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News ArticleMore than 1 in 10 Covid patients died within five months of being discharged from hospital, while almost a third of those who survived the virus had to be readmitted, new research has warned. Papers released by the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) also revealed half of patients in hospital with the virus suffered complications, with one in four struggling when they got back home. Younger patients under the age of 50 were more likely to suffer complications. The reports present the first substantial evidence that Covid could be the cause of significant long term ill-health, with the virus attacking the body’s organs and causing diseases of the liver, heart, lungs and kidneys. Read full story Source: The Independent, 20 February 2021
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News ArticleAt home early abortions pose no greater risk and allow women to have the procedure much earlier on in their pregnancy, research has found. The findings have sparked calls from leading healthcare providers for the option, which was rolled out in the wake of lockdown measures last spring, to be made permanent. Researchers, who conducted the UK’s largest study into abortions, discovered there were no cases of significant infection which necessitated the woman to go to hospital or have major surgery. The study, conducted by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and MSI Reproductive Choices, drew attention to the fact that despite misinformation to the contrary, not one individual died from having an at home early abortion. Eight in ten women said at home abortions were their preferred choice and they would opt for it in the future, while waiting times from when the woman has her consultation to treatment improved from 11 days to 7 days. Dr Jonathan Lord, medical director for MSI Reproductive Choices UK, said: “Being able to access abortion care earlier in pregnancy has also reduced the low complication rate even further.” Dr Lord added: “Telemedicine has provided a lifeline for vulnerable women and girls who cannot attend consultations in-person. We have seen a major increase in safeguarding disclosures, including from survivors of domestic and sexual violence, as they can talk more freely about distressing and intimate details from the privacy of their own home at the beginning of the Covid emergency." Read full story Source: The Independent, 19 February 2021
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News Article
Funding ‘cliff-edge’ threatens to ‘distress’ families and hamper NHS recovery
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Government plans to cut off funding for hospital discharge at the end of March will slow down the NHS recovery of planned care, and threatens ‘distress’ for families asked to quickly take over patients’ care. Since the pandemic began the Department of Health and Social Care has funded measures to smooth discharge from hospital, to help free up capacity. From September last year this was via a £588m national pot for up to six weeks’ funded care and support after discharge. But a letter from NHS England director of community health Matthew Winn last week confirmed the funding will cease at the end of March, with local NHS organisations or councils liable for the continued funding of discharge packages in the 2021-22 financial year. Jennifer Burns, president of the British Geriatrics Society (BGS), which has previously written to the government to urge an extension of the scheme, told HSJ: “The BGS is incredibly concerned… The disappearance of funding for care in the six-week period after discharge creates a cliff edge in the very near future. We urge the government to reconsider this decision and commit to recurrent discharge funding in the upcoming Budget.” Miriam Deakin, NHS Providers director of policy and strategy, said the government’s funding had “played a crucial role in freeing up hospital beds [and] managing capacity”, despite the delays caused by other parts of the system during the coronavirus winter surge. Ms Deakin warned: “Trust leaders are keen to see this funding continue in the longer term. This new way of working does not come without a financial cost, particularly for community services and their staff who are now much more thinly stretched, supporting patients with a wider range of more complex needs at home and in other community settings. We would therefore urge government to continue discharge to assess funding from April 2021.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 18 February 2021 -
News ArticleTens of thousands of coronavirus survivors needing long-term care are heaping pressure on Britain’s stretched community services, threatening a crisis that experts warn could dwarf that seen in hospitals over the past 12 months. As many as 100,000 intensive care patients, including up to 15,000 Covid-19 survivors, will need long-term community nursing care after being discharged from hospitals during the past 12 months, The Independent has been told. This will be on top of an as yet unknown number of Covid patients from the 350,000 treated on general wards since the pandemic began, as well as tens of thousands of people who were sick without going to hospital but have been left with debilitating symptoms of long Covid. Labour’s shadow health minister Liz Kendall warned: “There will be huge pressures on community services as people who need long-term support are discharged back into their own homes. “Ministers have got to put in place a proper workforce strategy for the NHS and community care otherwise we will see people struggling to recover and the burden of care could also fall on their families." “This is one of the long-term consequences of Covid that we haven’t begun to even think through yet.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 14 February 2021
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News Article
Covid patients given early warning home oxygen monitors by paramedics
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Coronavirus patients who call an ambulance but are not yet sick enough to go to hospital are being given new home oxygen monitoring kits to help spot those who may deteriorate earlier. Across the Thames Valley region, thousands of patients will be given the kits which include a pulse oximeter device to monitor blood oxygen levels, a diary to track their symptoms and advice on what to do if they become sicker. South Central Ambulance Service Trust (SCAS) has become the first ambulance service in the country to launch the scheme after research showed a small drop in oxygen levels among some patients could be an early warning sign of serious complications. Patients with pneumonia and non-Covid lung conditions often experience shortness of breath before a drop in oxygen levels. But with coronavirus, patients can suffer what has been called ‘silent hypoxia’ where their oxygen levels can fall before the patient becomes breathless and calls for help. Read full story Source: The Independent, 2 February 2021 -
News ArticleNew advice on how to treat coronavirus has been issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as it also begins a wide-reaching study into the effects of so-called "long COVID". For COVID-19 patients at home, WHO is now suggesting the use of a pulse oximetry machine to measure oxygen levels in the blood - but warns that this should only be done after full patient education and with medical follow-up support if necessary. For hospitalised patients, WHO is recommending the use of low-dose anticoagulants to prevent clots forming in blood vessels, known as thrombosis. And for sufferers who are already using supplemental oxygen, the organisation is officially endorsing the positioning of patients on their stomachs to increase oxygen flow. This is known as "awake prone positioning". The new guidelines also include a recommendation that healthcare professionals favour "clinical judgement over models" in making decisions for individual patients. Read full story Source: Sky News, 26 January 2021
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News ArticleA new study by Staffordshire University shows that people who understand their ‘heart age’ are more likely to make healthy lifestyle changes. 50 preventable deaths from heart attack or stroke happen every day and Public Health England’s online Heart Age Test (HAT) allows users to compare their real age to the predicted age of their heart. The tool aims to provide early warning signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, encouraging members of the public to reduce their heart age through diet and exercise and to take up the offer of an NHS Health Check. CHAD Research Associate Dr Victoria Riley, who led the study, said: “Deaths from heart attack or stroke are often preventable and so addressing health issues early is incredibly important. Our findings show that pre-screening tests, such as the HAT, can encourage individuals to evaluate their lifestyle choices and increase their intentions to change behaviour.” Read full story Source: Brigher Side of News, 10 October 2021
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News Article
'Vigilante treatments': Anti-vaccine groups push people to leave ICUs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Anti-vaccine Facebook groups in the United States have a new message for their community members: Don’t go to the emergency room, and get your loved ones out of intensive care units. Consumed by conspiracy theories claiming that doctors are preventing unvaccinated patients from receiving miracle cures or are even killing them on purpose, some people in anti-vaccine and pro-ivermectin Facebook groups are telling those with COVID-19 to stay away from hospitals and instead try increasingly dangerous at-home treatments, according to posts seen by NBC News over the past few weeks. Some people in groups that formed recently to promote the false cure ivermectin, an anti-parasite treatment, have claimed extracting Covid patients from hospitals is pivotal so that they can self-medicate at home with ivermectin. But as the patients begin to realize that ivermectin by itself is not effective, the groups have begun recommending a series of increasingly hazardous at-home treatments, such as gargling with iodine, and nebulizing and inhaling hydrogen peroxide, calling it part of a “protocol.” The messages represent an escalation in the mistrust of medical professionals in groups that have sprung up in recent months on social media platforms, which have tried to crack down on Covid misinformation. And it’s something that some doctors say they’re seeing manifest in their hospitals as they have filled up because of the most recent delta variant wave. Those concerns echo various local reports about growing threats and violence directed toward medical professionals in the US. In Branson, Missouri, a medical center recently introduced panic buttons on employee badges because of a spike in assaults. Violence and threats against medical professionals have recently been reported in Massachusetts, Texas, Georgia and Idaho. Read full story Source: NBC News, 24 September 2021 -
News Article
New volunteer programme to help older patients reduce risk of fall
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A new volunteering programme is aiming to bring trained volunteers into the homes of older patients to provide one-to-one support. The Falls Prevention Community Exercise Volunteers programme is being run by the volunteering service at Kingston Hospital NHS FT, which is funded by the volunteering organisation Helpforce and the Kingston Hospital Charity. It hopes that this will improve the strength, balance, and mobility of elderly patients, as well as improve their overall health and well-being. This is then expected to reduce the strain on the NHS caused by falls among older patients. Research from NICE in 2018 showed that the risk of falls in elderly patients can be reduced by as much as 54%, when they take part in exercises focused on improving strength and balance. Bianca Larch, Community Outreach Manager at the trust, said: “We are delighted to launch this much needed volunteering service to support our patients at home. “With volunteers supporting patients to undertake a physiotherapy prescribed exercise programme, we hope to see improved strength, mobility and balance in our patients and in turn reduce their risk of falls significantly. “This programme can really improve the quality of life of our patients by restoring well-being and independence, especially for those waiting to access various community interventions.” Read full story Source: National Health Executive, 9 September 2021 -
EventuntilThis webinar from the Institute of Global Health Innovation explores the safety, effectiveness and global relevance of pulse oximetry for at-home monitoring of Covid-19. Pulse oximeters are being explored as a tool for people with COVID-19 to keep an eye on their health at home, away from healthcare settings. These are widely available, low-cost devices that shine light through a person’s finger to assess their blood oxygen saturation. Evidence has shown that a fall in blood oxygen levels is a critical indicator that a COVID-19 patient’s health is deteriorating and they may need closer monitoring and urgent treatment. But what is the evidence surrounding their effectiveness, and are they a safe way for people to monitor themselves at home? Join our webinar as we explore these important questions while discussing their applications in the UK health system and globally, with particular attention to their relevance in low- and middle-income countries. We will also discuss findings of the ongoing NHS COVID Oximetry at Home (CO@H) programme, which supports people at home who have been diagnosed with coronavirus and are most at risk of becoming seriously unwell. This virtual event will consist of a series of short talks by experts from IGHI followed by a live audience Q&A, giving you the chance to ask any questions you may have. Speakers Professor the Lord Ara Darzi, IGHI co-director Dr Ana Luisa Neves, IGHI Advanced Research Fellow and Associate Director, NIHR Imperial Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, IGHI Dr Jonny Clarke, Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Research Fellow, IGHI, Imperial College London Dr Ahmed Alboksmaty, IGHI Research Associate Professor Paul Aylin, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, IGHI Dr Thomas Beaney, IGHI Clinical Research Fellow Register for the webinar
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EventuntilIn order to support the NHS Priorities set out for 2022/2023 in delivering significantly more elective care to tackle the elective backlog and to reduce long waits, this exclusive webinar from GovConnect will take a look at the developing approaches to patient care using collaborations with providers delivering treatments in the home in order to support patient flow. This webinar will explore: How teams have innovated to provide hospital-at-home during the Covid-19 crisis and what’s needed to maintain the momentum of change? What is the future direction for hospital-at-home, post-pandemic, and what will accelerate or prevent adoption at scale? Evaluation and evidence required to support the case for change. There will be the first virtual wards presentation from Tim Staughn and the first one to case study the Covid virtual ward from Dr Andrew Barlow. Speakers: Jill Ireland, Chief Executive and Clinical Director, HomeLink Healthcare Jon Green, Consultant and Former NHS CEO Dr Andrew Barlow, Director of medicine, West Hertfordshire hospitals NHS trust Tim Straughan, Director of NHS @home NHS England & Improvement Register
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EventuntilIn order to support the NHS Priorities set out for 2022/2023 in delivering significantly more elective care to tackle the elective backlog and to reduce long waits, we take a look at the developing approaches to patient care using collaborations with providers delivering treatments in the home in order to support patient flow. This webinar will explore: How teams have innovated to provide hospital-at-home during the Covid-19 crisis and what’s needed to maintain the momentum of change? What is the future direction for hospital-at-home, post-pandemic, and what will accelerate or prevent adoption at scale? Evaluation and evidence required to support the case for change. Register
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EventuntilThe importance of housing for delivering better outcomes for population health is being increasingly understood by health and care services. Throughout the pandemic, the benefit of a healthy home for a healthy life has become central to the nation’s fight against Covid-19. For most people, homes are no longer just a personal space but now serve as workplaces, socialising hubs and more, encapsulating all the functions of human life. The King’s Fund is organising a four-day conference, 21–24 February to explore, in-depth, how health care and housing are coming closer together and the implications of good quality housing (or lack of) for health outcomes across the country. Register
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Content ArticleThe pandemic led to major disruption to services right across health and social care, as well as a huge shift in where patients are dying, with more than 105,000 extra deaths at home in the UK over the first two years of the pandemic. The reasons for this are not fully understood, but have profound implications for the experience of people dying and their families and carers, and for the type and quality of care they receive. There is currently a large gap in our understanding of the services that the hospice sector provides across the UK. This report by the Nuffield Trust seeks to begin to close that gap by analysing the important role of hospices in supporting people at the end of life and their families, both in hospice settings and at home.
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Content ArticleIn this article for The BMJ, Partha Kar, consultant in diabetes and endocrinology, looks at the importance of education and peer support in self-management for people with long-term conditions. He looks at how diabetes peer support and education programmes have adapted to the need for remote access during the pandemic, and suggests that increased access to these elements of diabetes care may have helped reduce diabetic ketoacidosis hospital admissions during the first wave of Covid-19.
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Content ArticleThere are an estimated 3.8 million people with a wound being managed by the NHS, which is equivalent to 7% of the UK population. The impact of wounds on patients is significant and can lead to deteriorating mental health as well as further physical health issues. In addition, the cost to the NHS of providing wound care services is around £8.3 billion annually. This report by Mölnlycke and the Patients Association provides an outline of the state of wound care services in England by mid-2021. It features patient stories and data analysis on the following topics: Wound care in the health service The impact of Covid-19 Supported self-care Getting wound care right first time What next for wound care?
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Content ArticleMore than 100,000 additional people have died across the UK since the start of the pandemic, compared to long term rates. Many of these people have died at home, and we know little about their experience, or the level of care and support they and their relatives received from the healthcare system. In this blog for the charity Hospice UK, Maureen describes her experience of caring for her parents after they were discharged from hospital to die at home during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Maureen describes how she and her siblings were left to care for their parents with very little practical, clinical or emotional support. Hospice UK have also shared a video of Maureen telling her story as part of their Dying Matters campaign.
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Content ArticleOur home is a place where we spend so much more time. However, this is one place where there may be fewer safeguards and less protection from the risks of serious injury, especially to young children. Preventable accidental injury remains a leading cause of death and acquired disability for children in the UK. Moreover, it affects deprived children more. Hospital admission rates from unintentional injuries among the under-fives are significantly higher for children from the most deprived areas compared with those from the least deprived. This short article from Ian Evans highlights what healthcare professionals working with children and families need to know about accidents and accident prevention in a higher income setting.
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Content Article
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and Think Local Act Personal have been facilitating a Community of Practice (CoP) for commissioners looking to work with co-operatives and community businesses. The CoP brings together nine local councils with a shared ambition to move away from large scale ‘time and task’ home care. This report details learnings from phase one of the CoP which has concentrated on sharing the ambition, opportunities, risks and barriers to developing community businesses and co-operatives. -
Content ArticleThe aim of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is to deliver additional diagnostic capacity in England by providing quicker and more convenient access for patients and reducing pressure on hospitals. The vision is for CDCs to be ‘one-stop shops for checks, scans and tests’, designed to achieve early diagnoses for patients and timely treatment and intervention, and are part of the offer of more place-based, person-centred approaches to care, removing some of the known barriers to access. But are CDCs living up to their promise?
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Content ArticlePeople who provide care unpaid for a family member or a friend due to illness, disability, or mental health provide a vital role bridging gaps in state-funded support. But despite the laudable policy statements in support of carers, this Nuffield Trust report looking at the policy history and latest data shows that the reality for unpaid carers has been one of diminishing help over time.
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Content ArticleThis report from Skills for Care provides a comprehensive analysis of the adult social care workforce in England and the characteristics of the 1.50 million people working in it. Topics covered include recent trends in workforce supply and demand, employment information, recruitment and retention, demographics, pay, qualification rates and future workforce forecasts.
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Content ArticlePaul McGinness, chief executive, Lenus Health, presents new evidence showing how a digital service model can reduce respiratory-related hospital admissions and enable care at home.
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Content ArticleEverybody has a right to good care. Much attention is rightly focused on the occasions when people experience poor quality care, but it is also important to recognise where care is good and to celebrate the services that are getting it right. Some care providers do things well through innovative new ways of working, or by doing the basics well. Others can learn from them and solutions should be shared across the system. This publication from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is purposely focused on celebrating good and outstanding care that CQC's inspectors have seen.
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Content ArticleNHS Pharmacy aseptic services in England provide sterile controlled environments for the preparation of injectable medicines into Ready to Administer (RtA) formats for patients. Although not highly visible to patients, £3.84 billion is spent on injectable medicines across the NHS in England each year. Services are subject to high levels of regulatory control and quality assurance. Products include chemotherapy, injectable nutrition and clinical trials for new medicines. This has the potential to release nursing time for care, improve patient safety and support more patient care closer to home. Pharmacy aseptic services are an essential cornerstone of many critical NHS services. They make the chemotherapy that treats cancer patients, the intravenous feed that keeps very sick children and those with intestinal failure alive and the innovative medicines that target complex diseases. The report was commissioned by the Minister of State for Health to provide advice to the government and NHS England and Improvement (NHSE-I), to regional, system, and trust pharmacy leads, as well as independent sector aseptic pharmacy providers.
