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Found 124 results
  1. News Article
    UK ministers should act to ensure Long Covid sufferers receive the support they need from employers, with as many as two-thirds claiming they have been unfairly treated at work, a report argues. The report, from the TUC and the charity Long Covid Support, warns that failing to accommodate the 2m people who, according to ONS data, may be suffering from long Covid in the UK will create, “new, long-lasting inequalities”. The analysis is based on responses from more than 3,000 long Covid sufferers who agreed to share their experiences. Two-thirds said they had experienced some form of unfair treatment at work, ranging from harassment to being disbelieved about their symptoms or threatened with disciplinary action. One in seven said they had lost their job. The report makes a series of recommendations, including urging the government to designate Long Covid as a disability for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act, to make clear sufferers are entitled to “reasonable adjustments” at work; and to classify Covid-19 as an occupational disease to allow people who contracted it through their job to seek compensation. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 March 2023
  2. Content Article
    Health workers, hailed as heroes during the pandemic, say they’re being abandoned by the NHS and the government. Some are living with Long Covid and say it’s having a devastating impact on both their personal and professional lives. For Panorama, the BBC’s health correspondent, Catherine Burns, meets staff struggling to return to work and reveals how some are now facing financial hardship and the prospect of having to retire early or, worse, being sacked.
  3. Content Article
    An examination of our local community hospital (2nd largest in the state of Maine) and a petition to hopefully spark discussion and change.
  4. Content Article
    I guess that a common feature linking most visitors to Patient Safety Learning is that they have a profound interest in two things. First, recognising and applauding innovations and ‘best practice’ in healthcare. Second, recognising, exposing and denouncing bad practice. The thing they have in common is the desire to learn from the mistakes in the past to do better in the future. When it comes to ‘bad practice’ in healthcare it is usually in connection with some adverse and damaging impact on patients. Our thoughts turn perhaps to certain medical failures, such as the ‘Mid‑Staffs scandal’. Seldom do we find the need to consider the adverse and damaging impacts on the doctors, nurses and all the other staff who work in the health and social care sector. However, those of you who watched the recent BBC Panorama programme, 'Forgotten heroes of the Covid frontline' will have been appalled at the scandal that now confronts so many frontline staff for whom we stood outside our front doors and clapped for so enthusiastically back in those dark days at the height of the pandemic. This blog is dedicated to those 'forgotten heroes'. I hope that it demonstrates that they are not, in fact, forgotten I hope that the resources linked to this blog may be of help to them.
  5. Content Article
    The Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact heavily on all our lives and one of the long-lasting, but unanticipated, impacts is the emergence of Long Covid. Whilst many people infected by Covid-19 may fully recover, significant numbers will experience varied, ongoing and debilitating symptoms that last weeks, months or years following the initial infection. This prolonged condition has been given the umbrella term Long Covid. Recognition of Long Covid was accelerated by people-led advocacy groups such Long Covid Support. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) reported that, as of 1 August 2021, 970,000 people in the UK were experiencing self-reported Long Covid. The most recent data from 2 January 2023, shows that this has increased to 2 million people This report summarises the findings of a self-selecting survey of 3,097 people with Long Covid in September and October 2022 on their experiences of work.
  6. Content Article
    In a series of blogs for the hub, we will be highlighting the impact fatigue has on staff and patients. In their first blog, Emma Plunkett and Nancy Redfern, part of the Joint Working Group on Fatigue, shared how they became involved in investigating night shift fatigue, setting up the Joint Working Group on Fatigue and the aims of the #FightFatigue campaign. In this second blog, Emma and Nancy are joined by Roopa McCrossan to highlight how tiredness can impact on our performance, the patient and staff implications of fatigue, and the actions that need to be taken not only at an organisational level to improve culture, but the effort required at national level too.
  7. Content Article
    Every year more than 12.7 million healthcare and veterinary workers in the European Union are potentially exposed to hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) which are carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR). HMPs are used mainly in cancer treatment, but also as antivirals, vaccines and immuno-suppressants, for treating such diseases as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus (an auto-immune disease) and in organ transplant. Studies show that hospital workers who handle these HMPs are three times more likely to develop malignancy and that nurses exposed are twice as likely to miscarry. Increased genetic damage has been demonstrated particularly among day-hospital nurses, who handle HMPs most during their administration. In an article for Social Europe, Ian Lindsley, Tony Musu and Adam Rogalewski examine the revised directive and new guidelines on hazardous medicinal products and discusses why awareness still needs to be raised to protect workers.
  8. Content Article
    This guidance from the Office of Rail and Road outlines how to manage the risk of fatigue that may arise from a working pattern. It defines 'fatigue factors', highlighting that the more a working pattern features these fatigue factors, the greater the likely need to assess, avoid and control potential fatigue risks.
  9. News Article
    NHS England has warned trusts not to compromise on fire safety when using corridor spaces to treat patients, amid growing pressure to accommodate more patients. It comes as emergency departments face increasing pressure from national and regional officials to find more space for patients this winter – even when they are deemed full to capacity – to reduce ambulance handover delays. The guidance, issued earlier this month, says trusts should complete new fire safety risk assessments before bringing any new part of a hospital into use for patient care, or extending the capacity of an existing area. It also said trusts have a legal duty to ensure escape routes are kept clear. It added: “As we continue to find extra capacity in the estate by newly using, or re-using, parts of hospitals for patient treatment or care, or increasing the capacity of existing areas, we would like to remind you of how any change of use of areas may affect fire safety requirements. “Under no circumstances must fire compliance be compromised on sites which have been changed.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 29 November 2022
  10. News Article
    Patients have been asking to go to other hospitals rather than one where the ageing roof is being held up by more than 2,400 wooden and steel posts. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn has already had to close four of its seven operating theatres because of concerns the ceiling could collapse. Alex Stewart, head of Healthwatch Norfolk, said some pregnant women have asked to go to other hospitals. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) opened in 1980, one of seven hospitals built using a material called reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). The material has serious weaknesses and is deteriorating, with uncertainty over its structural integrity leading to more than £100m being spent this financial year on safety measures across the affected sites. Mr Stewart told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think people are very frustrated, they're well aware that the hospital staff inspect the hospital on a daily basis, several times a day. "That said, we are aware of patients, for example, who are giving birth, who have asked to go to other hospitals because they're scared in case the roof might fall in on them." The hospital's interim chief executive, Alice Webster, said while four theatres have had to be closed, "potentially" there could be problems with the ceilings in the others. "We continue to monitor it on a daily basis," she said. "We're making sure our theatres are functioning longer, we're functioning at weekends and trying to manage the waiting lists that way." She added: "If we don't get a new hospital we will have to review all the services that we currently provide, but we won't be able to provide all the services that we currently do." Read full story Source: BBC News, 13 November 2022
  11. News Article
    People carrying Emerade 500 microgram adrenaline auto-injector pens should return them and get hold of a prescription for a different brand. A fault has been detected in the pens, meaning the dose of adrenaline may not be delivered when needed for people with severe allergies. The official advice comes from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Alternative brands - EpiPen and Jext - are available up to 300 micrograms. "Action has been taken to protect patients, following detection of a fault in one component of the Emerade adrenaline auto-injector pens," an MHRA spokesperson said. "Patients should return all Emerade 500 microgram pens to their local pharmacy once they have a new prescription and have been supplied with pens of an alternative brand." If an Emerade pen does need to be used before a patient can get hold an alternative pen, the advice is that it should be pressed very firmly against the thigh. If this does not work, the patient should immediately use their second pen. Read full story Source: BBC News, 19 May 2020
  12. News Article
    A doctor and mother of two with just months left to live has warned of a “hidden epidemic” of asbestos-related cancers among NHS staff and patients because hospitals have failed to properly handle the toxic material. Kate Richmond, 44, has spoken out to raise awareness after she won a legal case against the NHS for negligently exposing her to asbestos while she was working as a medical student and junior doctor. An investigation by The Independent has learnt there have been 13 prosecutions linked to NHS breaches of regulations for the handling of asbestos since 2010, while 381 compensation claims have been made by NHS staff for work-related diseases, including exposure to asbestos, since 2013, costing the health service more than £26m. According to data from the Health and Safety Executive, between 2011 and 2017, a total of 128 people working in health and social care roles died from mesothelioma, the same asbestos-related cancer which is killing Kate Richmond. She described how maintenance staff removed asbestos ceiling tiles with no protective measures, allowing dust and debris to fall on to wards where patients were in their beds and staff were working. Managers at the Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry failed to heed warnings by workers that they were putting people at risk. Read full story Source: The Independent, 9 February 2020
  13. News Article
    Health products powered by artificial intelligence, or AI, are streaming into our lives, from virtual doctor apps to wearable sensors and drugstore chatbots. IBM boasted that its AI could “outthink cancer.” Others say computer systems that read X-rays will make radiologists obsolete. Yet many health industry experts fear AI-based products won’t be able to match the hype. Many doctors and consumer advocates fear that the tech industry, which lives by the mantra “fail fast and fix it later,” is putting patients at risk and that regulators aren’t doing enough to keep consumers safe. Early experiments in AI provide reason for caution, said Mildred Cho, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford’s Center for Biomedical Ethics. Systems developed in one hospital often flop when deployed in a different facility, Cho said. Software used in the care of millions of Americans has been shown to discriminate against minorities. And AI systems sometimes learn to make predictions based on factors that have less to do with disease than the brand of MRI machine used, the time a blood test is taken or whether a patient was visited by a chaplain. In one case, AI software incorrectly concluded that people with pneumonia were less likely to die if they had asthma an error that could have led doctors to deprive asthma patients of the extra care they need. “It’s only a matter of time before something like this leads to a serious health problem,” said Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic. Read full story Source: Scientific American, 24 December 2019
  14. Content Article
    In this blog, Lotty Tizzard, Patient Safety Learning’s Content and Engagement Manager, looks at the difficulties people experience in disposing of needles and injection devices safely at home. Variation in services across the UK can lead individuals to dispose of sharps incorrectly, posing a risk to refuse workers and the wider public.
  15. Content Article
    The need to evacuate an intensive care unit (ICU) or operating theatre complex during a fire or other emergency is a rare event but one potentially fraught with difficulty: not only is there a risk that patients may come to significant harm but also that staff may be injured and unable to work. The Intensive Care Society and the Association of Anaesthetists have published new 2021 guidelines regarding fire safety and emergency evacuation of ICUs and operating theatres. These guidelines have been drawn up by a multi-professional group including frontline clinicians, healthcare fire experts, human factors experts, clinical psychologists and representatives from the National Fire Chiefs Council, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), NHS Improvement, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), and representatives from relevant industries.
  16. Content Article
    NHS Health at Work is the network of occupational health teams dedicated to ensuring that the NHS has a healthy, motivated workforce that is able to provide the best possible patient care. The NHS is the largest employer in the UK and aims to provide an exemplary occupational health service that is improving the health and well being of over 1.3 million NHS staff. NHS Health at Work influences and advises Government and other bodies about occupational health in the NHS. It also provides a gateway for businesses in the broader community who are seeking occupational health advice and support.
  17. Content Article
    Controlling exposures to occupational hazards is the fundamental method of protecting workers. Traditionally, a hierarchy of controls has been used as a means of determining how to implement feasible and effective control solutions.This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) summarises the hierarchy of controls.
  18. Content Article
    Hazards and risks to workers’ safety and health should be identified and assessed on an ongoing basis. There are several ‘hierarchies of control measures’ in the health and safety field, each having an importance in its own right given the circumstances to which it is to be applied. This Health and Safety Blog explains the general hierarchy of control measures.
  19. Content Article
    OzSAGE has created this infographic for creating safer indoor air for workspaces. It should be used with masks as a complete strategy. OzSAGE is a multi-disciplinary network of Australian experts from a broad range of sectors relevant to the well-being of the Australian population during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
  20. Content Article
    The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (NARF) has added its voice to a chorus of growing safety concerns about the rise in businesses operating out of people’s homes. NARF said urgent government intervention on food safety standards is required to deal with the subject that has gained increased attention during the coronavirus pandemic. Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, founder of Natasha’s Foundation, said the emergence of tens of thousands of at-home and dark kitchens during the COVID-19 pandemic raises fears about food safety, particularly for the two million plus people in the UK who have food allergies. “...we need ministerial intervention, laws to ensure businesses are regulated, inspected and rated, and an urgent commitment to boost resources targeted at food safety. The cost of failure for many families will be too high.” The Foundation was set up by the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who died in 2016 after an allergic reaction to sesame in a baguette. It has been instrumental in new labeling legislation, called Natasha’s Law, that will come into force in the UK beginning in October.
  21. Content Article
    This article by Alison Moore focuses on the problems and controversy associated with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Foundation Trust who had to evacuate its critical care unit earlier this year because of the dangers surrounding the safety of their roof.  
  22. Content Article
    This article discusses how advising and supporting managers/employers in risk management and control is and should have been one of the main preventive roles of occupational health experts, particularly in regards to legal duties on health and safety. In the article, the authors recommend that, as employees have the right to a safe working environment, all appropriate health and safety risk assessments should be carried out, along with published documented input from occupational health experts in addition to gaining employee agreement on Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) for aerosol inhalation risk.
  23. Content Article
    The Defective Medicines Report Centre (DMRC) is part of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The role of the DMRC is to minimise the hazard to patients arising from the distribution of defective medicines by providing an emergency assessment and communication system between manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, pharmacies, regulatory authorities and users.  This guide is for patients, healthcare professionals, manufacturers and distributors for reporting, investigating and recalling suspected Defective Medicinal Products.
  24. Content Article
    The European Biosafety Network (EBN) commissioned a survey to understand whether, why and how there has been a change in the number, type and location of sharps injuries as a result of the COVID pandemic. The survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI in March/April 2021, included 80 of the largest hospitals in Europe, in Spain, France, Germany, Poland and Italy, covering more than 300,000 healthcare workers. Findings showed that the number of sharps injuries has risen significantly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an average reported increase of 23% over the last year (an estimated increase of 276,000 sharps injuries). This presentation highlights several contributing factors including: Increased pressure/stress Lack of safety devices PPE Covid vaccination rollout. You can access the full presentation summarising the research by downloading the attached document.
  25. Content Article
    As an employer, you're required by law to protect your employees, and others, from harm. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the minimum you must do is: identify what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazards) decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk) take action to eliminate the hazard, or if this isn't possible, control the risk Assessing risk is just one part of the overall process used to control risks in your workplace. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provide a risk assessment template and examples.
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