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Showing results for tags 'Fatigue / exhaustion'.
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Content ArticleAfter nearly two years of pandemic, 5,000 inpatients and 1,000 deaths, the staff of one of the largest hospitals in north-west England are frustrated and exhausted. While ministers talk of encouraging signs that the Omicron wave may be receding in parts of England, staff at the Royal Preston are struggling to keep their heads above water. The hospital has seen a near four-fold increase in Covid patients since Christmas Day, rising to 103 last week. It is one of the largest hospitals in a region with the highest infection levels in the UK and two neighbouring NHS Trusts have declared critical incidents. Despite a recent slowdown in admissions, the “horrendous” levels of staff absence means the pressure is ratcheting up.
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EventThis Hospital at Night Summit focuses on out of hours care in hospitals delivering high quality safe care at night. Through national updates, networking opportunities and case studies this conference provides a practical guide to delivering a high quality hospital at night, and moving forward during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. The conference will also focus on improving staff well-being at night and reducing fatigue. Attending this conference will enable you to: Network with colleagues who are working to improve Hospital at Night Practice Learn from developments as a results of Covid-19 Improve your skills in the recognition management and escalation of deteriorating patients at night Understand and evaluate different models for Hospital at Night Examine the role of task management solutions for Hospital at Night, including handover and eObservations Ensuring effective and safe staffing at night, including adequate breaks Examine Hospital at Night team roles, competence and improve team working Improving safety through the reduction of falls at night Supporting staff and reducing fatigue at night Develop the role of Clinical Practitioner and Advanced Nursing Practice at night Identify key strategies to change practice and ways of working in Hospital at Night Understand how hospitals can improve conditions for night workers and support Junior Doctors Improve the management of pain at night Work across whole systems to improve support for patients out of hours Self assess and reflect on your own practice Gain CPD accreditation points contributing to professional development and revalidation Evidence Register There are a limited number of free places for hub members. Email: info@pslhuborg if interested. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #hospitalatnight
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News ArticleOne in four doctors in the NHS are so tired that their ability to treat patients has become impaired, according to the first survey to reveal the impact of sleep deprivation on medics during the coronavirus pandemic. Growing workloads, longer hours and widespread staff shortages are causing extreme tiredness among medics, leading to memory problems and difficulty concentrating, according to the report by the Medical Defence Union (MDU), which provides legal support to about 200,000 doctors, nurses, dentists and other healthcare workers. The survey of more than 500 doctors across the UK, carried out within the past month and seen by the Guardian, uncovered almost 40 near misses as a direct result of exhaustion. In at least seven cases, patients actually sustained harm. Despite encouraging signs the Omicron wave may be fading, doctors admitted the constant pressure of the past 22 months spent fighting coronavirus on the frontline was taking a toll on their technical skills and even their ability to make what should be straightforward medical decisions. Medics admitted for the first time sleep deprivation was causing real harm to patients in the NHS. Almost six in 10 doctors (59%) reported their sleep patterns had worsened during the pandemic. More than a quarter (26%) of medics admitted being so tired that their ability to treat patients was “impaired”. Of these, one in six (18%) said a patient was harmed or a near miss occurred as a result. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 January 2022 Read MDU press release
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News Article
Sleep deprived doctors concerned about patient safety
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Over a third of doctors say they feel sleep deprived on at least a weekly basis and over a quarter have been in a position where tiredness has impacted their ability to treat patients, a new survey by the Medical Defence Union (MDU) has found. The UK's leading medical defence organisation carried out the survey among its doctor members. Of 532 respondents one in four doctors (26%) said tiredness had affected their ability to safely care for patients, including almost 40 near misses and seven cases in which a patient actually sustained harm. In addition, six in ten respondents said their sleep patterns had worsened slightly or significantly during the pandemic. Dr Matthew Lee, MDU chief executive, said: "Doctors and their healthcare colleagues are running on empty. Our members have come through a period of immense pressure caused by the pandemic and it is affecting all aspects of their life, including sleep patterns. Previous studies have shown that fatigue can increase the risk of medical error and affect doctors' health and wellbeing. In our survey, side effects doctors reported due to sleep deprivation included poor concentration (64%), decision making difficulties (40%), mood swings, (37%) and mental health problems (30%). "Taking regular breaks is vital in the interests of doctors and their patients yet in our survey, three in ten doctors got no breaks at all during the working day despite many working long shifts. In addition, 21% didn't have anywhere to go such as a staff room, or quiet area, to take a break. "Pressures on frontline healthcare workers are likely to get worse for doctors in the coming weeks. At a time of considerable staff absence in the NHS it is more important than ever that those staff who are fit to work are properly supported so they can care for patients safely." Read full story Source: MDU, 17 January 2022 -
Content Article"To healthcare workers in the COVID era, holidays mean death, and we knew Omicron was coming before it had a name. The wave caused by this variant has barely begun, rapidly gathering steam, and we are exhausted, attempting to pull from reserves badly drained by earlier surges." Kathryn Ivey, a critical care nurse at a medical center in Nashville, Tennessee, confronts the Omicron surge filling her hospital.
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Content ArticleIn this opinion piece for The BMJ, Partha Kar, consultant endocrinologist and NHS England National Specialty Advisor for Diabetes, looks at the crisis facing primary care in the UK. He highlights that many primary care professionals are feeling burnt out due to the intense pressure and negative attention GPs are currently experiencing. The cost of relying on primary care for the vaccination programme is that treatment for mental health and long term conditions has been neglected. GPs are at the receiving end of patients' frustrations about delays to their care. Partha highlights the need to: prepare well in advance for potential future waves of Covid-19, including by developing a vaccine delivery workforce that is not reliant on primary care. ensure vaccines are distributed to less developed countries, and move away from seeing vaccination as an issue of nationalism. increase funding for primary care in a focused and sustained way.
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Content ArticleIn this interview with the journal International Politics and Society, Brendan Delaney, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London discusses the impact of Long Covid on individuals and society. He describes his own experience of Long Covid, which rendered him unable to work for months, and highlights that we should not be surprised by the prevalence of Long Covid, as all epidemics result in long-term illness for many people. He draws attention to parts of the political system 'not believing in' Long Covid and highlights the damage caused by psychologising the condition. Finally, he points to the need for more research to better understand Long Covid symptoms.
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Content ArticleClinician burnout in healthcare is a growing area of concern, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on. Research from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Regenstrief Institute looked at ways organisations can address burnout.
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Content ArticleThese information sheets by World Physiotherapy, the global body for physiotherapy member organisations, were produced for World Physiotherapy Day 2021, which focused on the role of physiotherapists in treating and managing people affected by Long Covid. Topics include: What is Long Covid? Rehabilitation and Long Covid Fatigue and post-exertional symptom exacerbation How to use pacing with your physiotherapist Breathing exercises The information sheets are also available in a variety of other languages.
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Content Article
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The Office for National Statistics estimates that in December 2021, 1.2 million people in the UK were living with Long Covid. Long Covid is a condition characterised by ongoing symptoms that last for months and even years after an initial Covid-19 infection. It is a difficult condition to diagnose, and nearly two years since it was first seen, medical understanding of Long Covid is still limited. People living with Long Covid often express frustration at misconceptions about the condition that are prevalent amongst medical professionals, policy makers and the general public. In this article, we highlight some of these myths, explain why they are inaccurate and describe the damage they can cause to people living with the condition. -
News Article
Burnt out staff ‘triggered’ by ‘it’s OK’ messaging from ministers
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Frontline staff are being ‘triggered’ by ministers playing down the ‘overwhelming’ pressures facing the health service with “a ‘move along, no story here’-type attitude”, a royal college president has warned. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s Katherine Henderson said the intentions of those making such comments may be “well meaning” but that it was important ministers and NHSE leaders were “humble and transparent about the scale of the problem [facing the NHS] at the moment”. Katherine Henderson said: “The scale of the problem feels quite overwhelming, and the kind of ‘move along, no story here’-type attitude I think is not great for the people working in healthcare. They need to feel heard.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 November 2021 -
Content ArticlePoster from World Physiotherapy for World Physiotherapy Day 2021 highlighting the symptoms of Long Covid similar to ME/chronic fatigue syndrome which can worsen with exertion.
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News Article
Nursing leaders point to ‘untenable’ health and care conditions in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Nursing leaders have highlighted 10 pressures on health and social care services which they say have created “unsustainable, untenable” conditions. A report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said members working across health and social care in England dispute statements that the current situation in health and care is sustainable. NHS hospital waiting times is listed as one of the 10 indicators with the report referring to this issue as “clearly a symptom of an unsustainable system”. The report, 10 Unsustainable Pressures on the Health and Care System in England, refers to “corridor care” – time spent on trolleys in hospital corridors before being admitted to a hospital bed. “We are clear that delivery of care within inadequate environments such as that frequently referred to as ‘corridor care’ or ‘corridor nursing’ is fundamentally unsafe and must not be normalised,” the report says. The 10 pressures also include high COVID-19 infection rates, NHS nursing workforce vacancy rate, social care workforce vacancies and NHS elective/community waiting times. The report says: “Action needs to be taken to retain as many nursing staff as possible in light of serious staffing vacancies, as well as high levels of exhaustion and burnout. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 15 November 2021 -
News ArticlePatient safety in the NHS in England is being put at “unacceptably high” risk, with severe staff shortages leaving hospitals, GP surgeries and A&E units struggling to cope with soaring demand, health chiefs have warned. The health service has hit “breaking point”, the leaders say, with record numbers of patients seeking care. Nine in 10 NHS chief executives, chairs and directors have reported this week that the pressures on their organisation have become unsustainable. The same proportion is sounding “alarm bells” over staffing, with the lack of doctors, nurses and other health workers putting lives of patients at risk. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has come under fire for recently claiming, at a No 10 press conference, that he did not believe the pressure on the NHS was unsustainable. But the survey of 451 NHS leaders in England finds the health service already at “tipping point”. The results of the poll, conducted by the NHS Confederation, which represents the healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, show that 88% of the leaders think the demands on their organisation are unsustainable, and 87% believe a lack of staffing in the NHS as a whole is putting patient safety and care at risk. Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “Almost every healthcare leader we’ve spoken to is warning that the NHS is under unsustainable pressure, and they are worried the situation will worsen, as we head into deep midwinter, unless action is taken. They are also sounding alarm bells over risks to patient safety if their services become overwhelmed, on top of a severe workforce crisis." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 10 November 2021
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Content ArticleThis research gives insights into the views of doctors who were previously practising in the UK but who are not currently doing so, in terms of their characteristics, motivations and likelihood to return to clinical practice in the UK. A survey of over 13,000 doctors was carried out between 21 January 2020 and 10 March 2020. This report was developed in partnership between the General Medical Council (GMC), Health Education England (HEE), The Department of Health (Northern Ireland), NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW).
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Content ArticleThe guardian of safe working hours ensures that issues of compliance with safe working hours are addressed by the doctor and the employer or host organisation as appropriate. It provides assurance to the board of the employing organisation that doctors' working hours are safe. Access the resources that guardians of safe working hours will need in order to fulfil their roles. It includes, a job role specification, checklist of things to do, templates for annual reports and more.
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News Article
Trainee doctors 'scared to come to work'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Some trainee doctors and consultants at one Welsh health board are "scared to come to work", a report has found. A report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) described "frightening experiences" staff faced at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. Chronic understaffing and excessive workloads at the Grange hospital in Cwmbran were causing "very serious patient safety concerns", it added. The Health Board said it had taken the findings of the report very seriously. The report, obtained by BBC Wales, said that some trainee doctors and consultants were worried about working in case they lost their licence to practise. It also said the problems had caused some consultants to feel demoralised and on the brink of leaving. One trainee told the authors of the report: "On one overnight shift, I treated a four-year-old with seizures. The ambulance took six hours. Colleagues treated an 18-month-old with burns. Lots of kids come in with respiratory distress. Paediatric cases are not uncommon. We've treated stabbing victims. Colleagues delivered a baby earlier in the minor injuries unit. These things shouldn't happen at all." Another trainee said: "There's so much patient movement with [this] model. I recently sent someone from Nevill Hall to the Grange to get a scan, then to the [Royal] Gwent to get a follow-up procedure, then back to Nevill Hall. "That's three bed moves, three ambulance crews and three medical people dealing with the same patient. It's extremely inefficient." And another added: "I worry about the safety of the patients coming into this hospital." Read full story Source: BBC News, -
News Article
West Suffolk Hospital: Midwives' critical letter right says boss
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A whistleblowing letter sent by maternity staff to inspectors and a newspaper was "the right thing to do", the hospital's boss said. Midwives at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds said they were "exhausted and broken" and claimed the unit was "consistently short-staffed". The hospital had previously been criticised for its treatment of whistleblowers. Its interim chief executive Craig Black said the letter was a "brave thing". The anonymous letter was sent to the Bury Free Press, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the West Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust, in August. It claimed the midwives had spoken out because standards of care had fallen sharply. Staff were "under extreme pressures all the time, which has left them fed up, exhausted and burnt out", it said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 19 October 2021 -
Content ArticleBurnout is a serious problem for clinicians as well as the patients who rely on them for safe care, and the challenge has only been compounded by the stresses and trauma of the pandemic. A recent study by Pearl et al. showed that healthcare administrators could use a single survey item to see how their clinicians are doing. The question it asked was, “Are there individuals at your work location who are so burned out that the quality or safety of research, clinical care, or other important work product is impacted?” The respondents’ perception of the impact of burnout on quality safety of healthcare was self-reported using a 5-point system, ranging from 1 (“no burnout or it doesn’t impact safety and quality”) to 5 (“a serious impact on quality and safety”). This nonproprietary, single-item burnout-impacting safety scale showed a sensitivity of 82% using 4 on the scale as a cutoff (“there is quite a bit of impact of burnout on safety and quality”), indicating this tool may be effective in helping determine what healthcare providers may be at high risk for safety events affecting patients.
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Content Article
Burnout in nursing: a theoretical review (5 June 2020)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Staff safety
Workforce studies often identify burnout as a nursing ‘outcome’. Yet, burnout itself—what constitutes it, what factors contribute to its development, and what the wider consequences are for individuals, organisations, or their patients—is rarely made explicit. Dall'Ora et al. aimed to provide a comprehensive summary of research that examines theorised relationships between burnout and other variables, in order to determine what is known (and not known) about the causes and consequences of burnout in nursing, and how this relates to theories of burnout. -
News ArticleOne of the largest hospital trusts in England has been downgraded by the care watchdog amid safety fears and criticism that bosses did not act on staff concerns. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it found bedpans covered in faeces, urine and hair during 10 visits to wards at University Hospitals Birmingham Trust in June. Staff in A&E told inspectors they were put under pressure to nurse patients in corridors. At one stage 20 ambulances were queuing outside Heartlands Hospital with patients waiting outside. The CQC said staff felt “disconnected from leaders” who didn’t show an understanding of the pressures they were under. Consultants to the regulator staff were experiencing fatigue and they felt executives at the trust “were no longer interested in staff welfare”. In its inspection report, the CQC said staff did not always clean equipment and said labels for when items were last cleaned were being applied incorrectly. Read full story Source: The Independent, 8 October 2021
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Content ArticleIn this blog, PC Barry Calder, Lead of the Metropolitan Police Service Disability Staff Association COVID Peer Support Group, raises concerns about the potential impact of long COVID on staff and organisations. He highlights that organisations can take proactive steps to mitigate the consequences of staff being affected by long COVID, such as staff absences and changes to job roles. He recommends that organisations: introduce regular contingency planning activities (such as COVID Resilience meetings) ensure managers are trained to support staff living with long COVID ensure occupational health and staff wellbeing services include support relevant to long COVID consider establishing peer support groups for affected staff.
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Content Article
Swimming with the tide, a blog by Sally Howard
Sally Howard posted an article in Leadership for patient safety
We have an overwhelming demand for our healthcare services. This blog from Sally Howard suggests some things we can do to keep afloat. -
Content ArticleThis issue of Hindsight concerns ‘the new reality’ that we are facing. It includes a wide variety of articles from frontline staff and specialists in safety, human factors, psychology, aeromedical, and human and organisational performance in aviation. There are also insights from healthcare, shipping, rail, community development and psychotherapy.
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EventThis Hospital at Night Summit focuses on out of hours care in hospitals delivering high quality safe care at night. Through national updates, networking opportunities and case studies this conference provides a practical guide to delivering a high quality hospital at night, and moving forward during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference will also focus on improving staff well-being at night and reducing fatigue. For more information visit: https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/hospital-at-night-summit or email nicki@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive a 20% discount. Please email info@pslhub.org for discount code Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #hospitalatnight
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