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News Article
‘Know, Check, Ask’ before you take medication urges Northern Ireland's Minister
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Both patients and healthcare staff have a central role to play in ensuring the safe use of medicines, Health Minister Robin Swann has said. Minister for Health Robin Swann was speaking at an event to mark the roll out of the ‘Know, Check, Ask’ Campaign across all healthcare sectors in Northern Ireland. The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness and understanding about the importance of using medicine safely. The call for action of the campaign is for: Patients to Know Check Ask – Before you take it: KNOW your medicines and keep an up-to-date list. CHECK that you are using your medicines in the right way. ASK your healthcare professional if you’re not sure. Health Care staff to Know Check Ask – Before you give it: KNOW your medications. CHECK you have the right: patient, medicine, route, dose and time. ASK your patient if they understand and ask your colleagues when you are unsure. Minister Swann added “I want to encourage and help patients to be more curious about their medication, know what medication they are using, how to use it safely and feel able to ask their health care professionals questions about their medicines. Patients should also feel able and confident to report problems with their medication early and so help reduce avoidable harm.” Read full story Source: Department of Health, 30 September 2022 -
News Article
‘Perilous’ shortage of homecare workers leaves patients trapped in hospitals
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A “perilous” shortage of homecare workers is the biggest reason thousands of people are languishing longer in hospital than needed, driving up waiting lists and making people sicker, figures reveal. Almost one in four people unable to be discharged – sometimes for weeks – were trapped in hospital because they were waiting for home care, as agencies hand back contracts because staff are quitting owing to low pay, leaving 15% of jobs vacant. A fifth of people unable to be discharged were also waiting for short-term rehabilitation and 15% were waiting for a bed in a care home, according to analysis of data obtained using freedom of information requests and public records by Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation. It estimated that in April this year, one in six patients were in hospital because of delayed discharge, and the discharge of patients with a hospital stay of more than three weeks was delayed by 14 days on average. “People are ending up in hospital for malnutrition and dehydration, problems which, even if you supported people a little bit at home, would stop,” said Jane Townson, the director of the Homecare Association. “More providers are having to turn down work than usual and some are having to hand back people because they can’t do it.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 3 October 2022 -
News Article
Paramedics pilot plan to reduce huge ambulance queues at A&E
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Hannah Rusby reassures her patient he’s in good hands. He is in his eighties, skeletal, confused and struggling to answer basic questions. His breathing is rapid. After a few minutes of probing questions and basic tests, Rusby knows this is serious — after months of decline while living alone, the man is critically ill and needs to go to hospital urgently. With more than 500,000 people waiting for social care assessments across England, emergency calls such as this are increasingly common. “We are becoming a middleman for all the other services,” said Rusby, who qualified as a paramedic seven years ago and works for the London Ambulance Service (LAS). She said the job increasingly involves responding to people who fall through society’s cracks. Daniel Elkeles, 49, chief executive of the LAS, agrees: “There are lots of patients who, if something else were available, we wouldn’t need to take them to hospital. As the population has got older and frailer, it’s unsurprising that an increasing number of the calls are not traditional emergencies.” He believes paramedics can be the link between GPs, community nursing and social care. From next week, the LAS will pilot having three cars covering six boroughs in southwest London. Each will have a paramedic and a community nurse and will respond to 999 calls from elderly people who have fallen at home. They’re going to see every frail elderly person who has fallen [and] hasn’t broken a bone, and our aim is to keep all of those patients at home. The community nurse will assess the house to make sure it’s safe then refer the patient to their GP and an urgent community response team,” said Elkeles. The service hopes this will mean as many as 1,000 fewer people going to A&E a year. Read full story (paywalled) Source: Sunday Times, 2 September 2022 -
News Article
New hospitals could be required to have single patient rooms only
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
New hospitals may be required to have single patient rooms only, HSJ has revealed Chiefs at the New Hospitals Programme (NHP) are assessing whether to include a requirement for 100% single rooms in the new facilities, in what would be a major change for NHS hospital design. It comes a year after NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said single patient rooms should be “the default” in hospitals as this would improve infection control and patient flow. Currently, the Department of Health and Social Care expects hospitals to consider a minimum of 50% single rooms when refurbishing or building new sites. HSJ understands the NHP is working with the NHS’ technical standards team on how many single rooms will be required in the new hospitals the government has committed to building by 2030. The teams are considering recommending the percentage to be raised from 50% to 100%. The work is part of efforts to standardise design across the NHP projects and so therefore better control costs. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 30 September 2022 -
News Article
Racism against nurses: nurse speaks out following hours of abuse
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A nurse has told how she almost quit her job this month after a patient shouted out racist slurs for hours on a recent night shift. Beverly Simpson, who works as a nurse in a care home in Derry, Northern Ireland, said she was left angry and broken after a patient repeatedly used derogatory racist language and told her ‘to go back to her own country’. Ms Simpson reported the incident on 4 September to managers, who are now investigating. In the meantime, she has called on all employers and peers to do more to protect staff from racism that she says she encounters every week. "I have been a nurse for almost 30 years, but that night made me feel like I wanted to quit,’ she told Nursing Standard. ‘I was just worn down with it all. I’m human, I am hurt, but I still have to go back and treat this patient, be professional and hold my head up high." "It’s all very well a black nurse standing up and saying it is wrong, but we need allies. There needs to be training and protocols on what to do in these situations. Instead, there is a blanket of silence." Read full story Source: Nursing Standard, 28 September 2022 -
News ArticleHealth professionals should not let fears about sharing personal data “stand in the way” of reporting patients at risk of ”being groomed into terrorist activity”, new government guidance has stressed. New guidance has been developed in response to concerns raised by clinicians about information sharing without consent for the purposes of the anti-terror Prevent and Channel programmes. It stresses that “fears about sharing personal data should not be allowed to stand in the way of the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk of abuse or exploitation”. However, despite the need for clarity it describes how the decision for making a referral without someone’s informed consent should be subject to a “case-by-case” basis assessment, which considers whether the informed consent of the individual can be obtained, and if the proposed data sharing is legitimate, necessary, proportionate and lawful. It said: “This assessment should be based on your professional opinion that there is tangible public interest or best interest considerations involved.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 29 September 2022
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News ArticleMany pharmacies and physicians are forced to deny patients access to drugs, such as methotrexate, that can be used to help induce an abortion A few weeks after the supreme court’s 24 June decision to overturn the nationwide abortion rights established by Roe v Wade, the pharmacy chain Walgreens sent Annie England Noblin a message, informing her that her monthly prescription of methotrexate was held up. Noblin, a 40-year-old college instructor in rural Missouri, never had trouble getting her monthly prescription of methotrexate for her rheumatoid arthritis. So she went to her local Walgreens to figure out why, standing in line with other customers as she waited for an explanation. When it was finally her turn, a pharmacist informed Noblin – in front of the other customers behind her – that she could not release the medication until she received confirmation from Noblin’s doctor that Noblin would not use it to have an abortion. Since the supreme court’s elimination of federal abortion rights, many states have been enacting laws which highly restrict access to abortion, affecting not only pregnant women but also other patients as well as healthcare providers. As a result, many pharmacies and physicians have been forced to deny and delay patients’ access to essential medications – such as methotrexate – that can be used to help induce an abortion. Noblin is one of the 5 million methotrexate users across the US and one of the country’s many autoimmune patients. Although she was eventually given her prescription, Noblin and other patients are now forced to grapple both with a monthly invasion of privacy at pharmacies that ask them about their reproductive choices as well as the possibility of being wholly denied the medication in the future due to restrictive laws. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 September 2022
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News Article
Long Covid: protesters outside the White House demand better care
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Protesters took to the pavement outside the White House on 19 September to demand a better deal for people affected by Long Covid, complaining that the Biden administration’s plans fell short on action and funding. “The pandemic is over,” President Joe Biden declared the night before in a pre-recorded interview which aired on the news magazine 60 Minutes. “We still have a problem with covid,” he said. “We’re still doing a lot of work on it but the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And, so, I think it’s changing.” But the scene outside the presidential mansion the next day belied that message. Wearing black masks and red shirts, protesters called for research, medical treatment, and social services for those with Long Covid. Around half would qualify for a diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. The protest was organised by #MEAction, an international network of patient advocates. “I went undiagnosed for 15 years, because doctors are not educated about the condition,” Jennifer Nish told The BMJ. Nish, from Lubbock, Texas, said that she was inspired to help organise the protest to raise awareness. “I don’t want anyone to go through what I had to go through,” she said and called on “the White House to treat this like the emergency that it is.” Read full story Source: BMJ, 20 September 2022 -
News Article
Same-day pledge for GP appointments in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The government is promising to improve access to GPs, including same-day appointments for those that need them, as part of a new plan in England. Health Secretary Thérèse Coffey will make the pledge as she unveils her NHS plan for this winter and next. GPs will be able to take on extra staff, including senior nurses, while pharmacists will be asked to take on more work to free up appointments. Ms Coffey is due to announce the plan, which will also cover hospital services, in the House of Commons today. She is expected to say: "I will put a laser-like focus on the needs of patients, making their priorities my priorities and being a champion for them on issues that affect them most." Alongside same-day appointments when needed, Ms Coffey will promise no-one will have to wait more than two weeks for a routine appointment - currently one in five appointments take longer. The promises on waiting times are not official targets, but Ms Coffey said they should be seen as clear expectations of what patients should be entitled to. But GP leaders said the announcement would have a "minimal impact". Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 September 2022 -
News Article
No mental health data taken in cyber attack, NHSE confirms
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
No patient data held by mental health trusts was taken following a cyber attack this summer, NHS England has confirmed. The regulator told HSJ it had received confirmation from tech firm Advanced, which was the subject of a cyber attack in July, that no data had been breached on its Carenotes electronic patient record. The EPR is used by around a dozen mental health trusts. The process of reconnecting trusts fully back to Carenotes also started this week, after providers spent two months with limited or no access to their EPR. HSJ previously revealed that senior NHS chiefs feared patient data may have been taken or accessed by those responsible for the cyber attack, who issued ransom demands to Advanced. Since then, experts have been brought in to investigate any potential data impact following the attack. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 21 September 2022 -
News Article
New national deadline to eliminate two-year waiters
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England has issued a new deadline to treat patients who have been waiting more than two years for treatment, a month after saying it had ‘virtually eliminated’ the longest waits, it has emerged. The goal of no-one waiting more than 104 weeks for treatment by July this year was one of the first milestones in the elective recovery plan hammered out between NHSE and ministers. They were not eliminated by the end of July, but the number was reduced to 3,000, having stood at 22,000 in January. The remaining group consisted of nearly 1,600 patients who had been offered faster treatment elsewhere but did not want to travel, 1,000 who required complex treatment and could not be transferred to another provider and 168 who were not treated by the deadline, according to information issued in the summer by NHSE. Now integrated care systems have been told there is a new “national expectation” to treat the remaining, final two-year waiters by the end of September. HSJ was told the goal has been framed as an ambition rather than a target because it includes patients who have chosen to wait longer. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 21 September 2022 -
Content ArticleThis Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) investigation focuses on the systems used by healthcare providers to book patient appointments for clinical investigations, such as diagnostic tests and scans. ‘Clinical investigation booking systems’ are used throughout the NHS to support the delivery of patient care. Healthcare services use paper-based or fully electronic systems, or a combination of the two (hybrid systems), to communicate to patients the time, date and location of their appointment. These systems also produce information for patients about actions they need to take to prepare for their appointment. Written patient communication is a key output of clinical investigation booking systems. This investigation examines the safety implications of patient communications, produced by booking systems, that do not account for the needs of the patient. In addition, it looks at why patients are ‘lost to follow-up’ after an appointment is cancelled, rescheduled or not attended. Lost to follow-up is the term used to describe a patient who does not return for planned appointments (whether for continued care or evaluations) or is no longer being tracked in the healthcare system when they should be.
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Content ArticleThe COVID-19 Recovery Committee has published its report on Long Covid and post-Covid syndrome, urging the Scottish Government to take action to address the stigma surrounding the condition and improve awareness among the public and healthcare professionals. The inquiry focussed on the awareness and recognition, therapy and rehabilitation, and study and research linked to Long Covid, with the Committee noting “concern” in their findings over reports of patients being unable to get the correct diagnosis and the lack of treatment for common conditions associated with the condition. The Committee said it was “deeply saddened” to learn about the stigma faced by those with lived and living experience of Long Covid, and the report highlights the impact that the lack of awareness and recognition of Long Covid can have on those with the condition.
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Content ArticleHow can improvement-led delivery enhance the quality of outcomes for our patients, communities and our health and care workforce? In April 2022, Amanda Pritchard requested a review of the way in which the NHS, working in partnership, delivers effectively on its current priorities while developing the culture and capability for continuous improvement. Led by Anne Eden, NHS Regional Director South East, with a steering group chaired by Sir David Sloman, Chief Operating Officer, NHS England, the review team co-developed 10 recommendations with health and care leaders that have been consolidated into three actions.
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Content ArticleOutpatient and daycase hysteroscopy and polypectomy (OPHP) are widely recognised methods for the treatment of endometrial polyps. There have been concerns regarding pain affecting satisfaction and tolerability of the outpatient procedure. Dr Bhawana Purwar and colleagues from the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust conducted a service evaluation of their outpatient hysteroscopy and polypectomy (OPHP) and compared it with their daycase procedures. They concluded that the OPHP is cost-effective and efficient method with reasonable acceptability. It is well tolerated with remarkable success rates and excellent patient satisfaction. As compared to daycase group, it requires less time for recovery and sooner returns to work.
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Content ArticlePatients benefit from guideline-based preventive, chronic disease, and acute care, but many do not receive it. A limitation to providing high-quality care is insufficient time for primary care providers (PCPs). The aim of this study was to quantify the time needed to provide preventive care, chronic disease care, and acute care for a nationally representative adult patient panel by a PCP alone, and by a PCP as part of a team-based care model. The authors concluded that PCPs do not have enough time to provide the guideline-recommended primary care. With team-based care the time requirements would decrease by over half, but still be excessive.
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Content ArticleTechnologies to assist with diabetes treatment and care have evolved rapidly over the past two decades. With each new innovation coming to the market, there are hopes that technologies will solve the numerous, complex issues related to diabetes. However, although it has been demonstrated that overall, these technologies—when available—bring major benefits to people living with diabetes, they do not make the condition disappear. This article in Diabetes Epidemiology and Management discusses the interconnections between technologies and diabetes distress, an often under-acknowledged consequence of the continuous demands of diabetes.
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Content ArticleIn this BMJ article, consultant in geriatrics and acute medicine David Oliver describes his experience of being an inpatient in the hospital he works in. He talks about how his three-day admission with respiratory syncytial virus and pneumococcus has given him a better understanding of what patients experience in hospital. He describes how lack of privacy, poor quality food and noise affected him during his stay as an inpatient. He also highlights that although all staff were professional and kind, they were clearly overworked and unable to focus on more 'minor' concerns that patients have.
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Content ArticleThis webinar hosted by the Patients Association looked at the benefits to patients of accessing their GP health records online, and answered questions from patients about how to access this information.
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Content Article
WHO: Post COVID-19 condition (Long Covid)
Sam posted an article in Patient recovery
Factsheet on Long Covid from the World Health Organization. -
Content ArticleHospital at Home is a short-term, targeted intervention that provides a level of acute hospital care in an individual’s own home, or homely setting that is equivalent to that provided within a hospital. In mid-2020, the ihub within Healthcare Improvement Scotland began working with a number of NHS boards and health and social care partnerships to support the implementation of Hospital at Home services across Scotland. This toolkit was created as part of that work, providing a range of tools and resources to support areas to implement and expand Hospital at Home services.
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Content ArticleA survey of over 4,000 people with long-term conditions on prescription charges has found the charge is a barrier to accessing medicine. The findings come following the UK government's announcement that the prescription charge will rise on 1 April 2023.
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Content ArticleFalsified, fake or counterfeit medicines are medicines disguising themselves as authentic, and they can pose significant health risks. 96% of websites selling medicines operate illegally–but research suggests that over 50% of people are not aware of this. This blog highlights the issue of counterfeit Parkinson's medications being sold illegally online. Mike Isles, Executive Director of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy in the EU describes their high prevalence and gives tips for people with Parkinson's on how to stay safe when buying medicines online.
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Content ArticleCan you imagine the distress of going to hospital for an operation and having to return to theatre to have forceps removed because they were left inside your abdomen. Or going in for a left hip operation because of years of agonising pain and waking up to find out they had operated on your good hip. Or having surgery to preserve your ovaries — but they are accidentally removed. Or, worst of all, realising you have had a procedure intended for a different patient. Fanciful stories made up for a TV drama? Sadly not. These were just some of the awful mishaps that occurred in hospitals in England over the space of just ten months. Professor Rob Galloway, writing for the Daily Mail, shares his tips on what patients can you do to protect themselves.
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Content ArticleIn this guest post, Michael A. Osborne, Professor of Machine Learning at Oxford's Department of Engineering Science looks at how the medical community is failing to explore the links between Long Covid and ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). He describes the symptoms common to both conditions and highlights the historic lack of funding and attention ME/CFS research and treatment has received.
