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Showing results for tags 'Obstetrics and gynaecology/ Maternity'.
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News Article
'Appalling' gynaecology waiting times in NI under rapid review
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Waiting times for gynaecology services in Northern Ireland are so bad that an independent and rapid review is taking place, BBC News NI has learned. It is being conducted by the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) programme which helps improve the quality of care within the NHS. A GIRFT team spent a week this month visiting all five health and social care trusts. In October 2022, 36,900 women in NI were on a gynaecology waiting list. A report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said that figure was a 42% increase since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and that Northern Ireland had the longest gynaecological waiting lists in the UK. While waiting lists show that some women are waiting about 110 weeks to see a consultant gynaecologist for the first time, consultants have told BBC News NI that the reality is women depending on their medical issue are waiting much longer. Read full story Source: 31 May 2023- Posted
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Intervention at major trust as junior doctors flag patient safety risks
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Trainee medics in a troubled maternity department have flagged concerns with national regulators over the safety of patients, it has emerged. Last year the General Medical Council said it had concerns about the treatment of obstetric and gynaecology trainees at University Hospitals Birmingham and placed medics at Good Hope Hospital and Heartlands Hospital under intensive support known as “enhanced monitoring”. The GMC’s review flagged serious concerns about emergency gynaecology cover arrangements and said there was a real risk trainees would become hesitant and reluctant to call on consultant support. In September it placed additional restrictions on training, due to “ongoing significant concerns about the learning environment and patient safety”. Now it has emerged in board papers for Birmingham and Solihull integrated care board that Health Education England, now part of NHS England, and the GMC carried out a follow-up visit to UHB in late March to review progress. Board documents state that “several patient safety concerns [were] reported by postgraduate doctors in training to the visiting team”, with a subsequent feedback letter from HEE urging immediate changes to dedicated consultant time and job plans. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 17 May 2023- Posted
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NHS Scotland calls 13,000 women for smear tests after error
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Thousands of women are to be called for smear tests after errors in Scotland's cervical screening programme. In June 2021 it was discovered that several women had died from cervical cancer after being wrongly excluded from NHS Scotland's screening list. Now a further review expects to find 13,000 patients who have had a hysterectomy will need further tests. MSPs were told two years ago that a small number had died from cervical cancer after wrongful exclusion from the programme, and that further incorrect exclusions were possible. The most common reason for exclusion was after a total hysterectomy, where the entire cervix has been removed, meaning there was no need for cervical screening. But some were recorded as having had this procedure where there was only a sub-total or partial hysterectomy, meaning cervical screening was still needed. An urgent audit followed and all affected women were invited for follow-up examination. Now, a wider audit of 150,000 women who have had subtotal hysterectomies has been launched. Read full story Source: BBC News, 17 April 2023- Posted
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Content ArticleThe Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has launched a consultation to seek views on the draft Green-top Guideline on Outpatient Hysteroscopy document. This consultation is open to both professionals and patients. You can return your comments using this online form by midnight Monday 13 March 2023. Please also see the guidance for reviewers page on the RCOG website.
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- Womens health
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Content ArticleHysteroscopy is a common and valuable intervention to diagnose and treat gynaecological conditions arising in the uterus. Many women have an acceptable experience of outpatient hysteroscopy, with pain levels tolerable to them and rapid recovery. However, it is important to recognise that hysteroscopy can cause severe pain and be traumatic for women. This is difficult to predict. Therefore, units need to share with women clear, accurate and relevant, written and verbal information. This Good Practice Paper from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has been written for healthcare professionals who are involved in providing outpatient hysteroscopy with the aim of achieving optimal outcomes for women.
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Content ArticleThis blog by Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence-based Medicine at the University of Oxford and Clinical Epidemiologist Tom Jefferson, looks at safety and regulatory issues associated with Essure, a permanent contraceptive implant. Essure anchors inside the fallopian tubes and reacts with the tissues, causing them to become inflamed and scarred. The resulting scar tissue then blocks the tubes off, intending to prevent fertilisation. The devices are about 4cm long and contain a stainless steel, nickel and titanium inner coil and an expanding outer coil containing iron, chromium and tin. Essure has been shown to cause allergic reactions, lifelong inflammatory reactions and internal injuries. The authors examine how Essure came to be approved for use in the USA, the UK and the rest of Europe, highlighting regulatory failings and conflicts of interest with the medical tech industry. They also highlight how pressure from women harmed by Essure resulted in its use being banned in several countries. The blog then describes ongoing efforts to access UK data on reports of adverse events due to Essure that are held by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulations Agency (MHRA). Freedom of Information requests for this data have been denied.
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- Womens health
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Content Article
Patient Safety Commissioner: 100 Days Report (2 February 2023)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in England
In this report, Dr Henrietta Hughes, Patient Safety Commissioner for England, reflects on her first 100 days in this new role. She sets out what she has heard, what she has done and her priorities for the year ahead.- Posted
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Content ArticleFatigue and sleep deprivation may affect healthcare professionals' skills and communication style and also may affect clinical outcomes. However, there are no current guidelines limiting the volume of deliveries and procedures performed by a single individual, or on the length of time that they can be on call. This Committee Opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) analyses research relating to fatigue and performance in healthcare professionals in order to make recommendations to doctors and managers to improve staff and patient safety.
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Content ArticleThis blog for Refinery 29 by journalist Sarah Graham examines the gender health gap, a term used to describe the inequalities in treatment and health outcomes that men and women experience. She talks about the stories relating to sexism and institutional bias she has come across during her time as a health journalist, that result in poor care experiences and outcomes for women. While acknowledging that women should not have to make extra effort to be heard by the health system, Sarah offers tips for women to help them voice their concerns and improve their chances of being listened to by medical professionals.
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Content ArticleThis is an Adjournment Debate from the House of Commons on Wednesday 7 December 2022 on fatalities relating to foetal valproate spectrum disorder.
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News ArticleMore than a third of the 3143 counties in the US are maternity “deserts” without a hospital or birth centre that offers obstetric care and without any obstetric providers—and the situation is getting worse, says a report from the March of Dimes organisation. Maternity deserts have increased by 2% since the 2020 report, said the organisation which seeks to improve the health of women and babies. Care is diminishing where it is needed most—especially in rural areas. It affects nearly seven million women of childbearing age and about half a million babies. Read full story (paywalled) Source: BMJ, 17 October 2022
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Content ArticleThis is Patient Safety Learning’s submission to the consultation by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists seeking views on a draft Green-top Guideline on outpatient hysteroscopy. The aim of this guideline is to provide clinicians with up to date, evidence-based information regarding outpatient hysteroscopy, with particular reference to minimising pain and optimising the patient experience. The consultation is now closed.
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- Hysteroscopy
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Content ArticleFootage from the Black Maternal Health Conference UK 2023 is now available for download. Sessions highlight the gaps within the system and disparities - and provide nuance, to further reiterate the importance of Black women receiving health care that is respectful, culturally competent, safe and of the highest quality. Hosted by Sandra Igwe, Chief Executive of The Motherhood Group. You can purchase the full recording, or specific sessions, from the event via the link below.
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- Race
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Content ArticleIn this blog, Sonia Barnfield, Clinical Adviser for Maternity Investigations at the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), looks at risk assessments during the maternity care pathway, following HSIB's recent national learning report on the same subject. Sonia outlines the need for change in the way that risk during pregnancy is assessed and managed, highlighting that there is currently no single national guidance and that HSIB identified repeated examples of insufficiently robust, continuous risk assessment in the maternity pathway. She lays out six key themes highlighted in HSIB's report and looks at how risk assessments should change to improve safety for pregnant women and their babies.
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Content ArticleIn this blog, Dr Ciaran Crowe, an ST6 doctor in obstetrics and gynaecology, talks about bullying in the healthcare system and what we can do to tackle unacceptable behaviour. He highlights the results of the 2014 National Training Survey, in which 8% respondents reported being bullied and 13.8% reported witnessing bullying, and points out that certain specialities have a higher than average number of bullying incidents reported. He also examines the triggers for bullying in healthcare settings and looks at ways to tackle the issue.
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Content ArticleHysteroscopy is a procedure used as a diagnostic tool to identify the cause of common issues such as abnormal bleeding, unexplained pain or unusually heavy periods. It involves a long, thin tube being passed through the vagina and cervix, into the womb, often with little or no anaesthesia. Studies indicate that some women do not find hysteroscopy procedures painful. However, it is now widely recognised that many women experience severely painful and traumatic hysteroscopies.[1-5] At Patient Safety Learning, we have worked with patients, campaigners, clinicians and researchers to understand the barriers to safe care and call for improvements.[6] We believe that no woman should have to endure extreme pain or trauma when accessing essential healthcare. In this blog we will: outline the key safety concerns around hysteroscopy procedures summarise recent national discussions highlighting these concerns reflect on the new national guidance outline six calls for action.
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News Article
NHSE director demands maternity consultants work nights
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The deputy chair of NHS England has said it should be as ‘demanding’ of medical cover in obstetrics and neonatal care as it is for emergency departments, to improve safety in the wake of repeated care scandals. Sir Andrew Morris, who was the long-serving chief executive officer of the well-regarded Frimley Health Foundation Trust, said the service would “expect a consultant to be on duty in an emergency department [from] 8am till 10pm, or midnight, seven days a week”. Speaking at NHS England’s public board meeting yesterday, Sir Andrew said: “We haven’t set that similar expectation out for [maternity care]. I know we’re saying we’re expecting that two ward rounds are undertaken, each day, seven days a week, but that is very different to the service I think is appropriate for this type of semi-emergency operation, that most trusts run. “I’d like us to be as demanding of organisations [in relation to obstetrics and neonatal] as we are for the emergency department.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 1 December 2022- Posted
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News ArticleLike most women affected by incontinence, 43-year-old Luce Brett has her horror stories. As a 30-year-old first time mum she recalls wetting herself and bursting into tears in the “Mothercare aisle of shame”, where maternity pads and adult nappies sit alongside the baby nappies, wipes and potties. But, she adds, these isolated anecdotes don’t really do justice to what living with incontinence is really like. “It’s every day, it’s all day. People talk about leaking when you sneeze or when you laugh, but for me it was also when I stood up, or walked upstairs. It was always having two different outfits every time I left the house to go to the shops. Incontinence robbed me of my thirties; it made me suicidally depressed,” Luce explains. “Everyone kept telling me it was normal to be leaky after a vaginal birth. It took quite a long time for me to find the courage or the words to stop them and say: ‘Everybody in my NCT (National Childbirth Trust) class can walk around with a sling on, and I can’t do that without wetting myself constantly’,” she adds. Read full article here.
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Scandal-hit NHS trust admits negligence over death of six-week-old baby
Clive Flashman posted a news article in News
Hospital trust ‘truly sorry that mistakes were made in care’ of Luchii Gavrilescu, who died after being sent home from hospital with undiagnosed tuberculosis. An NHS trust investigated over maternity care failings has apologised after a six-week-old child was found to have died due to mistakes at one of its hospitals. East Kent Hospitals University Trust was embroiled in a major scandal after The Independent revealed the trust had seen more than 130 babies over a four-year period suffer brain damage as a result of being starved of oxygen during birth. A report into the trust concluded in April that there had been “recurrent safety risks” at its maternity units. Read full article here.- Posted
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News Article
Investigation launched into safety of maternity equipment used in NHS
Clive Flashman posted a news article in News
A national investigation has been launched into the equipment used by NHS staff to monitor babies heart rates during labour because of concerns they could be contributing to deaths and disabilities. The independent Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), which investigates systemic safety risks in the NHS, has opened an inquiry after reviewing hundreds of maternity incidents. It found equipment used to record cardiotocographic (CTG) traces were linked to 138 maternity investigations since 2018 with more than 238 separate findings referencing the use of CTG as a factor in the error. Read the full article here -
News ArticleThe safety of maternity services in the NHS are to be investigated by MPs after a string of scandals involving the deaths of mothers and babies highlighted by The Independent. The Commons health select committee, chaired by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, has announced it will hold an inquiry looking at why maternity incidents keep re-occurring and what needs to be done to improve safety. The committee will also examine whether the clinical negligence process needs to change and the wider aspects of a “blame culture” in the health service and its affects on medical advice and decision making. Read the full article here
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RCOG launches Race Equality Taskforce
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists ( (RCOG) has today launched a Race Equality Taskforce to better understand and tackle racial disparities in women’s healthcare and racism within the obstetric and gynaecology workforce. Addressing health inequalities is a key priority area for RCOG President Dr Edward Morris, who is co-chairing the Taskforce alongside Dr Ranee Thakar, Vice President of the RCOG, and Dr Christine Ekechi, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist and RCOG Spokesperson for Racial Equality. Statistics show, for example, that black women are five times more likely to die in pregnancy, childbirth or in the six-month postpartum period compared with White women and the risk for Asian women is twice as high. During the pandemic, 55% of pregnant women admitted to hospital with coronavirus were from a Black, Asian or other minority ethnic background despite the fact 13% of the UK population identify themselves as BAME. It is also clear that there is a significant gap in understanding the factors that result in a higher risk of morbidity and mortality for Black, Asian and other ethnic minority women in the UK. The Taskforce will collaborate with groups across healthcare and government as well as individual women to address these concerning trends and will ensure that the work of the RCOG is reflective of its anti-racist agenda. Read full story Source: RCOG, 15 July 2020- Posted
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News ArticleHospitals have been refusing requests for caesarean sections during the COVID-19 outbreak despite official guidance and NHS England advice that they should go ahead. Multiple NHS trusts have told women preparing to give birth since March that requests for a caesarean section will not be granted due to the viral pandemic. It has led to accusations from the charity Birthrights that the coronavirus outbreak is being used as an excuse to promote an ideology that more women should have a natural birth. Maria Booker, from Birthrights, told The Independent: “We continue to be contacted by women being told they cannot have a maternal request caesarean and we are concerned that in some places coronavirus is being used as an excuse to dictate to women how they should give birth, which contravenes NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidance. Official guidance from NICE says women should be offered a caesarean section where they insist it is what they want. NHS England has warned hospitals they need to “make every effort” to avoid cancelling caesarean sections and work with neighbouring trusts to transfer women if necessary. It said surgery should only be suspended in “extreme circumstances” where there is a shortage of obstetricians or anaesthetists. Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 May 2020