about their vaccine stockpiles. Read full story Source: The Independent, 29 May 2022
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News Article
NHS 111: Parents anger over four child deaths
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The parents of a girl who died after failings by NHS 111 said they were horrified to learn coroners had already warned about similar shortcomings. Hannah Royle, 16, died in 2020 after the NHS phone service failed to realise she was seriously ill. BBC News found concerns had been raised about the call centre triage software in 2019 after three children died. The NHS said it had learnt lessons from each case, but said it had not established a link between the deaths. Hannah, who was autistic, had a cardiac arrest as she was driven to East Surrey Hospital by her parents. She had suffered a twisted stomach, but call handlers believed she had gastroenteritis. A coroner's report said NHS 111 staff failed to consider her "disabilities and inability to verbalise" when using the triage software. Known as NHS Pathways, the algorithm relies on answers being given over the phone to a set series of questions. The system guides call handlers, who are not medically qualified, to direct patients to other parts of the NHS for further assessment and treatment. In 2019, three coroners issued reports "to prevent future deaths" after serious abdominal illness in Myla Deviren, Sebastian Hibberd, Alexander Davidson and were missed by NHS 111. In all cases, coroners raised concerns about the ability of children to understand call handlers' questions or articulate their symptoms. Read full story Source: BBC News, 24 May 2022
