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Showing results for tags 'Screening'.
Found 166 results
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News Article
Patients needing scans to be ranked on risk of becoming disabled
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Patients awaiting a diagnostic test are to be assessed according to risk of becoming disabled as the service tries to prioritise in the face of huge backlogs. NHS England guidance released yesterday said local teams should categorise diagnostic waits on a four-point scale so those in most urgent need are seen first. It said this would mean, “recognising that for less urgent or routine diagnostics, some patients may experience a delay”. The diagnostics data for February showed 1.15 million people waiting for a test, compared to 1.08m in February 2020 – however, the proportion of people waiting more than 13 weeks rose from 0.6% in 2020 to 28.5% this year. The number of people on the list waiting more than six weeks also increased five-fold over the year. No more than 1% of patients are supposed to wait longer than six weeks for a diagnostic test, under government waiting time standards. The NHS England guidance puts diagnostics on the same footing as elective treatment, which has been organised according to clinical priority – P1 being the most urgent P4 being the least — since shortly after the pandemic hit last year. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 13 May 2021 -
News Article
NHS introduces 3D heart scans to diagnose patients in 20 minutes
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Patients with life-threatening coronary heart disease will be treated five times faster thanks to 3D scans being introduced on the NHS that allow for a diagnosis in just 20 minutes. The revolutionary technology can turn a regular CT scan of the heart into a 3D image, allowing doctors to diagnose them rapidly, NHS England said. It added that about 100,000 people will be eligible to use the HeartFlow technology over the next three years. Patients – who would previously have had to undergo an invasive and time-consuming angiogram in hospital – will now be seen, diagnosed and treated around five times faster. The new technology, introduced from last month, is part of the NHS long-term plan to cut the number of heart attacks and strokes by 150,000. NHS England said more people here will have access to the potentially life-saving technology than anywhere else in Europe, the US or Japan. Matt Whitty, director of innovation and life sciences for NHS England, said HeartFlow had been a “huge success” in clinical trials and would now help “tens of thousands of people a year receive quick diagnosis and treatment and ultimately save lives”. Read full story Source: The Guardian. 4 May 2021 -
News Article
Trust 'failed to act' on cancer patient's X-rays
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A man who died from lung cancer might have been saved if a hospital trust had not "failed to act" on two abnormal chest X-rays, an investigation found. Growths identified in the patient's examinations were not followed up for three years and were then untreatable, the health ombudsman said. North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust also failed to correctly handle a complaint from the man's daughter. The trust, which runs hospitals in Carlisle and Whitehaven, apologised. The investigation was carried out by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), which deals with unresolved NHS England complaints. The patient, referred to only as Mr C, was admitted twice to hospital with stroke-like symptoms in 2014 and 2015. On both occasions X-rays were carried out which found abnormal growths in his lungs, but no action was taken. In July 2017, Mr C was found to have advanced lung cancer and he died weeks later. Read full story Source: BBC News, 29 April 2021 -
Content ArticleThe ongoing impact of COVID-19 on health services across Europe has in most cases led to significant reductions in cancer screening, testing and diagnosis. The resultant delays in diagnosis are impacting cancer treatment and survival and are likely to do so for many years to come. Responses in individual countries and for individual tumour groups have differed, but there are common challenges in all countries. Some solutions go above and beyond the obvious actions that all countries are taking, and there are examples of how the system has reacted so far that provides the basis for further discussion on building lasting resiliency into healthcare systems and preparing for post-pandemic recovery. This report, published by IQVIA, highlights some of the approaches already being taken, as well as suggestions for what should be done going forward. It considers different stakeholders – from local pharmacies to national and international organisations – and their roles, as well as multi-stakeholder collaboration and cooperation. It aims to highlight initiatives adopted in some countries that can be shared more widely.
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News ArticleNearly 30 patients suffered severe or moderate harm due to quality issues with ultrasounds carried out by an independent provider, a review has found. Scans of 1,800 patients carried out by two sonographers employed by Bestcare Diagnostics were examined as part of a clinical harm review initiated by Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group in 2019. Papers for next week’s governing body meeting of West Sussex CCG — which has absorbed Coastal West Sussex CCG — reveal the review found 29 cases of severe or moderate harm. According to the NHS’ National Recording and Learning System, moderate harm is that where a patient needs further treatment or procedures but the harm is short-term. Severe harm results in permanent or long-term harm. Both require NHS bodies to exercise the duty of candour. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 6 April 2021
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News ArticleNHS Supply Chain has suspended supplies of some ultrasound gels over concerns they might be connected with outbreaks of bacterial infections in multiple hospitals. Thirty hospitals have reported 46 cases of Burkholderia contaminans between October last year and January 2021. No patients have died but some developed sepsis symptoms. NHS Supply Chain has suspended supplies of three ultrasound gels as a “precautionary measure” and guidance has been updated on the safe use of gel to reduce the risk of transmission of infection. Existing stocks have not been recalled and NHS Supply Chain is stocking similar products as alternatives. Public Health England has said its provisional investigation suggests a potential link with ultrasound or ultrasound-guided procedures as many of the infected patients had undergone these before the bacterium was identified. It is also investigating how many of the patients have spent time in intensive care or high dependency settings. A related bacteria, called Burkholderia cepacian, was also found in 27 cases. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 4 March 2021
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Content ArticleNHS Solent share their policy on healthcare workers screening and immunisation. The primary purpose of this policy is to reduce the risk of transmission of infection (as far as reasonably practical) from an infected healthcare worker-to-patient. The main known risks of infection through bloodborne virus in the clinical setting are from hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. This measure is not intended to prevent those healthcare workers from working in the NHS but rather to restrict them from working in clinical areas where their infection may pose a risk to patients in their care and by early diagnosis; allows them to manage their own health.
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News Article
Delays freeze a third of lung cancer screening schemes
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Cancer screening programmes designed to save hundreds of lives have been delayed by up to a year as services struggle with staff and equipment shortages, HSJ can reveal. Of the 14 Lung Health Check Programme sites announced last year, four — or just under a third — have either halted programmes they had started or delayed beginning them, with some now expected not to be operational until after March. The areas chosen for the scheme activities, which often involved mobile computed tomography units in vans, have high rates of late diagnosis lung cancer. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February showed CT scanning of high risk groups led to a 26% reduction in deaths in men and between a 39 and 61% reduction in women. NHS England confirmed “activity had resumed” in nine areas while one has started this month, meaning four areas remain out of action. The organisation declined to answer HSJ’s questions on which services were not running and why. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 1 December 2020 -
Content ArticleThe Patient Safety Authority has put together information and tips for patients on a range of topics.
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Content ArticleAuthors of this study, published in Radiology, noted that mammography was more effective at finding breast cancer in high-risk men than in women at average risk of breast cancer. For every 1,000 mammograms done in high-risk men, 18 breast cancers were found. In comparison, five breast cancers are found for every 1,000 mammograms in average-risk women. They concluded that there is potential benefit in screening men at high risk for developing breast cancer.
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Content Article
Care Quality Commission: Choosing a baby scanning service
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Maternity
Ultrasound scans are important for checking the health of you and your baby. There are different types of scanning service and it's important to understand what each type offers. The Care Quality Commission provides some guidelines. -
Content ArticleIn March, the charity Breast Cancer Now asked people with breast cancer to tell us how coronavirus had affected their treatment and care. 580 people responded. Many reported that they or their loved ones had experienced delays or cancellations to treatment and monitoring scans. Others had not experienced any changes to their treatment. To understand how people’s experiences may have changed and try to better quantify some of the impacts, Breast Cancer Now ran a second survey between 9 July and 6 August. 2,124 people with breast cancer responded. They also spoke to 12 healthcare professionals from different parts of the breast cancer pathway including radiographers, surgeons, oncologists specialising in drug treatment and radiotherapy, and clinical nurse specialists. This was supplemented by data available on the impact of the pandemic, for example on referrals to see a specialist. This report sets out their findings and recommendations for what needs to happen next to tackle the challenges identified. The content is split into four sections: Diagnosis Treatment Clinical trials and research Care and support.
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News ArticlePeople awaiting a CT or MRI scan will be able to have one on the high street under NHS plans to improve access to diagnostic tests. NHS England plans to set up a network of new “one-stop shops” where patients will be able to have scans closer to home rather than having to go hospital. They are intended to reduce the risk of patients getting COVID-19 in hospital and speed up the time it takes to undergo diagnostic testing by having more capacity. NHS England’s governing board approved a plan on Thursday by Prof Sir Mike Richards to create “community diagnostic hubs across the country over the next few years”. It is part of a planned “radical overhaul” in the way patients access a range of diagnostic tests, screening appointments and other services. The hubs, which would open six days a week, may also perform blood tests, lung function checks and endoscopies, in which a camera is put down the throat. The new facilities would be sited in disused shops or in shopping centres. They are part of the NHS’s drive to make it easier for people to be tested without having to go to hospital, amid concern that reluctance to do so is part of the reason fewer people are undergoing cancer screening. It is already undertaking lung cancer tests in 10 mobile centres that are parked at supermarkets and shopping centres. Bigger hubs could also offer mammograms, eye health checks, scans for pregnant women, hearing tests and gynaecological services. Hospital bosses welcomed the plan, which they said should reduce waiting times. Miriam Deakin, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said: “Doing these checks in the community rather than in hospital could support trusts as they grapple with a second wave of Covid-19, winter pressures and tackling backlogs of care.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 1 October 2020
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News ArticleAlmost one million women in the UK have missed vital breast screening due to coronavirus, a leading charity has estimated. Breast screening programmes were paused in March as the NHS focused resources on tackling the pandemic. Breast Cancer Now calculates that around 8,600 women who have not had a scan have undetected breast cancer. The scanning programme is running again, but social distancing measures have reduced capacity. Combined with the significant backlog of women waiting for a scan, and more women starting to come forward with concerns about possible symptoms, the charity warns the service is under intense pressure. Breast cancer diagnosed at a later stage can be harder to treat. Breast Cancer Now estimates that a total of 986,000 women across the UK missed their mammograms due to breast screening programmes being paused. The estimate is based on the average number of women screened per month, and the approximate length of time the screening programme was suspended, in each part of the UK. This breaks down to almost 838,000 women in England, 78,000 in Scotland, 48,000 in Wales and 23,000 in Northern Ireland. The charity is calling for an action plan and new resources to tackle the problem. Baroness Delyth Morgan, Breast Cancer Now chief executive, said: "That nearly one million women across the UK were caught up in the backlog waiting for breast screening is cause for grave concern. "Mammograms are a key tool in the early detection of breast cancer, which is critical to stopping women dying from the disease. "We understand that the breast screening programme was paused out of necessity due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, but we must now press play to ensure that all women can access breast screening, and we cannot afford for the programme to be paused again." Read full story Source: BBC News, 30 September 2020 Breast Cancer Now press release
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News ArticleThe number of patients with cancer referred from screening services has fallen to nearly a third of pre-covid levels, new data shows. A total of 2,604 patients had their cancer picked up by screening services between April to July. This compares to 7,204 in the same period last year. The NHS England data covers patients receiving treatment within two months of a referral from screening services. This means the April 2020 data is largely from screening carried out before cOVID-19 saw services being shut down. From May to July this year, 1,243 patients were treated after a referral from screening services, compared to 5,406 in the same period last time. NHS England which commissions screening services from trusts said no central decision had been taken to halt screening at the height of the outbreak but said: “We know that some local providers did take the decision to pause and in those cases plans are in place to get services fully up and running again.” The national screening programmes look for bowel, breast and cervical cancers. Head of policy at Macmillan Cancer Support Sara Bainbridge said: ”Behind every missed target is a real person whose prognosis and treatment options could be severely impacted by these delays. It’s vital that people see their GP if they have symptoms, and anyone who is worried about cancer needs to know that they’ll be seen promptly and safely." “Cancer must not become the forgotten ‘C’ during this pandemic – we urgently need the government to deliver the promised recovery plan and make sure the NHS has all the staffing and resources it needs to get cancer services back on track.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 10 September 2020
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News ArticleHundreds of women with breast cancer in London were not picked up by routine screening as services closed during the lockdown, officials have estimated. Data from NHS England and Improvement’s London office said it expected 450 people to have breast cancer and have gone undiagnosed because of the heavily reduced amount of screening at the height of the outbreak. It was included in a letter from officials to local health system leaders, seen by HSJ. It said the figure was an estimate based on the 115,000 routine breast screenings that would have taken place between late March and the end of June and which had to be re-scheduled. London represents around 15% of England’s population, so a nationwide estimate would run into thousands. Responding to the figures, Breast Cancer Now chief executive Baroness Delyth Morgan said: ”While it’s encouraging that the breast screening programme in London is now back up and running, we are concerned to hear of the hundreds of potential delayed cancer diagnoses as a result of disruption due to the pandemic. The earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the more likely treatment is to be successful." “With over a hundred thousand people missing out on vital breast screening during the pandemic in London alone, we urge the government to ensure there is sufficient capacity in the already-stretched workforce to meet the huge backlog and to avoid any cancers going undetected for longer.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 9 September 2020
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News ArticleHospitals are not equipped to deal with the surge in screenings and tests as the health service restarts care – leaving patients facing delays in diagnosis and treatment for conditions including cancer, according to medical leaders. As the NHS tries to recover from the worst of the coronavirus crisis, more than a million laboratory samples from cancer screening services are expected in pathology labs, while as many as 850,000 delayed CT and MRI scans need to be carried out. But 97% of labs do not have enough pathologists to carry out the work – with staff already working unpaid hours to tackle the existing backlog – while the number of radiology posts nationally would need to be increased by a third to deal with the rise, experts say. Precautions to protect against the spread of coronavirus also limits the number of scans that can be carried out. The royal colleges of pathologists and radiologists warned that cancers would go undiagnosed and treatments for all patients across the NHS could be further delayed as a result. Read full story Source: The Independent, 27 August 2020
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Content ArticleWorldwide, cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death from cancer in women. Cervical cancer accounts for 2% of all new cancer cases in females in the UK (Cancer Research UK 2016) and is, generally, a preventable disease. The primary cause of cervical abnormalities and cancer is persistent or chronic infection with one or more of the high-risk (oncogenic) types of human papillomavirus (HPV). In most women and men who become infected with HPV, these infections will resolve spontaneously (without treatment). However, for a minority of women, the infection leads to abnormal changes to the cervix, which, if not treated, may progress to cancer 10 to 20 years later. Both understanding and identifying HPV are important public health concerns and form part of the UK National Screening Programme.
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Content Article
Pressure Ulcer Path: prevent and treat step by step
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Pressure ulcers
Research has shown that frontline staff understand the dangers of pressure sores but experience significant challenges in their attempts to prevent them. The research, undertaken by NHS Midlands and East and downloadable below, showed that staff feel they do not have the time to treat patients and need improved communication between the patients, their carers and the homes from which they might have come. In response to this, NHS Midlands and East has created the Pressure Ulcer Path, a tool to support staff in preventing pressure ulcers and treating them, alongside a number of useful resources. -
News Article
Breast screening women in their 40s 'could save lives'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Screening women for breast cancer from their 40s rather than their 50s could save lives without adding to the diagnosis of harmless cancers, a UK study has found. The research was based on 160,000 women from England, Scotland and Wales, followed up for around 23 years. Lowering the screening age could save one life per 1,000 women checked, the scientists say. But experts caution there are many other considerations, including cost. Cancer Research UK says it is still "not clear if reducing the breast screening age would give any additional benefit compared to the UK's existing screening programme". The charity says the priority should be getting cancer services "back on track" for women aged 50-70, after disruption caused by the pandemic. Read full story Source: BBC News, 13 August 2020 -
Content Article
Health screening poster: Learning disabilities (MacIntyre)
Claire Cox posted an article in Learning disabilities
This poster from MacIntyre helps to raise awareness of health screening for people with learning disabilities among frontline staff. Giving an overview of relevant health checks depending on sex and age the poster serves as a quick visual reminder. -
Content ArticleRadio 4's Women's Hour programme discusses coronavirus and the impact the current pandemic is having on access to cervical screening services. Later in the programme, the discussion turns to the topic of dealing with addiction during the lockdown. Cervical screening (listen from the start of the recording) Speakers, Kate Sanger, Head of Public Affairs at Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, and consultant gynaecologist Dr Christine Ekechi stress that patients should not hesitate to contact their GP if they have any concerns or symptoms. Symptoms might include: abnormal bleeding, bleeding after sex, bleeding after the menopause, bleeding in between periods, unexplained pelvic pain and in some cases increased vaginal discharge. Addiction (21:45) According to the charity Action on Addiction, one in three people are addicted to something. How difficult can it be to remain sober or clean in lockdown, and what support can you still access? Speakers include Holly Sexton, Substance Misuse Practitioner at We Are With You, and Caroline Turriff, a freelance journalist who is 15 years in recovery. They discuss whether opiate painkillers and methadone being more easily available through pharmacies creates safety issues. Caroline argues that it will reduce the risk of people obtaining opiates online or heroin via street dealers which she says could enable them to obtain life-threatening amounts.
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Content ArticleThis American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) guidance is in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. Their goal is to provide practices with recommendations that guard the health and safety of their patients and staff, and recognise our social responsibility, as an organisation and as a community of providers and experts, to comply with national public health recommendations.
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Content Article
Why malnutrition matters in care homes? (October 2019)
Claire Cox posted an article in Community care
In this short video, Professor Martin Green explains why good nutrition in care homes is essential. He explains that screening patients before they come to the care home is a 'must do' rather than a 'nice to have'. This video was made for the National Nutrition awareness week in 2019. -
Content Article
Risk assessment for venous thromboembolism (2010)
Claire Cox posted an article in NICE
All patients should be risk assessed for venous thromboembolism (VTE) on admission to hospital. Patients should be reassessed within 24 hours of admission and whenever the clinical situation changes. This template checklist produced by the Department of Health and the National Institute for Heath and Clinical Excellence, is to aid the assessment in risk assessing patients for VTE.
