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Showing results for tags 'Patient suffering'.
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News Article
Scandal of healthy mental health patients trapped in hospitals for years
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Mental health patients have been left languishing in hospitals for years due to a chronic shortage in community care, as the number of people trapped on wards hits a record high, The Independent can reveal. Analysis shows 3,213 patients were stuck on units for more than three months last year, including 325 children kept in adult units. Of those a “deeply concerning” number have been deemed well enough to leave but have nowhere to go. One of these cases was Ben Craig, 31, who says he was left “scarred” after being stranded on a ward for two years – despite being fit enough to leave – because two councils fought over who should pay for his supported housing. He missed his daughter's birth and didn’t meet her until she was 18 months old while waiting to be discharged, which only exacerbated his depression. He told The Independent: “I was promised I was going to be moving on, but it just seemed like it went on forever.” Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive for NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, told The Independent mental health patients stuck in hospitals were experiencing “personal distress” and getting ill again while they wait. She called on the government to put mental health on an “equal foot” to physical care and said not doing so suggested the government was content not to treat all patients equally. Read full story Source: The Independent, 27 November 2023 -
News Article
Hysteroscopy without anaesthetic like being flayed alive
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Undergoing a medical procedure without an anaesthetic felt like being "flayed alive", according to Dee Dickens. The 53-year-old is one of many in the UK who have reported having a hysteroscopy, which is used to examine the uterus, without enough pain relief. Clinical guidelines say patients must be given anaesthetic options before the gynaecological exam. Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board said it was concerned by the experiences of Ms Dickens and urged her to get in touch. Ms Dickens, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, had a hysteroscopy as an outpatient at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant after experiencing bleeding despite being menopausal. Ms Dickens said her medical notes and past childhood sexual abuse were not considered and she was not offered a local anaesthetic prior to the procedure in October 2022. Due to underlying health conditions, including fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS), she was reluctant to have a general anaesthetic as it would have left her "poorly for weeks" so she had the hysteroscopy on painkillers only. "Everybody's bustling, so it's really difficult to advocate for yourself," said Ms Dickens. When the procedure began, she said she felt extreme pain, adding: "I was very aware that I was a black woman who felt like she was being experimented on with no anaesthetic. "They took out my coil and then they started on the biopsies and good God, that felt like being flayed alive. It was awful. "It was like having my insides scraped out and blown up all at the same time." Read full story Source: BBC News, 27 November 2023 What is your experience of having a hysteroscopy? Add your story to our painful hysteroscopy hub community thread. -
Content Article
This blog calls for action on the careful review of established pain medication when a patient is admitted to hospital. Richard describes the experience of two elderly patients who suffered pain due to their long term medication being stopped when they were admitted to hospital. Pain control needs must not be ignored or undermined, there needs to be carer and patient involvement and their consent, and alternative pain control must be considered.- Posted
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Content ArticleIn the windowless room where he spends 24 hours a day, lying in the bed he cannot leave, Nicholas Thornton reaches for his laptop and begins to type. It is the only way he can communicate. For more than 10 years, this 28-year-old has been trapped in dementia care units and A&E wards, abused by nurses and held in padded rooms. In all this time, he’s never had the care he needs. The 28-year-old is bedbound, unable to move and unable to speak, the effects of more than 10 years trapped in hospitals and units that cannot care for his needs. Nicholas, who is autistic and has a learning disability, has been moved again and again since he was first sectioned aged 16, ferried between units hundreds of miles from his family’s home in Essex. His story comes as a four-year-long independent inquiry, led by House of Lords peer Sheila Hollins, condemns the government for failing to address the “systemic” failures that have led to people with learning disabilities being locked away in hospitals in solitary confinement for up to 20 years.
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Content ArticleDuring a fellowship rotation in gynaecology, Rebekah Fenton, asked the attending physicians what pain management options they could offer patients for insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD). Their answer surprised her: none. The research on the effectiveness of pain management techniques during the procedure were not strong enough to warrant providing potential relief. But Fenton knew the attending physician was wrong: she'd received the drug lidocaine during a recent visit to her own ob/gyn to get an IUD placed. The local anesthetic enabled her to avoid the experiences of many patients who often withstand debilitating cramping and pain during insertion, side effects that can last for hours after the procedure has ended. By not teaching her how to administer pain treatment options such as lidocaine gel or injection, "they made the decision for me, whether I could give patients this option," said Fenton, now an adolescent medicine specialist at Alivio Medical Center in Chicago. Related hub content: See our Pain during IUD fitting community thread.
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Content ArticleThis article by the charity DiaTribe looks at the impact of armed conflict and displacement on people living with diabetes. Referencing the situation facing people with diabetes in Gaza, it highlights the safety risks including lack of access to healthcare professionals, insulin and other medications and reliable food sources. As well as signposting to other resources for people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in conflict zones, the article provides advice for patients on being prepared for unexpected disasters, including ensuring they have a good knowledge of self-management, know how to safely store insulin and have a diabetes identification card. It also outlines what healthcare workers, governments and aid organisations can do to support people with diabetes living in or having fled conflict zones.
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News ArticleFormer BBC Technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones, now a writer and podcaster, has Parkinson's disease. Two weeks ago, after fracturing his elbow in a nasty fall, he found out just how difficult it can be to get answers from the NHS. "Getting information about one's treatment seems like an obstacle race where the system is always one step ahead. But communication between medical staff within and between hospitals also appears hopelessly inadequate, with the gulf between doctors and nurses particularly acute. "I also sense that, in some cases, new computer systems are slowing not speeding information through the system. On Saturday morning, as we waited in the surgical assessment unit, four nurses gathered around a computer screen while a fifth explained to them all the steps needed to check-in a patient and get them into a bed. It took about 20 minutes and appeared to be akin to mastering some complex video game beset with bear traps." Rory's latest experience as a customer of the health service has left him convinced that more money and more staff won't solve its problems without some fundamental changes in the way it communicates. Read full story Source: BBC News, 29 October 2023
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News ArticleRecord numbers of patients are complaining to the NHS Ombudsman about poor care, exorbitant fees and difficulty getting treatment from NHS dental services in England. Mistakes by dentists mean some patients are being left in agony – in some cases unable to eat – while others are being landed with huge bills for work on their teeth. “Poor dental care leaves patients frustrated, in pain and out of pocket,” said Rob Behrens, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman. The number of complaints he receives every year about NHS dental services has jumped from 1,193 in 2017-18 to 1,982 in 2022-23 – a rise of 66%. Behrens also disclosed that the proportion of complaints he upholds about NHS dentistry after an investigation has increased from 42% to 78% over the same period. That 78% figure for upheld complaints about dental services is “significantly more” than for any other area of NHS care, such as GP, hospital or mental health care, where the overall average is 60%, he said. Dentistry has become one of the public’s main concerns about the NHS, especially the obstacles many people face when trying to access NHS care. A BBC survey last year found that 90% of surgeries across the UK were not accepting new adult patients and 80% were not taking on children as new patients. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 30 October 2023 Related reading on the hub: “I’ve been mocked, scolded and gaslighted”: a harmed patient’s experience of orthodontic treatment A patient harmed by orthodontic treatment shares their story We want to hear from patients with experience of NHS and/or private orthodontists and dentists in any healthcare setting, including community practices and hospitals. Did the orthodontist/dentist give you the treatment and support you needed? If you had ongoing problems, how did the orthodontist/dentist and other healthcare professionals respond? Have you tried to make a complaint? Share your experience of orthodontist and dentistry services
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News Article
Mental healthcare in England is a national emergency, say hospital bosses
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Mental healthcare in England has become “a national emergency”, with “overwhelmed” services unable to cope with a big post-Covid surge in people needing help, NHS bosses say. Care is so stretched that thousands of people undergoing a mental health crisis are having to be admitted every year to acute hospitals, even though they are not set up to deal with them. Hospital bosses claim mental health in England has been “forgotten” by ministers who are giving priority to tackling the record 7.7m-strong care backlog, access to GPs and ongoing NHS strikes. “Mental health has slipped down the government’s set of priorities and patients and services are being forgotten. This is a national emergency which is now having serious consequences across the board, not least for those patients in crisis,” said Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 October 2023 -
News ArticleChildren are waiting years for autism and cerebral palsy treatments as NHS leaders accuse the government of ignoring warnings of a crisis in community care. The number of patients waiting for NHS community services hit more than one million in August and a new analysis has revealed one in five of those patients are children. The waits are so bad in some areas of England that a 12-year-old needing treatment might not get it until they are 16, the NHS Community Services Network warned. The analysis, by NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, also found 34,000 children have been waiting more than 18 weeks for diagnosis and care, which is the maximum time anyone should be waiting, with the backlogs growing quickly in spinal and eye care. Matthew Taylor, chief executive for NHS Confederation, which represents hospitals, community service providers and primary care, told The Independent that long waits can impact children more severely than adults because delays in treatment can have a knock-on effect on communication skills, social development and educational as well as mental wellbeing. “We have a real and growing problem with long waits in community services, but despite repeated warnings that neglect of these vital services is having a detrimental impact on patients, these warnings seem to be met with a shoulder shrug from the government. Leaders are working incredibly hard to deliver these important services for patients but are fighting a rising tide and need help,” he said. Read full story Source: The Independent, 20 October 2023
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News Article
‘Biggest walkout NHS has ever seen’ will put patients at risk, health body warns
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More patients than ever before will be put at risk when consultants and junior doctors begin the “biggest walkout the NHS has ever seen”, the body that speaks for health trusts has warned. The latest round of industrial action in England, when consultants will strike in a dispute over pay on Tuesday and Wednesday and junior doctors on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, would force hospitals to cancel a higher number of appointments and operations than ever before, the NHS Confederation revealed. Among the patients who were being placed in the greatest danger were the increasing number of people who have already had their operations cancelled due to strike action, and now face having their rescheduled appointments cancelled again, health officials have warned. That included growing numbers of cancer patients, who were expected to be more affected than in previous rounds of strikes. The government will launch a consultation on Tuesday over plans to impose new regulations on striking doctors and nurses to ensure hospitals provide a minimum level of cover. The regulations, which would cover urgent, emergency and “time-critical” hospital-based health services, would mean that employers could issue a “work notice” compelling doctors and nurses to work during industrial action, in order to maintain “necessary and safe levels of service”. Clinicians who still take industrial action could run the risk of losing their job. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 19 September 2023 -
News Article
Sick children’s health worsening as record numbers wait for NHS care in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Sick children’s health problems are getting worse as record numbers wait up to 18 months for NHS care, doctors treating them have warned. The number of under-18s on the waiting list for paediatric care in England has soared to 423,500, the highest on record. Of those, 23,396 have been forced to wait over a year for their appointment. Delays facing children and young people are now so common that Dr Jeanette Dickson, the chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the body representing all UK doctors professionally, warned that children are “the forgotten casualties of the NHS’s waiting list crisis”. “As a paediatrician, I’ve seen first hand the damaging impact that long waiting times have on children, on their education and overall wellbeing, and of course on their families,” said Dr Camilla Kingdon, the president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). The figures came from the RCPCH’s analysis of official performance data recently published by NHS England. The health of some children was deteriorating while they languished on the waiting list because their illness and age meant they needed to have their treatment fast, Kingdon added. “Many treatments and interventions must be administered within specific age or developmental stages. No one wants to wait for treatment, but children’s care is frequently time-critical.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 September 2023 -
News ArticleSome patients in England are waiting up to two-and-a-half years for important diagnostic tests such as ultrasound, MRI and CT scans, according to figures seen by the Guardian. The longest waits were two-and-a-half years for an MRI scan, almost two years for an ultrasound and a year for a CT scan, responses to freedom of information requests by the Liberal Democrats show. People with heart problems are among the worst affected. Examples from NHS trusts included a 49-week wait for an echocardiogram and a 475-day wait for an angiography. Under the NHS constitution, patients should wait less than six weeks for diagnostic tests. The target is for only 1% to wait more than six weeks, but now 25% of all patients do so, according to research from the House of Commons library, commissioned by the Lib Dems. Ed Davey, the leader of the Lib Dems, said: “What this Conservative government has done to the NHS is nothing short of a national scandal. Millions are forced to wait in pain and discomfort, anxiously wondering when they will get a diagnosis, let alone treatment. “We cannot fix our economy without fixing our NHS. People can’t get back to work when they’re stuck waiting to see a GP, get a diagnosis or start treatment. The longer they wait, the worse their health gets and the greater the stress for themselves and their loved ones." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 September 2023
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News ArticleA cancer patient with months to live has spoken of her fear and anger after chemotherapy was delayed by this week’s strikes. Flora White, 51, began chemotherapy last month, which is required fortnightly to shrink a tumour so it can be surgically removed. But it has now been set back, after the appointment she was due to have with her oncologist the day before was cancelled as a result of strikes. Ms White said that until she got the devastating news about her own delays she had thought cancer patients would be protected from the impact of industrial action. “It’s hard to deal with as it is, let alone the extra worry and stress,” she said. “Your treatment being cancelled and delayed, they don’t understand how they’re affecting some people.” Earlier this week, Prof Karol Sikora, a leading consultant oncologist, said it was “against the ethics of medicine” for doctors to strike, as he urged medics to think again. “If you miss cancer and someone goes for another two years without a diagnosis, it’s as good as leaving someone in the gutter bleeding ... people will die,” he said. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 21 September 2023
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News Article
Hospital drug policies could ‘put Parkinson’s patients at risk’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Patients with Parkinson’s disease are being put at risk when they have spells in hospital due to a lack of timely medication, according to a new report. Some 58% of people with Parkinson’s disease who were admitted to hospital in England last year said that they did not receive their medication on time during their stay. Parkinson’s UK said that medication for people with the condition is “time critical” and a delay of 30 minutes can mean the difference between functioning well and being unable to move, walk, talk or swallow. The charity also conducted freedom of information requests on English hospitals and found that one in four (26%) NHS trusts do not have policies that allow people with Parkinson’s to take their own medication in hospitals. Only half (52%) require staff responsible for prescribing and administering medication to have training on time critical medication, the charity found. Parkinson’s UK has called for a number of measures to be put in place to make sure patients in hospital can get access to medications when needed including: ensuring there are medication self-administration policies for patients where it is safe to do so; more training for staff and better use of e-prescribing to keep on track of medication timings. Read full story Source: The Independent, 19 September 2023 -
News Article
Mum fears her son could die waiting for life changing surgery
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The mother of a four-year-old boy with complex needs said she fears he could die waiting for life-changing surgery. Collette Mullan made the claim to BBC Spotlight as it examined the scale of hospital waiting lists. Northern Ireland has the worst waiting times in the UK, with more than half a million cases queued for an outpatient or inpatient appointment. The Department of Health has described current waiting lists as "entirely unacceptable". Óisín, from County Londonderry, has a number of health conditions including cerebral palsy, and is currently waiting for two procedures. He is fed with a tube that carries his food through his nose into his stomach, but since it was inserted six months ago, his mum Collette said he has struggled to breathe. Óisín is now waiting to have the nasogastric tube removed and replaced by a different feeding system which goes directly to his stomach. Collette said she was told it could be a three-year wait for the procedure. She is concerned that Óisín's cerebral palsy puts him at a greater risk of complications, saying she had been warned there was a danger he could aspirate. "He could die. Anything going into his lung really, it could be very dangerous," she said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 3 October 2023 -
Content Article
People with Parkinson’s need their medication on time every time. Yet over half of people with the condition don’t get their medications on time in hospital. This can cause stress, anxiety, immobility, severe tremors, and in some extreme cases death. Parkinson's UK are campaigning to make sure that no one with Parkinson’s is worried that they will leave hospital more unwell than when they went in. Whether you have Parkinson’s, support someone who does, work in the health and care system or campaign to improve it, you can take action to make hospitals and care homes safer. Together we can get more people to understand how big this problem is. And we can put pressure on the right people, across the UK, to change hospital policies, improve prescribing in hospitals and make sure staff are trained to give time critical medication. -
Content Article
The Forgiveness Project
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Suggest a useful website
The Forgiveness Project shares stories of forgiveness in order to build hope, empathy and understanding. -
News ArticleA hospital review of mesh operations by a surgeon who left dozens of patients in agony is now looking into another type of procedure he carried out. Tony Dixon, who used mesh surgery to treat bowel problems, has always maintained he did the operations in good faith. Now it has emerged that other patients who had their rectum stapled are also being written to. Spire Hospital Bristol said its "comprehensive" review remains ongoing. Mr Dixon pioneered the use of artificial mesh to lift prolapsed bowels and a review of the care he gave patients receiving Laparoscopic ventral mesh rectopexy has already concluded. Now the Spire has contacted patients who underwent a Stapled Transanal Rectal Resection (STARR operation) with Mr Dixon. Many of the affected patients have told the BBC they did not give informed consent for the procedure and are in chronic pain. Read full story Source: 11 September 2023
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News Article
Wait-and-see policy on heart devices puts lives at risk, says UK charity
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Patients are needlessly being put at risk of dying from heart problems because they have to wait months to be fitted with lifesaving implantable defibrillators, experts have said. Two million people in the UK live with coronary heart disease, which is a leading cause of heart failure. Those at the highest risk of dying as a result of heart failure may be offered an implantable cardioverter defibrillator device (ICD). These can kickstart the heart and may save their life. Patients have to wait at least 90 days before they can be fitted with an ICD while doctors wait to see if stents and medication might improve their health. However, a large study funded by the British Heart Foundation suggests there is little or no benefit to waiting, and the charity says lives are needlessly being put at risk as a result. Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, an associate medical director at the BHF, said the results had significant implications. “The findings suggest that the current ‘wait and see’ approach to find out whether a patient’s heart function improves with medication and stents isn’t always best, and that an unnecessary wait could even be the difference between life and death,” she said. “The results from this large UK-wide trial could lead to re-evaluation of how best to treat people living with severe heart failure due to coronary heart disease.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 September 2023 -
News ArticleThe family of a student who died after hospital staff missed that she had developed sepsis despite a string of warning signs have claimed she was the victim of a “lack of care”, as a coroner ruled there were “gross” failures in her treatment. Staff at Southmead hospital in Bristol failed to carry out the sepsis screening and observations needed to keep 20-year-old Maddy Lawrence safe after she was taken to hospital with a dislocated hip sustained in a rugby tackle. Outside court, the student’s mother, Karen Lawrence, said: “It has been a constant struggle to understand how a healthy, strong and fit 20-year-old could lose her life to sepsis which was allowed to develop under the care of professionals. “Her screams of pain and our pleas for help were merely managed, temporarily quietened with painkillers while the infection progressed unnoticed by hospital staff. “Our daughter was failed by a number of nurses and medical staff; symptoms were ignored, observations were not taken, on one occasion for 16 hours. There was no curiosity, basic tests were not completed even when hospital policy required them. “Maddy herself expressed concern on multiple occasions but her pain was not being taken seriously. As well as failing to fulfil their duty, those nurses and medical staff offered no sympathy, no compassion and little attention. “This failure meant Maddy was not given the chance to beat sepsis. Significant delays in its discovery meant the crucial window for treatment was missed. Maddy did not die due to under-staffing or a lack of money. Her death was the result of a lack of care.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 8 September 2023
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News ArticleMost women going through menopause are not receiving effective treatment for their symptoms, in part because of widespread misinformation, according to new research. A comprehensive literature review led by Prof Susan Davis from Monash University in Australia calls for more personalised treatment plans that address the greatly varying physical and mental symptoms of menopause. After adverse affects were reported from the landmark 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study into menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), Davis said there was a blanket fear that “hormones are dangerous” and as a result, “menopause [treatment] just went off the radar”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 September 2023
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Content ArticleThis review from Davis et al. summarises the biology and consequences of menopause, the role of supportive care, and the menopause-specific therapeutic options available to women.
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News Article
The agony of women suffering with topical steroid withdrawal
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Rhiannon Kennedy-Chapman’s early twenties could hardly be described as the best years of her life. Covered in grazes, open sores and dry skin, she was at a loss as to why her body was continuously failing her, despite her efforts to follow medical advice and take her steroid medication. Having used both steroid cream and oral tablets since suffering from eczema as a child, she had little concern about the medication when she was once again prescribed it for small patches of eczema. “It worked for a bit and then it would stop working. The GP would give me a higher dose and the pattern went on for many months. I went through four different strengths – it would work for a short period of time and when I stopped using it, it would come back even fiercer. Little did she know that she was suffering from topical steroid withdrawal (TSW), a rare skin condition caused by the repeated use and cessation of steroid creams. A 2021 report by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) gave guidance on the risks of TSW and it is now included as patient information for all prescribed topical steroids. Patients can now also report their suspected reactions to topical steroids via the MHRA’s “yellow card scheme” and eczema charities have called for further research into the causes and long-term effects of TSW. Andrew Proctor, chief executive of the National Eczema Society, said it was calling on the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, to introduce clearer strength and potency labelling of topical steroids to support their safe and effective use. “This change needs to happen and is supported by patients and healthcare professional bodies,” he said. Read full story Source: The Independent, 5 September 2023 -
News ArticleHospitals are sending frail, vulnerable patients home before they are better and without vital medical care, leaving them unable to fend for themselves. Over the past fortnight, The Mail on Sunday has received an alarming number of letters from readers who have told of their anger, frustration and sheer desperation at being denied support they were promised. Many have been left bed-bound and unable to wash, dress or use the bathroom for weeks on end. The daughter of an 87-year-old stroke survivor had to put a hospital bed in her living room and provide 24/7 care for her mother after the local health team failed to provide adequate support. Within a year, the woman was dead, having been treated with little more than paracetamol. In another case, a 70-year-old woman had to take her immobile 84-year-old husband to the hospital in a taxi every day for several weeks to have vital injections, because carers refused to come to their home. And the disabled wife of one 74-year-old man, who fell off a roof and broke his pelvis and ribs, told of the heartbreak at not being able to look after her husband due to her own poor health. Campaigners say a Government scheme designed address the ‘problem’ of bed-blockers – the somewhat derogatory term used to describe patients, most of them elderly, who are occupying a hospital bed that they don’t strictly need – is to blame. The protocol, called Discharge To Assess, launched eight years ago, aims to get patients home as quickly as possible amid reports that some elderly patients ended up stuck in wards for months on end – usually because the NHS hasn’t been able to organise the next stage of their care, so it’s not safe discharge them. Read full story Source: Mail Online, 2 September 2023
