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News Article
Care home worker cancer misdiagnosis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A care home worker who was wrongly diagnosed with cancer said she thought it was a "cruel joke" when she was told doctors had made a mistake and she did not have cancer at all. Mum-of-four Janice Johnston said her "world crumbled" when she learned she had a rare form of blood cancer at Kent and Canterbury Hospital in 2017. She had 18 months of oral chemotherapy treatment, during which she experienced weight loss, nausea and bone pain, and had to give up her job as an auxiliary nurse. When the treatment did not appear to be working, she says, medics upped the dosage. In 2018, she sought alternative treatment at Guy's Hospital in London. It was there a specialist told her she did not have cancer at all but a different condition. Mrs Johnston was awarded £75,950 in damages after East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability. Staff at the hospital had failed to do the necessary ultrasound scan and bone marrow biopsy before diagnosing her. Read full story Source: BBC News, 25 January 2021 -
News Article
Global health insurance card to replace EHIC under new rules
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
UK residents can apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) to access emergency medical care in the EU when their current EHIC card runs out. Under a new agreement with the EU, both cards will offer equivalent healthcare protection when people are on holiday, studying or travelling for business. This includes emergency treatment as well as treatment needed for a pre-existing condition. The new GHIC card is free and can be obtained via the official GHIC website. Current European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) are valid as long as they are in date, and can continue to be used when travelling to the EU. You don't need to apply for a GHIC until your current EHIC expires. People should apply at least two weeks before they plan to travel to ensure their card arrives on time. Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 January 2021 -
News ArticleA new study by Staffordshire University shows that people who understand their ‘heart age’ are more likely to make healthy lifestyle changes. 50 preventable deaths from heart attack or stroke happen every day and Public Health England’s online Heart Age Test (HAT) allows users to compare their real age to the predicted age of their heart. The tool aims to provide early warning signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, encouraging members of the public to reduce their heart age through diet and exercise and to take up the offer of an NHS Health Check. CHAD Research Associate Dr Victoria Riley, who led the study, said: “Deaths from heart attack or stroke are often preventable and so addressing health issues early is incredibly important. Our findings show that pre-screening tests, such as the HAT, can encourage individuals to evaluate their lifestyle choices and increase their intentions to change behaviour.” Read full story Source: Brigher Side of News, 10 October 2021
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News Article
‘A bit of a nightmare’: fuel shortages starting to affect vulnerable patients
Clive Flashman posted a news article in News
Patients are starting to suffer because health and care workers are unable to purchase fuel. The fuel crisis is starting to have an effect on the care of vulnerable patients, community and mental health service providers have warned. Many petrol stations are running short of fuel as a result of panic buying, after the oil firm BP warned that it would have to close some of its petrol stations because of the lack of lorry drivers. Currently there is a shortage of about 100,000 HGV drivers. Crystal Oldman, chief executive for the Queen’s Nursing Institute, which represents community nurses, told the journal HSJ that the fuel shortage was already affecting them: “This potentially means nurses cannot get to the patients they need to if they are unable to access fuel. At the very least, it will mean more time searching for petrol stations that have a supply, taking valuable time from their working day and more unpaid overtime will be undertaken as nurses will always prioritise their patient care.” Patient transport has also been affected. A source at a patient transport provider in the West Midlands told HSJ that it had been “a bit of a nightmare”. The provider had had to turn down a request for a patient going to London because of the fuel shortage and because of climate protesters disrupting motorway transport: “Ultimately those patients are either at home and distressed carrying a big risk in the community or [accident and emergency] departments which [are not] the right settings.” Read the full article here Source: Future Care Capital -
News Article
TikTok video of IUD removal at home prompts warning from health authorities
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A TikTok user who went viral with a video of herself removing her implanted birth control device has prompted calls among sexual health experts for better monitoring of social media platforms. In a video which has gained over 178,000 likes, TikTok user Mikkie Gallagher is filmed performing a ‘DIY IUD removal’ wearing medical gloves, writing on top of the post: “A lot easier than I thought TBH,” and “Catch of the day: Mirena IUD, 2 inches”. An intrauterine device (IUD) is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy and sometimes assist in relieving period pain. They usually need to be taken out every five to 10 years depending on the type. Women can choose when to have them removed. Family Planning Victoria CEO, Claire Vissenga, said she found it very concerning that “DIY could pass as healthcare or professional assistance”. “... it’s just a ridiculous thing to do. Removing an IUD potentially does physical damage, and could complicate contraception,” says Vissenga Family Planning medical director, Kathleen McNamee, said 80% of DIY IUD removals failed, leading to GP or emergency visits. “If the person dislodges the IUD in a failed attempt, it could no longer be effective as a contraceptive method and result in an unwanted pregnancy,” she said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 September 2021 -
News Article
Mental health unit death raises coroner fears
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A coroner has raised concerns about how a family was allowed to bring a restricted item that contributed to a man's death into a mental health unit. Joshua Sahota, 25, died as a result of asphyxia and psychosis in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on 9 September 2019. Suffolk coroner Nigel Parsley said Mr Sahota's relatives were not told the item they brought in when visiting was on a restricted list. The NHS trust which runs the unit said it had improved its internal processes. Mr Sahota, from Kennett in Cambridgeshire, was taken to the Wedgewood Unit on the West Suffolk Hospital site three weeks before his death as his mental health had declined. Insufficient staffing levels contributed to his death, an inquest jury at Suffolk Coroner's Court concluded. Other factors included insufficient observations and one-to-one processes, no clear and concise risk assessments, being slow to develop a care plan and the absence of a documented crisis plan. Read full story Source: BBC News, 21 September 2021 -
News Article
GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
GP surgery staff are facing abuse from patients who are “angry and upset” that their blood test has been cancelled because of the NHS-wide chronic shortage of sample bottles. “Patients are angry when we ring them up and say, ‘Sorry we can’t do your blood test after all’. A lot of people are quite angry and concerned about their own health,” Dr David Wrigley, the deputy chair of council at the British Medical Association, said. “Patients are quite rightly upset and some get quite aggressive as well. They are worried because they don’t know what the implications of their cancelled test are for their health.” GP practices in England had begun cancelling appointments because the NHS’s main supplier could not deliver stocks as planned for one to two weeks because of “unforeseen road freight challenges”. NHS England has responded to the shortage of blood sample bottles by telling GPs to cancel all but clinically urgent blood tests and hospitals to cut back the tests they do by at least 25%. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 September 2021 -
News Article
Labour asks NHS andMatt Hancock to pause plans for sharing patient data
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Labour has urged the NHS and Matt Hancock to pause their plan to share medical records from GPs to allow time for greater consultation on how the idea would work, saying that maintaining patients’ trust must be paramount. In a letter to the head of NHS Digital and the health secretary, the shadow public health minister, Alex Norris, said Labour backed the principle of improved data collaboration but shared the concerns of some doctors’ groups. The Royal College of General Practitioners warned NHS Digital a week ago that plans to pool medical pseudonymised records on to a database and share them with academic and commercial third parties risked affecting the doctor-patient relationship. NHS Digital needed to explain the plans better to the public, the group said, as well as outlining how people could opt out. The British Medical Association (BMA) has also called for a pause to the General Practice Data for Planning and Research scheme. Another group, the Doctors’ Association, said it was worried it would “erode the doctor/patient relationship, leaving patients reluctant to share their problems due to fears of where their data will be shared”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 June 2021 -
News ArticlePatients who had longer consultations with their GP were less likely to subsequently self-refer themselves to hospital due to a worsening of their condition, a study has found. The study, which looked at factors associated with potentially missed acute deterioration, said this might be because GPs with more time to assess patients ‘are more likely to recognise deterioration and refer the patient for secondary care’. A longer consultation might also allow GPs more time to provide advice, such as telling the patient to contact the practice again if their condition worsens, the British Journal of General Practice study found. The researchers defined a potentially missed acute deterioration as a patient having a self-referred admission to hospital after being seen by a GP in the three days beforehand. They found that 116,097 patients had contacted a GP three days before an emergency admission, with patients with sepsis or urinary tract infections more likely to self-refer. GP appointment duration was associated with self-referral, with a five-minute increase in appointment time resulting in a 10% decrease on average in the odds of self-referred admissions. Patients having a telephone consultation compared with face-to-face, previous health service use, and the presence of comorbidities were all also associated with self-referred admission, according to the research. Read full story Source: Management in Practice, 2 June 2021
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News Article
Annual checks can lengthen life
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A group set-up following the Winterbourne View scandal is urging more people with learning disabilities to attend their annual health check-up. Healthwatch South Gloucestershire said regular health checks could prevent people from dying unnecessarily. It formed after BBC Panorama exposed abuse of patients at Winterbourne View hospital 10 years ago. Only about 36% of people with learning difficulties are believed to have an annual GP health check-up. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). said the lack of regular, medical observations contributed to them having a life expectancy of 20 years lower than in the wider population. Healthwatch South Gloucestershire, a regional, independent health and social care champion, has created a checklist to encourage more people to attend appointments to help them improve their life expectancy. Vicky Marriott from the group said: "It is our unrelenting mission to listen and share people's lived experience so that the information informs how health and social care services improve. "We recently listened to people with learning disabilities and their families and developed with them an accessible info-sheet packed full of easy-to-read explanations about the lifesaving benefits of annual health checks." Read full story Source: BBC News, 1 June 2021 -
News ArticleThousands of hospital patients were allowed to return to their care homes without a Covid test despite a direct plea to the government from major care providers not to allow the practice, the Observer has been told. As the crisis began to unfold in early March 2020, providers held an emergency meeting with department of health officials in which they urged the government not to force them to accept untested residents. However, weeks later, official advice remained that tests were not mandatory and thousands of residents are thought to have returned to their homes without a negative Covid result. The revelation will heap further pressure on the health secretary, Matt Hancock, who has admitted some care residents returned from hospital without a test. It comes after Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s former senior adviser, last week accused Hancock of misleading the prime minister over the policy, during his unprecedented evidence in parliament. Some 25,000 people were discharged to care homes between 17 March and 15 April, and there is widespread belief among social care workers and leaders that this allowed the virus to get into the homes. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 May 2021
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News Article
Staff at UK GP surgeries facing abuse and ‘tsunami of demand’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS staff at GP surgeries are facing unprecedented abuse and aggression from patients, while stressed doctors are increasingly suffering from mental illness, because of an appointments system “in meltdown”, family doctors’ leaders have revealed. The scale of the deep crisis in GP surgeries was revealed in an emergency summit of more than 60 NHS doctors, dentists and administrative staff in Salford, which the Guardian attended, triggered by a recent rise in verbal abuse. "Patients are short-tempered and not happy waiting for anything … They want letters. The latest one was a request to speak to a GP because he needs a letter to confirm anxieties that cause him a problem in long queues – because he wants to take his son to [Southport amusement park] Pleasureland and does not want to queue," says Jan Crowshaw, a GP manager It comes after a recent poll by the body representing GP surgery staff across the UK found that 75% of them face abuse every day, including assaults, threats, racism and sexism. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 28 May 2021 -
News Article
Rising patient numbers threaten to overwhelm GPs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Rising numbers of patients needing care and a shortage of GPs is threatening to overwhelm the system, doctors and patient groups are warning. It comes after the pandemic has caused severe disruption to GP practices for more than a year. Analysis of NHS England data by the Health Foundation found more than 28 million appointments were booked in March, among the highest recorded. Doctor's leaders say what they are being asked to achieve is "undoable". The analysis of NHS data in England carried out by the Health Foundation for the BBC also that that between 2019-20 and 2020-21: The total number of appointments dropped by 10% - meaning 31 million fewer consultations with GPs and practice nurses Major shift from face-to-face to remote consultation, with the proportion seen in practices dropping from 79% to 54% The number of patients referred by GPs for urgent cancer check-ups dropped by 15%, putting lives at risk The escalating situation has prompted patient groups to call for an urgent review of access to services, amid reports that patients are struggling to get through. Read full story Source: BBC News, 27 May 2021 -
EventThis conference focuses on Prehabilitation – Principles and Practice, and will provide a practical guide to delivering an effective prehabilitation programme, ensuring patients are fit and optimised for surgery/treatment. This is even more important in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns which have had a negative effect on many individual’s health and fitness levels, and currently high waiting lists could be used as preparation time to ensure the best outcomes. The conference will look at preoperative/pre treatment optimisation of patients fitness and wellbeing through exercise, nutrition and psychological support. This conference will enable you to: Network with colleagues who are working to deliver effective prehabilitation for surgery/treatment Reflect on a patient lived experience to understand how to engage patients in prehab programmes Learn from outstanding practice in implementing a prehabilitation programme Embed virtual prehabilitation into your programme during and beyond Covid-19 Demonstrate a business case for prehabilitation and ensure prehab services continue through and beyond the pandemic Reflect on national developments and learning Improve the way we support patients to prepare themselves, physically and emotionally for surgery/treatment Develop your skills in Behaviour Change and Motivational Interviewing Embed virtual prehabilitation into your programme during and beyond Covid-19 Learn from case studies Understand how you can improve emotional and psychological support Explore the role of prehabilitation in older people Work with patients to improve nutrition Ensure you are up to date with the latest evidence Self assess and reflect on your own practice Supports CPD professional development and acts as revalidation evidence. This course provides 5 Hrs training for CPD subject to peer group approval for revalidation purposes. Register
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EventSensemaking, according to Karl Weick, is the process through which the complex and unpredictable world is given order, within which people can orient themselves, find purpose, and take effective action. Organisations unravel when sensemaking collapses, when they no longer supply meaning, and when they cling to interpretations that no longer work. As we enter the third year of a global COVID-19 pandemic, when nearly every aspect of our care and caring has faced disruption, how do we make sense of and take action to prevent the unraveling of organisations and sustainably reverse setbacks in patient and workforce safety? Join IHI’s annual Patient Safety Awareness Week webinar on March 16, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 11:50 AM ET with speakers Don Berwick, MD, MPP, and Jessica Berwick, MD, MPH, for a conversation on sensemaking during times of uncertainty, complexity, and chaos. This session will provide insights and perspective to foster sensemaking and action to reinforce patient and workforce safety in your organisation. Register
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EventuntilAre you interested in storytelling health? Do you want to use narrative as the basis for improvement? Do you want to work with people and hear about their experiences of care? Are you curious about storytelling? If so, come along to the NHS/Hope storytelling festival which is taking place between 9 and 23 March. You will find out about filmmaking, arts therapy, live performance, storytelling for quality improvement, staff stories, digital stories, how volunteers can capture stories, and hear from the author of a book about storytelling in health and how patient leaders are shaping our programme of digital storytelling. You will also hear how stories are being used across systems as a learning tool. There will also be the opportunity to take part in online training where you can gain a contribution to your CPD and gain some essential knowledge about a broad range of storytelling methods. Each session takes place between 6pm and 7.30pm and details can be found here.
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EventuntilIn order to support the NHS Priorities set out for 2022/2023 in delivering significantly more elective care to tackle the elective backlog and to reduce long waits, this exclusive webinar from GovConnect will take a look at the developing approaches to patient care using collaborations with providers delivering treatments in the home in order to support patient flow. This webinar will explore: How teams have innovated to provide hospital-at-home during the Covid-19 crisis and what’s needed to maintain the momentum of change? What is the future direction for hospital-at-home, post-pandemic, and what will accelerate or prevent adoption at scale? Evaluation and evidence required to support the case for change. There will be the first virtual wards presentation from Tim Staughn and the first one to case study the Covid virtual ward from Dr Andrew Barlow. Speakers: Jill Ireland, Chief Executive and Clinical Director, HomeLink Healthcare Jon Green, Consultant and Former NHS CEO Dr Andrew Barlow, Director of medicine, West Hertfordshire hospitals NHS trust Tim Straughan, Director of NHS @home NHS England & Improvement Register
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EventuntilIn order to support the NHS Priorities set out for 2022/2023 in delivering significantly more elective care to tackle the elective backlog and to reduce long waits, we take a look at the developing approaches to patient care using collaborations with providers delivering treatments in the home in order to support patient flow. This webinar will explore: How teams have innovated to provide hospital-at-home during the Covid-19 crisis and what’s needed to maintain the momentum of change? What is the future direction for hospital-at-home, post-pandemic, and what will accelerate or prevent adoption at scale? Evaluation and evidence required to support the case for change. Register
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EventPanelists will provide a robust overview of the challenges that accompany medical care and propose actionable recommendations for patients, family members, and carers to balance life demands for patients with complex medical needs. Register
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EventuntilThis session presented by AfPP, aims to help attendees understand more about patient informed consent and shared decision-making. Learning outcomes: Understanding management, around issues of consent. Recognise the importance and relevance of the Montgomery legislation in the model of shared decision making. Gain insight around empowerment of the patient in informed consent. Be able to explore issues around extended roles in shared decision making. Register
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EventSarah Miller, Director of Partnerships, Patient Safety Movement Foundation is joined by Ariana Longley, Chief Operating Officer of the PSMF to discuss how you and your loved ones can prepare before going into the hospital. Ariana highlights the importance of knowing possible risks and alternatives to proposed treatments, things you should bring to your hospital visit, and shares the free resources the Patient Safety Movement Foundation has to offer, both general and COVID-19 resources.
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EventThink back to 2006 and recall what you knew about patient safety, and patients as partners in safety. Now, pause for a second to reflect on where we are now, in 2021. Then, imagine what you want patient safety to look like in 15 years – 2036 to be specific. Join the Canadian Patient Safety Insitute in exploring how patients, families and communities have helped shape patient safety in the past 15 years, and contribute your thoughts on how we can accelerate safety efforts together in the next 15 years. In celebration of Patients for Patient Safety Canada's 15th anniversary, we will share our journey so far, our successes, and our dream: "EVERY PATIENT SAFE". Register
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EventThis conference focuses on reducing medication errors and resulting harm in line with the WHO Medication without Harm Programme goal to reduce the level of severe, avoidable harm related to medications by 50% over the next five years. The conference focuses on prioritising high risk medications and high risk patient groups to enable your interventions to have the highest impact on patient care and reduction in patient harm. The conference which aims to bring together clinicians and pharmacists, managers, and medication safety officers and leads will reflect on medication safety issues that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, understand current national developments, and to debate and discuss key issues and areas they are facing in improving and monitoring medication safety, and reducing medication errors and harm in hospitals. There will also be a focus on prescribing error following the recent HSIB investigation and the January 2021 investigation into prescribing error in children. Further information and registration or email: kerry@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive 10% discount. Email: info@pslhub.org Follow the conversation on Twitter #MedicationErrors
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Patient powered safety
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
Patient powered safety is about harnessing the power of patient knowledge and their networks to enhance safety of care. It is a platform in making care safe for patients, families, friends, carers, nurses, doctors, researchers, technology companies, health service managers, designers and engineers. The third symposium for Patient powered safety is being held online using an online. Agenda Register
