Search the hub

1. Bias and Biology: How the gender gap in heart disease is costing women’s lives In this briefing the British Heart Foundation highlights the stark inequalities in awareness, diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks that are leading to women needlessly dying every day in the UK. 2. Medicines, research and female hormones: a dangerous knowledge gap In this blog, Patient Safety Learning takes a look at why women have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials and medical research, and the ongoing implications this has on medication safety for women. 3. Gender bias: A threat to women’s health Sarah Graham, award winning journalist, founder of Hysterical Women and author of Rebel Bodies, talks about gender bias within healthcare. Sarah draws on research, anecdotal evidence and the Cumberlege report to highlight how widespread mistreatment of women can have a negative impact on their safety as a patient. 4. Uncharted bodies: Why we’re exploring the gender health gap A series of articles from Refinery29 UK, focusing on the gender health gap. Looking at five distinct areas in reproductive and gynaecological health they highlight how a lack of research and data is directly affecting women’s health. 5. “Brave Men” and “Emotional Women”: A Theory-Guided Literature Review on Gender Bias in Health Care and Gendered Norms towards Patients with Chronic Pain The purpose of this study, published in Pain Research and Management, was to review literature on gendered norms about men and women with pain and gender bias in the treatment of pain. 6. How can we prevent gender bias in medical AI technology? Responsibly designed artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms have the potential to overcome gender bias in medicine. However, if machine learning methods are implemented without careful thought and consideration they can lead to the perpetuation and even accentuation of existing biases. This blog from Babylon highlights 4 key principles that can help prevent gender bias in medical AI technology. 7. Miss Diagnosed: The health handbook every woman (and man) should read This handbook published by digital healthcare provider Livi looks at some of the evidence surrounding sex-based health inequalities and how they are affecting women in the UK. Read more in the women's health section of the hub. Share your insights Have you ever felt that your sex, gender or how you identify, has impacted your experience as a patient and led to less safe care? Or perhaps you are clinician or researcher with a perspective to share on health inequities? Please leave a comments below (sign up here first for free), or contact us directly at content@PSLhub.org.

Patient safety concerns We know that outpatient hysteroscopy is a valuable diagnostic procedure. When patients are given all of the available information, offered appropriate pain relief options and feel treated with respect and dignity, experiences of a hysteroscopy procedure can be good. But, as we have heard all too often, in many cases this is not what patients are experiencing and a number of significant safety concerns persist. Risk of severe pain There are hundreds of personal accounts from women who have experienced very high levels of pain and associated trauma during and/or following a hysteroscopy procedure[7-9] This is supported by research papers, showing unacceptable percentages of patients scoring their pain as medium-to high.[10][11] In addition, we have heard accounts of longer lasting pain and complications, physical harm and post-traumatic stress disorder following hysteroscopies.[12][13] Studies show clinician perception of patient pain is not an accurate measure, tending to underestimate the pain experienced.[14][15] This raises questions about the value of pain and tolerability assessments made by the clinicians undertaking hysteroscopy procedures and the impact this bias has on treatment. “After the procedure, Martha understandably felt violated, but sadly that was far from the end of her ordeal. She had burning pain for weeks, mixed with a loss of feeling in her groin. She developed repeated bladder infections and double incontinence, and her muscles started wasting. She had difficulty standing and walking. Eventually, Martha was told that she had post-operative nerve damage. To put the cherry on the cake, I understand that the doctor who did this to Martha recorded her pain score as just one out of 10.” Lyn Brown MP speaking in a House of Commons debate Absence of informed consent It has become clear that many women are not fully informed when consenting to a hysteroscopy procedure. As set out by national guidance, they should be given all of the options available to them beforehand. This should include information outlining the benefits, risks, alternatives and consequences of opting not to proceed with any procedures.[16-18] Women are not always being told of the possibility of severe pain or offered the range of pain management options available to them for a hysteroscopy. Many are told to expect mild period-like cramping and to take simple analgesics, such as paracetamol, beforehand.[19][20] Lack of guidance to support triage Although it is difficult to predict who will experience severe pain during a hysteroscopy, conversations between the patient and the clinician around medical history could help to identify who might be more susceptible. For example, women who have experienced sexual trauma, found gynaecological procedures very painful in the past and those who have not given birth may be more at risk.[21][22] There is little available guidance to support clinicians in having these conversations to help patients feel informed of their individual risks of pain. Physical and psychological violation Women have spoken about feelings of violation during and following their hysteroscopy procedure, particularly where they do not feel they have been adequately prepared and informed beforehand. There are also serious concerns that some women have not had their wishes listened to or acted on when they have asked for the procedure to be stopped. In such cases, the physical and psychological trauma becomes entwined and heightened, as many women feel that both their body and trust has been harmed. In addition, many women have described having their pain or concerns dismissed, belittled, or disbelieved, often linking this to misogynistic or paternalistic approaches and language.[23-25] Negative impact on future health outcomes The loss of trust that comes from feeling uninformed before experiencing high levels of pain during a hysteroscopy, can understandably impact the relationship a patient has with our healthcare system. This has inevitably left some fearful to attend important appointments in future, for example cervical smear screenings. The stark reality is that these harmful experiences have potential to negatively impact future diagnoses, treatments and health outcomes. Patient Safety Learning has provided an online forum for women to share their experiences of hysteroscopy. This has had over 60,000 views to date, helping amplify the voices of many women who have often been dismissed or left unheard. These testimonies have informed our work on this topic, helping us to understand the key safety concerns and indicating what actions may be needed to prevent future avoidable harm. Patient Safety Commissioner and discussions in the House of Commons Patient Safety Commissioner’s first 100 days report Last year Dr Henrietta Hughes was appointed as the first Patient Safety Commissioner for England. She is an independent champion for patients and seeks to drive improvements in the safety of medicines and medical devices.[26] In a recent report reflecting on her first 100 days in post, she highlighted that 6% of the initial correspondence she received related to painful experiences of gynaecological procedures, such as hysteroscopy.[27] Although her initial priorities for this year do not include this topic, this is one of the issues on her radar and we look forward to hearing more detail about the concerns raised and how she plans to address these moving forward. Discussions in Parliament In addition to patients and campaigners raising safety concerns relating to hysteroscopy procedures, this was also the subject of a recent debate in the House of Commons, [28] led by Lyn Brown MP. It was the 10th time she has brought the issue before Parliament. In her speech, Lyn Brown noted that a third of women experience very high levels of pain, and drew on the case of ‘Martha’ who was seriously injured during her hysteroscopy. She also expressed concern that a proposed target of aiming for 90% of hysteroscopy happening within outpatient rooms, suggested by the Getting It Right First Time programme, could exacerbate the number of cases where patients do not receive appropriate pain relief options. Lyn Brown also raised concerns around: The lack of formal data collection by the NHS on cases of painful hysteroscopy. Potentially embedded views among gynaecologists regarding pain and patient experiences of this procedure. Patients who have negative experiences in relation to hysteroscopy being afraid to access important health procedures in future, with a long-term impact on their health. This debate was responded to on behalf of the Government by Maria Caulfield MP, Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy. In her response, Maria Caulfield stated that she would be meeting with patient group, The Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy, to discuss the issues further. She also said that she had asked the Women’s Health Ambassador, Dame Lesley Regan, to discuss the issues surrounding hysteroscopies further with the Patient Safety Commissioner for England, Dr Henrietta Hughes. The Minister also highlighted the importance of translating the imminent Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) guidance into clinical practice. Westminster_Hall_31_01_23_15_39_50 (1).mp4 Maria Caulfield MP New guidance The new guidance referred to by the Minister was subsequently published by RCOG on 7 February 2023. This good practice paper, Pain relief and informed decision making for outpatient hysteroscopy, has been written for healthcare professionals who are involved in providing outpatient hysteroscopy.[29] Patient Safety Learning submitted a response to the consultation on this Paper last year, with the aim of supporting safer hysteroscopy care and improved patient experience.[30] Reflections on the new good practice paper We welcome the publication of this new paper for healthcare professionals, to help them understand some of the steps they can take to improve hysteroscopy safety. We were pleased to see this paper acknowledge that a third of women experience significant pain during hysteroscopy, scoring their pain at 7 out of 10 or higher. There was also a clear effort to include advice around compassionate care before, during and after the procedure. We also welcome the emphasis on the importance of ensuring women have full information beforehand and have been told of all of the available options. We do however note the following concerns in relation to the guidance: There are several references made to using simple over-the-counter painkillers beforehand ‘unless there are contraindications’. A contraindication is when a patient has something (such as a symptom or condition) that makes a particular treatment or procedure inadvisable. There is however no guidance around what should be considered a ‘contraindication’ in relation to a hysteroscopy procedure, and how best to triage patients accordingly when it comes to pain relief options and individual risk of severe pain. On several occasions it refers to patients experiencing period-like pain, or a variant of this term. This is quite an imprecise description that some women may not find helpful in making an informed decision about their care, as patients experience period pain very differently. Asked for their thoughts on the new guidance, Katharine Tylko from the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy, also highlighted shortcomings in this new paper, stating: "This guidance does not cover all of the options for hysteroscopy including IV sedation with analgesia, procedural sedation analgesia, spinal anaesthesia and light general anaesthetic. Instead it continues to promote a 'trial by outpatient hysteroscopy’ approach, where many women suffer such intolerable pain that the procedure has to be abandoned. Often, it is only then they are allowed to arrange a hysteroscopy with the aid of an anaesthetist". Translating guidance to practice Despite the issues we’ve highlighted, if implemented consistently and well, the good practice paper has the potential to raise standards of hysteroscopy care and reduce the current postcode lottery of experiences patients have of this procedure. However, we know from patient feedback that previous hysteroscopy guidance has not been consistently followed, leading to unacceptably poor experiences and unsafe care. This failure to translate what we know will improve patient safety to what is done in practice is not unique to hysteroscopies. It happens in a range of other areas, as detailed in our report last year Mind the implementation gap'[31] Questions therefore remain around how effectively the new RCOG guidance will be implemented and whether this will lead to improvements in patient safety. Following on from this good practice paper, RCOG have now launched a consultation into a new Green Top Guideline on hysteroscopy.[32] Green Top Guidance is comprised of evidence-based recommendations that are intended to assist clinicians and individuals in making decisions about appropriate tests or treatment for specific conditions or circumstances. This could potentially have a significant impact on how hysteroscopies are approached in the NHS.[33] This consultation is open to patients and professionals and provides further opportunity to influence and inform hysteroscopy practice. Building on our comments here, we will be formally submitting a response prior to the deadline on the 13 March 2023. We would welcome hearing your thoughts on this to help inform our response, which you can share with us directly by emailing hello@patientsafetylearning.org. Find out more about the consultation. Calls for action Considering the patient safety concerns detailed in this blog, in the context of recent policy developments nationally, Patient Safety Learning is calling for the following to improve patient safety in hysteroscopy procedures: An independent review of hysteroscopy services in the NHS. This should assess the scale of psychological and physical harm, the application of informed consent, barriers to safe care and the role of sexism and misogyny in the treatment of women undergoing hysteroscopy procedures. We believe it would be beneficial for this to be supported by the Patient Safety Commissioner for England and the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch. Publication of a clear implementation plan for the new RCOG good practice and green-top guidance. This should include timeframes for implementation, measures of success, plans for working with patients and other key stakeholders, details of associated staff requirements and training, and information on how progress will be reviewed, monitored and reported on. NHS England should mandate the collection of patient reported outcome measures for all hysteroscopy procedures and make this data publicly available. Severe pain during hysteroscopy procedures, as reported by patients, to be recorded by healthcare professionals as a patient safety incident. Examples of hysteroscopy good practice should be published by NHS England and shared widely to clinicians, service managers and patient safety specialists, to inform improvements in outpatient hysteroscopy so that all patients can benefit. Research should be commissioned to identify the factors that lead to patients being at greater risk of experiencing high levels of pain during outpatient hysteroscopy. This should then be used by NHS England and RCOG to create evidence-based guidance to support clinicians in identifying patients most at risk of severe pain during hysteroscopy. Final thoughts Recent activity surrounding hysteroscopy safety has kept these important conversations going among clinicians, patients and MPs. Positive steps have been taken and verbal commitments have been made. Momentum must not stop here. Every week, patients continue to share experiences of severe pain, uninformed consent, misogynistic care and lasting psychological trauma. There is clearly much more to be done to ensure patients have access to safe, respectful hysteroscopy care and are always provided with the information and options necessary to be able to provide truly informed consent. The RCOG guidance aims to achieve optimal outcomes for women. But without a robust implementation strategy, associated resources and genuine engagement with patients, hysteroscopy experiences will inevitably continue to vary and harm will persist. Share your insights If you would like to share your insights around hysteroscopy, please contact us at content@PSLhub.org. References Harrison, R, Kuteesa, W, Kapila, A. Pain-free day surgery? Evaluating pain and pain assessment during hysteroscopy. Journal of Anaesthesia. 2020. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Pain relief and informed decision making for outpatient hysteroscopy (Good Practice Paper No. 16). 2023. Morgan M, Dodds W, Wolfe C at al Women's views and experiences of outpatient hysteroscopy: implications for a patient-centered service. Nurs Health Sci. 2004 Dec;6(4):315-20. Patient Safety Learning. Improving hysteroscopy safety. 2020. Hansard. House of Commons Debate – NHS hysteroscopy treatment. 31 January 2023. Patient Safety Learning. Improving hysteroscopy safety. 2020. Patient Safety Learning’s the hub, Community Forum, Painful Hysteroscopy. 2020. Hysteroscopy Action. CAPH Survey Results – Hysteroscopy Action. Accessed 27 February 2023. Patient Safety Learning YouTube channel. 2020: Raising awareness about painful hysteroscopies - YouTube (see comments below the video). Accessed 27 February 2023. Harrison, R, Kuteesa, W, Kapila, A. Pain-free day surgery? Evaluating pain and pain assessment during hysteroscopy. Journal of Anaesthesia. 2020. Morgan M, Dodds W, Wolfe C at al Women's views and experiences of outpatient hysteroscopy: implications for a patient-centered service. Nurs Health Sci. 2004 Dec;6(4):315-20. Hansard. House of Commons Debate – NHS hysteroscopy treatment. 31 January 2023. Grandmother-of-three, 67, was left with PTSD after routine NHS medical check | Daily Mail Online Morgan M, Dodds W, Wolfe C at al Women's views and experiences of outpatient hysteroscopy: implications for a patient-centered service. Nurs Health Sci. 2004 Dec;6(4):315-20. Maguire K, Morrell K, Westhoff C, Davis A. Accuracy of providers' assessment of pain during intrauterine device insertion. Contraception. 2014 Jan;89(1):22-4 General Medical Council. Decision making and consent - ethical guidance. Accessed 27 February 2023. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Pain relief and informed decision making for outpatient hysteroscopy (Good Practice Paper No. 16). 2023. NHS. Consent to treatment. Accessed 27 February 2023. Hysteroscopy Action. CAPH Survey Results – Hysteroscopy Action. Accessed 27 February 2023. Patient Safety Learning’s the hub, Community Forum, Painful Hysteroscopy. 2020. Havard Health publishing. When a pelvic exam is traumatic. 2019. Zayed S, Elsetohy K, Zayed M, et al. Factors affecting pain experienced during office hysteroscopy. Middle East Fertility Society Journal. 2015 Sep Vol. 20 (3): 154-158 Patient Safety Learning YouTube channel. 2020: Raising awareness about painful hysteroscopies - YouTube (see comments below the video). Accessed 27 February 2023. Patient Safety Learning’s the hub, Community Forum, Painful Hysteroscopy. 2020. Hansard. House of Commons Debate – NHS hysteroscopy treatment. 2023. Department of Health and Social Care. First ever Patient Safety Commissioner appointed. 2022. Patient’s Association. Patient Safety Commissioner for England, Patient Safety Commissioner: 100 Days Report. 2 February 2023. Hansard. House of Commons Debate – NHS hysteroscopy treatment. 2023. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Pain relief and informed decision making for outpatient hysteroscopy (Good Practice Paper No. 16). 2023. Patient Safety Learning. Guidance for outpatient hysteroscopy: Consultation Response. 2022. Patient Safety Learning. Mind the implementation gap: The persistence of avoidable harm in the NHS. 2022. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Green-top Guidelines No. 59 Outpatient Hysteroscopy 2nd Edition. Accessed 27 February 2023. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.. Developing a Green-top Guideline: Guidance for developers. 2020. Related reading House of Commons Debate – NHS hysteroscopy treatment (31 January 2023) Improving hysteroscopy safety, 6 November 2020. Through the hysteroscope: Reflections of a gynaecologist, 26 January 2021. Guidance for outpatient hysteroscopy: Consultation Response, 16 March 2022. Richard Harrison, “Pain-free hysteroscopy”, a blog by Dr Richard Harrison, 6 November 2020. Related video resources

Over the past few years, Patient Safety Learning has heard from many patients about significant safety concerns relating to hysteroscopy procedures in the NHS.[1] From the countless women who have shared individual experiences on the hub to the conversations we have had with the patient group the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy, it is clear that this is a topic needing further exploration and advocacy from a patient safety perspective. I therefore welcomed a recent opportunity to engage with healthcare professionals involved in hysteroscopy procedures and share these concerns when I was invited to attend the Association of Anaesthetists Winter Scientific Meeting 2023 last month. This is the Association’s flagship conference, attended by healthcare professionals from across the UK, and I was invited to contribute to a panel session. This was focused on differing approaches to sedation for hysteroscopy procedures in both operating theatres and outpatient settings. Healthcare professional perspective from Leeds Hysteroscopy is a procedure used as a diagnostic tool to identify the cause of common problems such as abnormal bleeding, unexplained pain or unusually heavy periods in women. It involves a long, thin tube being passed through the vagina and cervix, into the womb, often with little or no anaesthesia. The panel session started with a presentation about hysteroscopies from Dr John Dalton, Dr Tracy Jackson and Maria Chalmers, Specialist Nurse Hysteroscopist. Maria spoke about the approach to hysteroscopy at the Leeds Centre for Women’s Health, emphasising the importance of: appropriate patient consent for the procedure discussing the likelihood of pain in advance of obtaining consent the patient’s right to withdraw consent or stop the procedure at any time. They described how patients, if they wanted to, were invited to review the procedure on a screen, and reported that there had been positive feedback from patients who have undergone procedures with this option. They also spoke about the value of these procedures taking place in outpatient settings where possible, creating a quicker diagnostic assessment. In their presentation, they reflected on the importance of collecting data about patient outcomes and pointed to broadly positive satisfaction scores with their service. Reflections on consent It was positive to hear a strong emphasis on the importance of patient consent, both before and during a procedure. It is an area of concern that has been consistently raised with us by patients who have undergone hysteroscopy. Through our work, we know that a significant number of women are not given sufficient information beforehand about the nature of the procedure or the potential for high levels of pain. Many have told us they were not asked about their medical history or offered different options for pain relief. These patients often reflect that the consent they gave was therefore not informed. When a patient experiences unexpected levels of pain, they can understandably feel very unsafe. This can lead to lasting trauma and a fear of accessing further important procedures or screenings. It’s therefore essential to make sure women undergoing this procedure feel they have been given all the information available. Panel discussion I introduced the concerns being expressed by many women and this generated an open discussion with colleagues from Leeds and an engaged audience of anaesthetists, many of whom were unaware of the issues that patients are raising about outpatient hysteroscopy. In the panel discussion I spoke about the experiences that have been shared with us at Patient Safety Learning. Some women have described how the lack of forewarning about this procedure, coupled with the trauma of the experience itself, left them feeling that both their body and their trust had been violated. Many women have also described receiving little or no pain relief and not being given the information they needed to make an informed choice about their own care and their own bodies. More than 50,000 people have viewed our community discussion on the hub about hysteroscopy experiences, with many having shared awful experiences exhibiting bullying, lack of compassion, lack of information and horrendous pain. Recent research, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, shows that a significant number (17.6%) of women rate their pain during hysteroscopy as greater than 7/10, and only 7.8% report no pain at all.[2] We know that outpatient hysteroscopy is a valuable procedure when done right, with full information, appropriate pain relief options and informed consent. However, as we have heard all too often from patients, in many cases this is not what they are experiencing.[3] Similar concerns were raised this week in a debate in the House of Commons. When discussing the implementation of good practice in these procedures, Government Minister Maria Caulfield note that such guidance was only as effective as its implementation: “The royal college is important because it can bring clinical change on the ground, but it is not enough just to assume that its updated guidance will be enough to change what happens in practice.”[4] Patients and campaigners are not unsupportive of hysteroscopy as a procedure. However, I shared our view, and that of many, that patients should not be expected to tolerate extreme pain or inconsistency of service. I emphasised a need for: increased efforts to ensure that good practice is shared widely and consistently applied. more research to better inform risk assessments about which women are most likely to affected by severe pain. ensuring that all those healthcare professionals involved in these procedures understand the importance of listening to and responding patients, giving women a range of pain relief options and providing the option to stop the procedure. It was useful to discuss with Maria and other clinical colleagues the value of hysteroscopy and the efforts that some centres are making to ensure that patients’ needs are met, and their voices heeded. It was helpful also to see in person the responses of anaesthetists in the room. There was, in some cases, clear concern about the negative experiences that have been shared with Patient Safety Learning by patients. Then we had some interesting reflections on the pain scores presented by the staff at Leeds. Many anaesthetists expressed shock that despite the good service being provided there, median pain scores are 5 out of 10. Some anaesthetists commented that patients wouldn’t be let out of recovery rooms by nursing staff with that extent of pain, and some said that they themselves wouldn’t want to undergo such a procedure in an outpatient setting with that median pain rating. The discussion was an important multi-disciplinary conversation of the value of hysteroscopy as a procedure while highlighting the very real concerns that women are experiencing when Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines are not being met consistently. The opportunity to engage in discussion with clinicians who are aiming to put patients’ experience at the heart of their service was much appreciated and we’re going to follow up with Maria and John to hear more about their service and the plans they have for continual improvement and for the best experience for women. We applaud the Association of Anaesthetists for highlighting these issues and aim to engage further to increase awareness of hysteroscopy pain and the need for urgent action. We look forward to sharing the recording of the session via the hub as soon as it becomes available. Join the conversation There is much work still needed to raise awareness of the patient safety issues concerning hysteroscopy procedures and to make the changes required to ensure good practice is applied consistently across the country. In the coming weeks, we will be publishing a new policy blog looking at this in greater detail and considering what more needs to be done to improve patient safety. In the meantime, if you have an experience you would like to share with us, please do get in touch. Perhaps you are a healthcare professional with insights to share on this topic? A patient who has had a hysteroscopy? A researcher? We'd love to hear from you if have a different perspective to add. You can join the conversation on the hub or get in touch with us directly by emailing content@pslhub.org. References 1. Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy, Open letter to the Department of Health and Social Care, 20 October 2020 2. Richard Harrison, William Kuteesa, Atul Kapila, Mark Little, Wiebke Gandhi, Deepak Ravindran, Carien M. van Reekum and Tim. V Salomons, Pain-free day surgery? Evaluating pain and pain assessment during hysteroscopy, 13 September 2020 3. Patient Safety Learning, Guidance for outpatient hysteroscopy: Consultation Response, 16 March 2022 4. House of Commons Debate, NHS hysteroscopy treatment, 31 January 2023

What is a Westminster Hall debate? Westminster Hall debates give Members of Parliament (MPs) an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate. Hysteroscopy procedures in the NHS In this debate Lyn Brown MP noted the significant number of women who experience extreme levels of pain when undergoing hysteroscopy, highlighted by groups such as the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy. She shared several patient testimonies, raising concerns about healthcare professionals dismissing and ignoring patient feedback and emphasised the need for NHS trusts to offer patients who need a hysteroscopy a choice of appropriate pain relief. Key issues raised in this debate included: Concerns patients who have negative experiences in relation to hysteroscopy may be afraid to access important health procedures in future, with a long-term impact on their health. A lack of formal data collection by the NHS on cases of painful hysteroscopy. Concerns that a new proposed target of aiming for 90% of hysteroscopy happening within outpatient rooms, which has emerged from the Getting It Right First Time programme, may exacerbate the number of cases where patients do not receive appropriate pain relief options. That new good practice guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) on this issue is due to be published imminently. That more research is needed into hysteroscopies, particularly for post-menopausal women. Concerns about the need to challenge potentially embedded views among gynaecologists in regards to pain and patient experiences of this procedure. Feryal Clark MP recounted her personal experience of having a painful hysteroscopy procedure. This debate was responded to on behalf of the Government by Maria Caulfield MP, Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy. Key points in her response included: She was planning to meet with the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy group to discuss these issues further. The importance of the new RCOG best practice guidelines being rolled out in practice, and ensuring this brings clinical change on the ground. That hysteroscopy had not been included in the initial priorities of the Women’s Health Strategy as the Government wanted to wait on the new RCOG guidance before acting. There is a space being set up on the NHS website for women’s health so that women who are going for a procedure can easily access all relevant information. She has asked Professor Dame Lesley Regan, the Government’s Women’s Health Ambassador, to discuss the issues surrounding hysteroscopies further with Dr Henrietta Hughes, the Patient Safety Commissioner for England. Watch the debate in full Read the transcript Join the conversation Are you a healthcare worker with insights to share on this topic? Are you a patient who has had a hysteroscopy? Perhaps you are a researcher or have a different perspective to add? You can join the conversation here or get in touch with us directly by emailing content@pslhub.org. Related reading Patient Safety Learning, Improving hysteroscopy safety, 6 November 2020. Patient Safety Learning, Through the hysteroscope: Reflections of a gynaecologist, 26 January 2021. Patient Safety Learning, Guidance for outpatient hysteroscopy: Consultation Response, 16 March 2022. Richard Harrison, “Pain-free hysteroscopy”, a blog by Dr Richard Harrison, 6 November 2020.

Each NHS Trust and local pharmacies in Dorset have been promoting awareness and providing updates for staff and patients on medications without harm and medicines safety following World Patient Safety Day in September. On Monday 17 October we held a face-to-face event to share learning from medicines incidents and to specifically focus on the safety improvement programme to reduce harm from opiate drugs in our communities. This provided an excellent opportunity to network with other healthcare professionals. Speakers on the day were: Head of Medicines Improvement at NHS Dorset who set the scene for the morning with facts and figures for discussion. Clinical Lead for the Wessex Academic Health Science Network Polypharmacy programme provided an update on the wider safety improvement work. Patient Safety Specialist with NHS Dorset presented a patient story of a person that died following accidental fatal intoxication with liquid morphine. Deputy Chief Pharmacist at Dorset County Hospital (DCH) and long serving Medicines Safety officer in Dorset shared the improvement work that has taken place in DCH in relation to opiate prescribing on discharge. Dr Sarah Kay, GP lead for Patient Safety with NHS Dorset, concluded the morning with a facilitated discussion session to share best practice and consider how organisations can work together to improve medicines safety. Attendees included Primary Care Network (PCN) pharmacists, hospital trust pharmacists, NHSD patient safety teams, medicines optimisation team, primary care team, AHSNs. In Dorset we prescribe almost double the volume of liquid opioids to patients in our hospitals when compared with others in our region. This increases the risk of prolonged prescribing in primary care, which can lead to long-term tolerance and dependency, and contributes to nearly 700 patients requesting multiple liquid opioid prescriptions each month for chronic non-cancer pain. This prescribing is having a disproportionate impact on women between 40 and 60 years of age and in more deprived areas of our county. At the event, we heard from some acute trusts and PCN colleagues who are having success in reducing opiate usage and promoting safe pain management strategies for people, as well as from the Wessex AHSN who can support ongoing improvement programmes. The morning was compered by NHS Dorset Patient Safety Partner (volunteer lay role) Simon Wraw who ensured the patient perspective was part of our discussions. The opportunity to meet face to face with colleagues was really valuable, as well as making new counterpart connections for each professional group. Feedback from attendees was positive and we hope to run a similar event in the future with a different topic focus. On the topic of networking, we have also contributed to the setup of the NHSE South West GP Quality Network. A scoping meeting was held in October to co-produce a plan for the network with participants. We hope to build the network, so if you work in any patient safety role across the South West and have an interest in general practice and connecting with colleagues to share good ideas and troubleshoot problems together please get in touch. The next network meeting will be 22 February 2023. Please email england.swqualityhub@nhs.net for an invite. Further reading See our recent Patient Safety Spotlight interview with Sarah and Jaydee.