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Showing results for tags 'Long waiting list'.
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Content ArticleUK-based charity Versus Arthritis are campaigning to ensure that the needs of people with arthritis are prioritised by policymakers as plans for the COVID-19 recovery are developed. As part of this work, in this report they set out a six-part support package to help to meet the needs of people with arthritis who are on surgery waiting lists.
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Content Article
Communication is key to building patient trust in ‘the system’
Lotty posted an article in Patient-centred care
In this blog, Lotty Tizzard, Patient Safety Learning's Content and Engagement Manager, looks at how positive, proactive communication improves patient trust in health services. She highlights that negative past experiences can prevent patients accessing the support and treatment they need, and looks at possible ways to build patient trust in the health system.- Posted
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Content Article
Hospitals are in serious trouble (7 January2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
Omicron is inundating a healthcare system that was already buckling under the cumulative toll of every previous surge, writes Ed Yong in an article for the Atlantic. When a healthcare system crumbles, this is what it looks like. Much of what’s wrong happens invisibly. At first, there’s just a lot of waiting. Emergency rooms get so full that “you’ll wait hours and hours, and you may not be able to get surgery when you need it,” says Megan Ranney, an emergency physician in Rhode Island. When patients are seen, they might not get the tests they need, because technicians or necessary chemicals are in short supply. Then delay becomes absence. The little acts of compassion that make hospital stays tolerable disappear. Next go the acts of necessity that make stays survivable. Nurses might be so swamped that they can’t check whether a patient has their pain medications or if a ventilator is working correctly. People who would’ve been fine will get sicker. Eventually, people who would have lived will die. This is not conjecture; it is happening now, across the United States. -
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 ArticleThis report by the Health and Social Care Commons Select Committee looks at the catastrophic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on patients waiting for NHS care and outlines the findings of the Select Committee's inquiry. Waiting lists are at their highest since records began, and the 5.8 million patients waiting to start treatment in September 2021 may be only the tip of the iceberg, with missing patients meaning that the true waiting list could be as high as 13 million. The report highlights the need to carefully plan how to tackle the elective care backlog. It outlines the risks involved, including the danger of prioritising areas that are well suited to numerical targets to the detriment of other areas of care, such as mental health, general practice and community services. It also highlights that the challenges the NHS faces are greater than just tackling elective care. With a record number of 999 calls and waiting times in emergency departments at record levels, work to tackle the backlog is being threatened by pressure on emergency care.
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Content ArticleNHS England has set out 10 priorities for the 2022-23 financial year in its annual planning guidance. NHSE chief executive Amanda Pritchard makes clear in the introduction that many of its goals remain contingent on covid, stating: ”The objectives set out in this document are based on a scenario where covid-19 returns to a low level and we are able to make significant progress in the first part of next year.”
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Content ArticleSerena Roberts died as the result of an ovarian cancer which was not diagnosed until her death. She was initially seen for an ultrasound scan in April 2020 having reported symptoms of recurrent very heavy vaginal bleeding, and had been recommended to be referred to a gynaecologist for review but was not referred. In November 2020 her GP marked her referral letter as urgent, but this was entered as routine on the e-referral system and did not include important risk factor details regarding her BMI. Her condition worsened and on her second admission to hospital in March 2021 she died. The Coroner in her report highlights concerns about significant delays in patients being seen in secondary care for gynaecological referrals from GPs, the understanding and application of NICE guidance on heavy premenstrual bleeding in General Practice and the documentation and processes relating to referrals to secondary care from the GP.
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Content Article
This is the second of a short series of blogs in which we take a look back at our work in five areas of patient safety during 2021. In this blog, we look at our work to highlight key patient and staff safety issues resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Through our work, Patient Safety Learning seeks to harness the knowledge, insights, enthusiasm and commitment of health and social care organisations, professionals and patients for system-wide change and the reduction of avoidable harm. We believe patient safety is not just another priority; it is a core purpose of health and social care. Patient safety should not be negotiable. -
Content Article
In this blog, Patient Safety Learning’s Chief Executive, Helen Hughes, reflects on participating in a recent Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety Congress webinar, held in association with BD, which considered some of the key emerging patient safety issues for 2022.- Posted
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Content ArticleIn this blog for National Voices, Sue Brown, CEO of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, argues that using the word 'elective' when referring to elective surgery is misleading, and downplays the seriousness of waiting for a long time for treatment or surgery. She looks at the impact of waiting too long for surgery such as joint replacement on the lives of patients. Intense, long term pain and loss of mobility can lead to deteriorating mental health, isolation from friends and family and job loss, among other things. Patients needs support while they wait for surgery, and Sue outlines what she believes is needed to support patients who have had community and secondary care delayed: Design support with those with lived experience – ask what is important to them. Use the things we know can help, like social prescribing and health coaching – individual or group personal support. Use the voluntary and community sector who have a wealth of experience in supporting long term condition management – people need to know they are not alone and get support from others in the same situation.
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Content ArticleThis is a video recording of a Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety Congress webinar, in association with BD, considering some of the key emerging patient safety issues for 2022. The panel discuss the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic patient and staff safety, what needs to be done to ensure that patient safety is designed into elective care recovery plans and the important role for co-production as part of this.
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Content Article
BBC Sounds podcast - The Backlog (9 February 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Exit strategies
This is the first episode in a series of podcasts by Natasha Loder, Health Policy Editor at The Economist, about the care backlog currently facing the health service. After more than two years battling Covid-19, the NHS is struggling through its worst winter crisis in living memory and is facing a daunting task to clear the huge backlog exacerbated by the pandemic. Nearly six million people are on the NHS waiting list for routine treatment in England alone. As patients, often with worsening conditions, pour back into the NHS after putting off treatment, health secretary Sajid Javid warns waiting lists could top thirteen million. In this first episode, Natasha speaks to frontline workers, managers, policy experts, and patients to assess the pressure created by the unprecedented demand on the different areas of the NHS from emergency services to GP surgeries. -
Content ArticleIn this article in The BMJ, Farah Hameed highlights that the backlog of care in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic is having a significant and detrimental effect on primary care services, not just elective hospital treatment. The combined impact of patients not coming forward for treatment during the pandemic, and hospitals having to cancel non-urgent procedures and routine clinics, has led to a huge backlog of patients living with conditions that are gradually getting worse. It is primary care that has to support these patients in the absence of capacity in secondary care. Consultant-led hospital services rejecting GP referrals due to lack of capacity is a major problem, with the number of GP referrals rejected due to lack of slots jumping from 238,859 in February 2020 to 401,115 in November 2021. Farah argues that emphasis must be placed on how tackling the build-up of care in our communities can help the wider system. For example, making GP continuity of care a policy priority would be a cost-effective way of improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden on other parts of the healthcare system, including secondary care.
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Content ArticleRichard Murray, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, comments on the NHS elective recovery plan.
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Content ArticleThe Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the amount of planned care the NHS has been able to provide. This delivery plan sets out how the NHS will recover elective care over the next three years. It has been developed with a wide range of expert partners and explains how the NHS will capitalise on current success and embed new ideas to ensure elective services are fit for the future.
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Content ArticleThis is the fifth annual report on children’s mental health services in England from the Children's Commissioner. The report aims to assess children’s ability to access Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) in England in 2020/21, and how this has changed over the past two years. Using new figures sourced from NHS Digital and NHS England, this report examines the following at both a national and local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) level: Spending on children’s mental health. Numbers of children referred to and accessing CYPMHS. Numbers of children referred that were not accepted into treatment during the 2019/20 financial year, as proxied by the numbers not receiving two contacts with CYPMHS. Average waiting times.
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Content ArticleThe resilience of health systems and cooperation between Member States have become particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the occasion of the French Presidency of the European Union (FPEU) 2022, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the General Directorate for HealthCare Services of the French Ministry of Health have worked together to produce this special issue of Eurohealth to better understand how health systems have responded to the health crisis and to draw lessons for improving resilience of health systems. (Available in both English and French.)
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EventuntilThis is a free live webinar event on ''Transforming the ‘waiting list’ into a ‘preparation list’ for Cheshire and Merseyside ICS'' with speaker Dr Mark Ratnarajah. The session will focus on how smart triage and digital health coaching is improving patient outcomes and reducing elective surgery waiting times across the Cheshire and Merseyside ICS. This event is open to everyone to attend and share thoughts and experiences on different topics. Join us to discuss, discover and learn about the latest ongoings in health tech. Register
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EventuntilNHS England & Improvement has asked all Integrated Care Systems to extend, or introduce for the first time, the Virtual Ward model. The guidance starts a two-year funded transformation programme to support the development of Virtual Wards, including Hospital at Home. In this free webinar an expert panel will discuss how Virtual Wards can support elective recovery and improve patient flow during the critical Winter period. Our panel will also focus on the practicalities of setting up, rolling out and managing Virtual Wards across multiple treatments and care pathways. Headline discussion points: NHS winter pressures and tools to support delivery. Setting up, rolling out and managing Virtual Wards. Impact of Virtual Wards on the Healthcare system. Hospital at home & community based care models. What attendees will learn: What is a virtual ward and what needs to be in place to make virtual wards work. Innovation and initiatives that have been used previously to support delivery. How virtual wards can be rolled out across a system and new treatments/pathways introduced within a virtual ward. Register
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EventuntilJoin respiratory specialists, Dr Daryl Freeman and Dr Vincent Mak, for this interactive webinar. This 1-hour, interactive webinar will cover: Community ‘hublets’. The outpatient transformation workstream. Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Quality assurance and interpretation of spirometry. Register
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EventuntilThe Covid-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in the percentage of adults showing moderate or severe symptoms of depression. The Office for National Statistics said that over 16% of adults were affected in 2020 – compared with around 10% in 2019. Those affected were more likely to feel stressed or anxious and worried about their future than in 2019. Many of these people will need support and treatment from the NHS – and may not have sought it during the pandemic. In addition, financial pressures over the coming years may lead to more cases of depression. Some will seek help from their GP and be referred onwards for treatment – often to the sort of “talking therapies” used in IAPTs. But getting access to these is not always straightforward or quick, and patients can often represent to their GP seeking help. In addition, patients can suffer low points but not be able to access support until their next IAPTs session. This HSJ webinar, in association with Ethypharm Digital Therapy, will look at these issues and ask what solutions are available. What is the current situation with support for those with depression and how does it impact on GPs and other primary care professionals, as well as patients? What are the challenges around existing IAPTs capacity? Is there scope for other existing mental health services to assist? How can digital solutions be used to increase capacity? How can solutions be scaled up for use across an integrated care system area? Speakers include: Dr Kate Lovett, consultant psychiatrist, former dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Andy Bell, deputy chief executive, Centre for Mental Health Hélène Moore, Pharmaceutical, Ethypharm Claire Read, HSJ contributor (webinar chair) Register for the webinar
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EventThis Westminster Health Forum policy conference will examine the key priorities for the future of cancer prevention, diagnosis, care and treatment as the Government develops a 10-year Cancer Plan for England. Delegates will discuss priorities for the next stage of the elective care backlog delivery plan, including meeting demand as waiting times for new referrals increase, and what can be learned from success in clearing the longest waiting times for patients. With questions about the future of the National Insurance increase and social care funding, it will be an opportunity to discuss priorities for the Government under a new prime minister. Overall, areas for discussion include: the pandemic - assessing its impact on cancer services and patient care - the future for personalised care in England reducing cancer waiting times - options for increasing capacity - priorities for diagnostics, infrastructure and the use of digital technology - building workforce resilience and retention the 10-year Cancer Plan for England - stakeholder perspectives on next steps in its development screening programmes - progress in recovering services and options for future delivery - developing public awareness health outcomes - improving early diagnosis and access to innovation - use of data and developing prevention programmes to meet local need - addressing accessibility and health inequalities personalised care - the future for patient engagement and involvement in their own care plans - how this should look within cancer care in England. Agenda Register
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Community Post
GP experiences of rejected referrals and access to secondary care
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a topic in GP and primary care
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Are you a GP or other healthcare professional working in primary care? Have you noticed an increase in rejected referrals to outpatient services/for scans and other investigations? How have changes to the referral system affected you? What communication relating to referrals have you received recently from the NHS? What has the impact been on your own workload and wellbeing, and the safety of patients? Please share your experiences with us so we can continue to highlight this important issue. -
Community Post
Should patients be actively involved in following up their referrals?
Steve Turner posted a topic in Improving patient safety
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I've been posting advice to patients advising them to personally follow up on referrals. Good advice I believe, which could save lives. I'm interested in people's views on this. This is the message I'm sharing: **Important message for patients relating to clinical referrals in England** We need a specific effort to ensure ALL referrals are followed up. Some are getting 'lost'. I urge all patients to check your referral has been received, ensure your GP and the clinical team you have been referred to have the referral. Make sure you have a copy yourself too. Things are difficult and we accept there are waits. Having information on the progress of your referral, and an assurance that is is being clinically prioritised is vital. If patients are fully informed and assured of the progress of their referrals in real-time it could save time and effort in fielding enquiries and prevent them going missing or 'falling into a black hole', which is a reality for some people. It would also prevent clinical priorities being missed. Maybe this is happening, and patients are being kept fully informed in real-time of the progress of their referrals. It would be good to hear examples of best practice. -
Content ArticleIn February 2022, NHS England published its Delivery Plan for Tackling the Covid-19 Backlog of Elective Care, aiming for an unprecedented 30% rise in elective activity by 2024-25. In an effort to cut waiting times and the number of people waiting for first appointments, the plan set an improbably ambitious target of reducing follow-up outpatient visits by 25% by March 2023 from 2019-20, to leave more capacity for first appointments. All first appointment waits of over 52 weeks were to be abolished by 2025. In this BMJ opinion piece, David Oliver looks at why the targets are unlikely to be met.
