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Found 132 results
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Content ArticleThe government has published the first ever Women's Health Strategy for England to tackle the gender health gap.
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Content ArticleThis consensus statement is founded on the policies articulated in numerous global and regional resolutions and decisions on patient safety adopted by governing bodies of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organisations. It is based on the proceedings of the WHO Policy Makers’ Forum, highlighting the central and specific role of policy-makers and healthcare leaders in implementation of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030 at all levels in all countries. Approximately 310 participants from around 90 countries across the world – including senior policy-makers, healthcare leaders, patient safety experts at national, subnational, regional, organisational and healthcare facility levels, patient safety advocates, and representatives of key international organisations – met (virtually) on 23–24 February 2022 to participate in the Policy Makers’ Forum organised by the Patient Safety Flagship unit, WHO headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland.
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Content ArticleThe NHS in England has introduced a range of policy measures aimed at fostering greater openness, transparency and candour about quality and safety. This study looks at the implementation of these policies within NHS organisations, with the aim of identifying key implications for policy and practice.
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Content ArticleThe What Good Looks Like (WGLL) Hub has been developed to support NHS staff and their organisations in achieving What Good Looks Like. It brings together a wealth of digital health information and features good practice examples of technology-enabled healthcare, standards, guides and policies, useful tools and templates and networking information. It will help you with your digital transformation work.
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Content ArticleThe government has published a draft Mental Health Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. The bill aims to modernise the Mental Health Act for the 21st century.
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Content ArticleThe NHS in England is about to be reorganised. In April 2022, government passed the Health and Care Act 2022 – the biggest legislative overhaul of the NHS in a decade. The centrepiece of the legislation are integrated care systems (ICSs) – area-based agencies responsible for planning local services to improve health and reduce inequalities. From July 2022, England will be formally divided into 42 ICSs, covering populations of around 500,000 to 3 million people. ICSs have existed informally since 2016, but – until now – lacked formal powers. ICSs face a mammoth task. Staffing shortages in the NHS are chronic, record numbers of people are waiting for routine hospital treatment, and health inequalities in England are wide and growing. But these challenges are not evenly distributed between ICSs – and some systems are better equipped to deal with them than others. Policymakers have allowed some flexibility in how local systems have been developed and organised, which means they vary widely in size, structure, and other characteristics. In this long read, The Health Foundation analyses publicly available data on some of the characteristics of ICSs and context in each area – including the organisational and policy context, health challenges, and capacity within the health care system to address them. It compares areas and discusses implications for policy.
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Content ArticleThis observational study in The Lancet Public Health analysed the effects of outsourcing health services to private, for-profit providers. The authors evaluated the impact of outsourced spending to private providers on treatable mortality rates and the quality of healthcare services in England, following the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. The authors found that: an annual increase of one percentage point of outsourcing to the private for-profit sector corresponded with an annual increase in treatable mortality of 0·38% in the following year. changes to for-profit outsourcing since 2014 were associated with an additional 557 treatable deaths across the 173 CCGs in England. They conclude that private sector outsourcing corresponded with significantly increased rates of treatable mortality, potentially as a result of a decline in the quality of health-care services.
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Content ArticleThis policy provides the minimum standard for local freedom to speak up policies across the NHS, so those who work in the NHS know how to speak up and what will happen when they do. All NHS organisations and others providing NHS healthcare services in primary and secondary care in England are required to adopt this policy. This includes a template where organisations can incorporate their own local information into the policy document.
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Content ArticleThis strategy sets out the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s vision for how data will be used to improve the health and care of the population in a safe, trusted and transparent way. It: provides an overarching narrative and action plan to address the current cultural, behavioural and structural barriers in the system, with the ultimate goal of having a health and care system that is underpinned by high-quality and readily available data marks the next steps of the discussion about how we can best utilise data for the benefit of patients, service users, and the health and care system This strategy applies to England only. The strategy shows how data will be used to bring benefits to all parts of health and social care – from patients and care users to staff on the frontline and pioneers driving the most cutting-edge research. It is backed by a series of concrete commitments, including: investing in secure data environments to power life-saving research and treatments using technology to allow staff to spend more quality time with patients giving people better access to their own data through shared care records and the NHS App.
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News Article
Failure to achieve mental health pledge in England ‘inhumane’, say psychiatrists
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Adult mental health patients in England have spent more than 200,000 days being treated in “inappropriate” out-of-area placements – at a cost to the NHS of £102m – in the year since the government pledged to end the practice. The Royal College of Psychiatrists, which carried out the analysis, says such placements, in which mental health patients can be sent hundreds of miles from home, are a shameful and dangerous practice that must stop. The government said it would end such placements by April last year but, in the 12 months since, 205,990 days were spent inappropriately out of area, at a cost equivalent to the annual salaries of more than 900 consultant psychiatrists, the college found. Dr Adrian James, the college’s president, said: “The failure to eliminate inappropriate out-of-area placements is a scandal. It is inhumane and is costing the NHS millions of pounds each year that could be spent helping patients get better. “No one with a mental illness should have to travel hundreds of miles away from home to get the treatment they desperately need.” He said investment was needed in local, properly staffed beds, alternatives to admission, and follow-up care in the community as well as government backing “to address the workforce crisis that continues to plague mental health services”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 June 2022 -
Content Article
The dangerous practice of sending people with a mental illness hundreds of miles away from home for weeks at a time continues in England, according to new analysis published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Despite Government pledges to end the shameful practice, known as inappropriate out of area placements, by March 2021, almost 206,000 days have been spent by patients out of area in the 12 months since the deadline passed. Being far away from home, with friends and family not being able to visit, can leave patients feeling extremely isolated and emotionally distressed with devastating, long-lasting consequences for their mental health. Not only that, but it comes at a huge cost to the NHS. The health service spent £102 million on inappropriate out of area placements last year – the equivalent to the cost of the annual salary of over 900 consultant psychiatrists. The Royal College of Psychiatrists is calling on the NHS to adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to inappropriate out of area placements and to take urgent action to ensure all patients get the care they need from properly staffed, specialist services in their local area. -
Content ArticleThis long read by The King's Fund aims to explain the reforms brought about by The Health and Care Act 2022, and what these changes will mean in practice. it gives short and long answers to the following questions: What are the main changes brought about by the Act? Is this an unnecessary top-down reorganisation? Will the Act lead to greater involvement of the private sector? Does the Act give ministers more power over the day-to-day running of the NHS? Will the Act make any difference to patients? Does the Act tackle the big challenges the health and care system currently faces?
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Content ArticleLooking at health and care through a systems lens reveals a wealth of connections and opportunities to achieve better outcomes, as seen in the case studies within this paper. Systems are also complex and changing, with multiple inputs and feedback loops, and control distributed across multiple stakeholders. This paper is a timely exploration of the strategies, skills, and toolkit for effective working within systems. The paper is particularly focused on local government’s role in health and care systems, though there are learning points relevant to any systems leader.
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Content ArticleThis analysis from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies provides a review of developments in financing, governance, organisation and delivery, health reforms and performance of the health systems in the United Kingdom.
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Content ArticleHealth policy-making and reform require, first and foremost, a sound understanding of how a health system is performing. To assist countries in this process, the Health Systems Performance Assessment Framework for Universal Health Coverage offers a comprehensive attempt at guiding the collection and analysis of health system data in relation to policy goals and 21st century challenges. This book is grounded in the premise that any whole-of-sector assessment exercise should collect information on and examine the performance of both the functions of the health system as well as its performance goals. Thus, it follows through each of the health system functions (i.e., health system governance, financing, resource generation and service delivery), outlining their purpose, the sub-functions needed to fulfil that purpose, and assessment areas to evaluate how well a function performs. This innovative framework conceptually links health system functions to intermediate and final health system goals. As a result, policy-makers will be better able to determine and analyse possible origins or impact of poor performance on a particular health system outcome.
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Content ArticleAn investigation started on 9 October 2020 into the death of Matthew Alexander Caseby. Following his admission and subsequent absconsion from the Priory Hospital in Edgbaston, Matthew stepped in front of a train on the 8 September 2020 and was fatally injured. At the time, Matthew was suffering from disorder thinking and did not have the capacity to form any intention to end his life. Matthew absconded from Beech ward over a fence in the courtyard area and at the time of his absconsion Matthew was unattended. It was inappropriate for Matthew to be left unattended in the courtyard. There were concerns regarding Matthew absconding but the recording processes on Beech ward were inadequate which resulted in the communication to staff involved in Matthew's care being lacking. As a result of risks not being fully recorded, Matthew's risk assessment was not adequate as it was not based on all of the available information. Overall, the inadequate risk assessment for Matthew, the inadequate documentation records, the lack of a risk assessment for the courtyard area and the absence of a policy regarding observations levels in the courtyard means that the courtyard was not safe for Matthew to use unattended. His death was contributed to by neglect on the part of the treating hospital.
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News Article
Discharge policy reviewed as NHSE warns ‘capacity may decrease’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Two national reviews are taking place into hospital discharge policy, it has emerged, amid major changes to funding and legislation. One review, led by the Department of Health and Social Care, is developing discharge policy for once the Health and Care Bill comes into force; and a second is reviewing the “clinical criteria to reside”. Delayed discharge has been a major problem in the acute and emergency care system this winter, with the number of long-staying patients significantly up on previous years. It has been blamed for long patient waits for ambulances, to get into emergency departments, and to be admitted; and for interrupting elective care recovery. An NHSE letter confirmed that the government’s national “discharge taskforce” was developing “best practice in improving discharge processes and addressing barriers to timely discharge”, in preparation for the new system. It went on: “This includes improving hospital processes to support discharge; minimising delays in the transfer of care from an acute hospital on to follow-up care services; minimising long lengths of stay in rehabilitation at home or in bedded care and ensuring social care services are available at the right time for people with ongoing care requirements. Further resources and support will be shared as learning from these systems becomes clear.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 28 March 2022 -
Content ArticleSweden was well equipped to prevent the pandemic of COVID-19 from becoming serious. Over 280 years of collaboration between political bodies, authorities, and the scientific community had yielded many successes in preventive medicine. Sweden’s population is literate and has a high level of trust in authorities and those in power. During 2020, however, Sweden had ten times higher COVID-19 death rates compared with neighbouring Norway. In this report, Nele Brusselaers et al. try to understand why, using a narrative approach to evaluate the Swedish COVID-19 policy and the role of scientific evidence and integrity. We argue that that scientific methodology was not followed by the major figures in the acting authorities—or the responsible politicians—with alternative narratives being considered as valid, resulting in arbitrary policy decisions.
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News Article
Stop charging migrant women for NHS maternity care, RCOG urges
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has called for the immediate suspension of charging for NHS maternity care for migrant women because members say this government policy is harming the health of pregnant women and their babies. It is the first time the health professionals’ body has issued a position statement on this issue. The charity Maternity Action and the Royal College of Midwives have long expressed concern about the impact of NHS charging on this group of women. Charging forms a key plank of the Home Office’s hostile environment for migrants. The government says the charging policy is in place to deter health tourism but medics treating migrant pregnant women say there is little evidence that previously free NHS maternity care for all attracted health tourists. According to the 2019 MBRRACE-UK confidential inquiry into maternal deaths, three women were found to have died between 2015 and 2017 who may have been reluctant to access maternity care due to fears about charging and impact on their immigration status. Dr Brenda Kelly, an NHS consultant obstetrician working in Oxford, treats many pregnant migrant women. She is calling for the barriers to them accessing maternity care to be removed urgently. She described the case of one migrant woman who arrived in A&E shortly before delivering a stillborn baby. The woman had been fearful of coming forward for antenatal care although she was suffering from multiple, pregnancy-related health problems. “I hope I never have to hear cries like that woman’s cries ever again,” said Kelly. “The way to safeguard these women is to build up trust. If they are landed with a bill of several thousand pounds they will disengage. They are not health tourists, they are desperate. The commitment to maternal health equity means ending charges for maternity care. The time for action is now.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 March 2022 -
Content ArticleHealthcare professionals need clearer guidance on responding to racism in paediatric settings, argue Zeshan Qureshi and colleagues.
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Content ArticleA review of government policies tackling smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and harmful alcohol use in England.
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Content ArticleThe 'Policy Makers’ Forum: Patient Safety Implementation on 23–24 February 2022' was convened to sustain the global patient safety movement and initiate national action by policy makers and healthcare leaders for implementation of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030. The forum provided a global platform for engaging with senior policy makers and healthcare leaders in the discussion around implementation approaches for the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030 within broader health agenda at country level; and also allowed sharing of best practices and lessons learned in addressing patient safety at policy and practice levels. WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Deputy Director-General Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, and Global patient safety advocate Mr Jeremy Hunt, Chair of the UK Health and Social Care Select Committee delivered messages expressing their commitment to patient safety. The event also included keynote addresses, diverse country experiences with innovative implementation approaches, and a panel discussion on the role of policy makers and health care leaders in implementation of the global action plan. WHO introduced a draft consensus statement on the same topic for review and consensus of the event participants, which is currently being finalised based on the inputs received during the highly interactive breakout sessions.
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Content ArticleThe resilience of health systems and cooperation between Member States have become particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the occasion of the French Presidency of the European Union (FPEU) 2022, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the General Directorate for HealthCare Services of the French Ministry of Health have worked together to produce this special issue of Eurohealth to better understand how health systems have responded to the health crisis and to draw lessons for improving resilience of health systems. (Available in both English and French.)
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News Article
No 10 set for U-turn over mandatory Covid jabs for NHS staff in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Downing Street appears likely to drop its policy of dismissing frontline NHS and care staff in England who refuse Covid vaccinations, a minister has strongly indicated, after nursing and care organisations called for this to happen. A decision would be made “in the course of the next few days”, according to Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury. He said the lower severity of the Omicron variant of Covid did “open a space” for the policy to be reversed. The apparent imminent U-turn came as the Royal College of Nursing argued that both the change in severity from Omicron and the number of NHS vacancies meant the mandatory vaccination policy should be dropped. The National Care Association said it would also welcome a change of policy, while warning that many unvaccinated care staff had already lost their jobs in the run-up to the 1 April deadline. Asked about reports of a change to the policy, Clarke told Sky News that ministers had hoped to find “the right balance between having the maximum impact for measures that support public safety in the face of the virus, but also have the minimum impact in terms of our wider freedoms as a society”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 31 January 2022 -
Content ArticlePatient safety is an integral component of high-quality and effective medical care. The stakes are especially high in oncology, where avoiding errors is imperative to delivering safe and effective radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and other high-risk treatments. Changing paradigms in cancer treatment, including oral chemotherapy, personalised medicine, biosimilars, and immunotherapy, create evolving safety challenges for the oncology community. Moreover, shifting federal healthcare policies could have significant implications for the safety and access to high-quality and effective cancer care for millions of patients with cancer. Challenges and opportunities in ensuring patient access to safe, affordable, and high-quality cancer care remain significant within the policy landscape. To explore current patient safety and access issues in oncology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) convened the NCCN Policy Summit: Ensuring Safety and Access in Cancer Care in Washington, DC, on June 15, 2017. Oncology stakeholders gathered to discuss pertinent patient safety issues and access implications under the Trump administration, as well as policy and advocacy strategies to address these gaps and build on opportunities moving forward. The programme consisted of presentations and two roundtable discussions with vigorous dialogue and audience comments and questions.
