Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'UK'.
Found 185 results
-
Content ArticleAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major challenge to the UK’s health security, and is already responsible for a significant burden of death, disability and prolonged illness globally. The growing resistance of bacteria, viruses and fungi to the drugs commonly used to treat them threatens modern medicine, and our ability to carry out standard medical procedures. This report draws on the expert input of a roundtable held by public service think tank Reform in October 2022, to assess progress made against proposals published by Reform in 2020.
-
Content ArticleYou're still entitled to free NHS care if you choose to pay for additional private care. This guidance from the NHS outlines how receiving both private care might affect treatment on the NHS. It looks at the following points: What does 'as clear a separation as possible' mean? Receiving private and NHS care at the same time What treatments can my doctor tell me about? What if I have complications?
-
Content Article
National Patient Safety Alert: Class 4 medicines defect information: Prenoxad 1mg/ml solution for injection, Macarthys Laboratories (Aurum Pharmaceuticals Ltd), due to potential missing needles in sealed kits, NatPSA/2022/009/MHRA (10 November 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Macarthys Laboratories (trading as Martindale Pharma, an Ethypharm Group Company), has notified the MHRA that a limited number of Prenoxad kits (also called packs) in a batch marketed in France have missing needles. Naloxone is a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. If no needles are present in the kit, there is a risk that patients, members of the public and/or healthcare professionals may not be able to administer life-saving doses of naloxone from these kits in an emergency. This may impede the treatment for a patient with an opioid overdose, which may result in delay to intervention and possible death. Although no reports of UK marketed kits with missing needles have been received to date, the potential for kits to contain fewer than two needles in all distributed batches cannot be excluded based on the investigation by the company. However, due to the critical need for this product, the specified batches are not being recalled. This alert is for action by: primary and secondary care, specifically those involved in outreach services. -
Content ArticleCornerstone is a free publication for anyone passionate about evidence-based healthcare, including Quality Improvement (QI), audit and clinical effectiveness professionals, and those who plan, deliver and receive healthcare. It is produced by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), which was established in 2008 to increase the impact of clinical audit on healthcare quality improvement and support improved outcomes for patients.
-
Content ArticleIn the UK, regulation prevents prescription-only medications being advertised directly to consumers, but not medical tests. This opinion piece in the BMJ raises concerns about the growing availability and popularity of consumer blood testing. The authors found that dozens of companies are offering health screening for a range of conditions and deficiencies through blood testing kits for use at home. They are often advertised to people with symptoms such as tiredness, low energy, irritability, sleep problems and weight issues. The authors highlight that reading blood test results requires context and training, and results can give people a false sense of security or panic depending on whether they are perceived to be in 'normal' range. They call for guidance on mixing NHS and private care to be updated and recommend that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) should be empowered to appraise private screening and the apps that recommend it.
-
Content ArticleInflammatory rheumatic disease (IRD), such as rheumatoid arthritis, can cause poor outcomes in pregnancy, and the health of the mother and developing foetus must be balanced when making decisions about medication. This updated guideline from the British Society for Rheumatology contains evidence and best practice for prescribing rheumatology medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It includes a table that summarises information about drug compatibility in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
-
Content ArticleThis framework produced by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) aims to improve how healthcare organisations recognise and respond to children at risk of deterioration. A safer system can work in partnership with families and patients, develop a patient safety culture and support ongoing learning. The framework covers: Patient safety culture Partnership with families Recognising deterioration Responding to deterioriation Open and consistent learning Education and training
-
Content ArticleAppreciative Inquiry (AI) is a research approach that aims to create practical and collaborative change by taking participants through an in-depth exploration of their organisation, team or role. This article in the European Journal of Midwifery reflects on the process of using AI in a study that explored staff wellbeing in a UK maternity unit. The authors share key lessons to help others decide whether AI will fit their research aims, and highlight issues in its design and application.
-
Content ArticleClinical trials are the foundation of modern medicine, but regulators, doctors and patients often do not get to see the full picture about how safe and effective drugs and treatments are. The results of around half of all clinical trials remain hidden and there are international efforts to resolve this issue; even government agencies often lack access to the information they need to decide whether treatments are safe and effective. The paper analyses six case studies in which lack of transparency in medical research has directly harmed patients, taxpayers and/or investors. It illustrates how these harms could have been avoided through three simple solutions promoted by the AllTrials campaign: trial registration, results posting, and full disclosure of trial reports.
-
Content ArticleThey play a vital role in society, but workers in adult social care – who are mostly women – are among the lowest paid in the UK and experience poor working conditions. This report by The Health Foundation analyses national survey data from 2017/18 to 2019/20 to understand rates of poverty and deprivation among residential care workers in the UK. It then compares these rates to other sectors including health, retail, hospitality and administration. The analysis demonstrates that: over a quarter of the UK’s residential care workers lived in, or were on the brink of, poverty. Nearly 1 in 10 experienced food insecurity. Around 1 in 8 children of residential care workers were ‘materially deprived’, meaning they may not have access to essential resources such as fresh fruit and vegetables or adequate winter clothing. the prevalence of poverty and deprivation in residential care is similar to hospitality, retail and administration. But residential care workers experienced much higher rates than most workers – and were at least twice as likely to experience poverty and food insecurity than health workers. Their dependent children were nearly four times as likely to experience material deprivation than children of health workers. The report highlights that political and economic conditions have changed since the data they looked at was collected, meaning that the situation is likely to have worsened for many social care workers. The poorest households in the UK are being disproportionately affected by sharp rises in inflation and poverty is set to increase. The report also highlights chronic underfunding in the social care sector, particularly in England, and calls on the new Government to make it a priority to ensure social care workers are paid fairly.
-
Content ArticleSince 2018, Nicola Burgess has led a team from Warwick Business School that evaluated the partnership between the English NHS and the Virginia Mason Institute in the USA. The partnership aimed to implement a systematic approach to quality improvement (QI) in five English NHS trusts and learn lessons about how to foster a culture of continuous improvement across the wider health and care system. In this blog, she summarises six key lessons from the evaluation report for health and care leaders looking to build a systematic approach to QI. Build cultural readiness as the foundation for better QI outcomes Embed QI routines and practices into everyday practice Leaders show the way and light the path for others Relationships aren’t a priority, they’re a prerequisite Holding each other to account for behaviours, not just outcomes The rule of the golden thread: not all improvement matters in the same way
-
Content ArticlePatient (or lived experience) leadership involves people affected by life-changing illness, injury or disability becoming equal partners in NHS decision-making. This expert briefing by patient leadership champion David Gilbert highlights the most significant developments in the field of patient leadership.
-
Content ArticleSafety communication refers to the sharing of safety information within organisations in order to mitigate hazards and improve risk management. External stakeholders, such as patients and carers, also communicate safety information to healthcare organisations. This article in the Journal of Risk Research examines the nature of safety communication behaviours seen in patients and their families by identifying and examining 410 narrative accounts. The author found that the success of patient and family safety communication in reducing risk was variable. Problems in hospital safety culture such as high workloads and downplaying safety problems, meant that information provided was often not acted upon.
-
Content ArticleThis joint position statement from The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) sets out a series of recommendations for making research part of everyday practice for all clinicians. Its recommendations are aimed at stakeholders across the health and care system, with the overall aim of embedding research in clinical practice: Trusts, health boards and integrated care systems (ICSs) Health Education England and NHS England and statutory education bodies and the departments of health in the other UK nations Regulators Funders
-
Content ArticleIn this blog, peer researchers Saffron, Bianca and Alysha describe their involvement in a study about violence and mental health funded by the UKRI Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network. The study looked at how adolescents’ experiences of violence and neighbourhood disorder—such as vandalism and muggings—affects their mental health as they move into adulthood. As peer researchers, they helped analyse data and used their lived experience to interpret the findings and co-author an academic research paper. They highlight the value of involving people with relevant lived experience in research studies.
-
Content Article
SAPHNA - Eating disorder toolkit (October 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Eating disorders
This toolkit has been co-produced by the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) with school nursing services, mental health campaigners, eating disorder experts, education colleagues and young people with lived-experience of eating disorders. It is aimed at qualified, trained and skilled nurses who have access to robust supervision. The toolkit is free of charge, but you will need to enter your details in order to receive a PDF copy by email. -
Content ArticleDuring the Covid-19 pandemic there was a large-scale shift to remote consulting in UK general practice. In 2021, we saw a partial return to in-person consultations, which occurred in the context of extreme workload pressures due to backlogs, staff shortages and task shifting. This study in the British Journal of General Practice looked at media depictions of remote consultations in UK general practice at a time when general practice was under stress. The authors did a thematic analysis of national newspaper articles about remote GP consultations during two time periods: 13–26 May 2021, following an NHS England letter, and 14–27 October 2021, following a government-backed directive, both stipulating a return to in-person consulting. They found that newspaper coverage of remote consulting was strikingly negative and conclude that remote consultations have become associated in the media with poor practice. They recommend proactive dialogue between practitioners and the media to help minimise polarisation and improve perceptions around general practice.
-
Content ArticleIn this blog, Ted Baker, Former Chief Inspector of Hospitals at the Care Quality Commission, suggests that a false view that health services are intrinsically safe leads to defensive responses to safety concerns and perpetuates a culture of blame. He argues that the mismatch between safety as described and the reality of safety in practice prevents healthcare professionals being able to speak up about safety concerns. By taking an alternative approach that accepts the risk inherent in healthcare and the fallibility of individuals, he believes we can build organisations and systems that really learn from safety events. In order to do this, we need staff to feel able and supported to speak up, something that can be achieved through widespread understanding of safety society and building a supportive culture. Ted argues that this open culture is still lacking within many services.
-
Content ArticleThe Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) has launched a commission on Covid-19, Disablism and Systemic Racism to explore how the worst impacts of Covid have fallen on Disabled people, particularly those from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups. The Commission is examining the extent to systemic neglect of social care over many years has caused negative outcomes that have been worsened by confused approaches by the Government during the pandemic. This includes poor implementation of policy and conflicting guidance. The work will gather evidence, scrutinise the Department of Health and Social Care’s policies and responses to the pandemic, including ways in which systemic racism may have further worsened outcomes for disabled people of colour, and build solutions and support for transformative and sustainable change in social care, based on justice and human rights. The Commission is calling on Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups to share their views and experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic as part of its 'Call for Views and Experiences'. They are also keen to hear from families, carers and people who work in social care.
-
Content ArticleThis letter to the editor published in The Journal of Biomedical Research outlines the ways in which simulation will be used in medical education in the future. The author highlights that: simulation is likely to become much more closely linked to assessment in the future. our vision of what constitutes simulation will change radically in the future, with access to simulation becoming easier and wider. the future of simulation in medical education will follow the same path as the future of healthcare—more primary care, management of long term conditions and patient self-management.
-
Content ArticleThis qualitative study in BMC Medicine aimed to improve understanding of the reality of making and sustaining improvements in complex healthcare systems. It focused on understanding the implications of complexity theory, introducing a framework known as Successful Healthcare Improvement From Translating Evidence in complex systems (SHIFT-Evidence). This approach is accompanied by a series of ‘simple rules’ that aim to make complexity navigable (whilst recognising that it will never be simple), providing actionable guidance to both practice and research. The authors concluded that the SHIFT-Evidence framework provides a tool to guide practice and research. The ‘simple rules’ have potential to provide a common platform for academics, practitioners, patients and policymakers to collaborate when intervening to achieve improvements in healthcare.
-
Content ArticleThis article in The BMJ by Tessa Richards, Senior Editor for patient partnership and Henry Scowcroft, Patient Editor, looks at the way in which people with expertise rooted in lived experience were excluded from policy decisions during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. They argue that engaging patients, families, and frontline health and social care professionals would have prevented some of the excess morbidity and mortality that came from policy responses to the pandemic, particularly among elderly people, those with long term conditions and those in lower socioeconomic groups.
-
Content ArticleIn this article for The Guardian, journalist Sirin Kale speaks to Janet Williams about the impact the epilepsy drug sodium valproate has had on her family. Janet took the medication to treat her epilepsy throughout her two pregnancies in 1989 and 1991, but had never been warned about the potential risks to her babies. Foetal valproate syndrome can cause spina bifida, congenital heart defects and developmental delays and is believed to have affected around 20,000 children in the UK. Both of Janet's sons were affected by the medication and require full time care as a result. Janet describes how being told about the risks would have enabled her to make an informed decision about whether to have children, and how her experience led her to help set up In-FACT (the Independent Fetal Anti Convulsant Trust) in 2012.
-
Content ArticleThis letter from NHS Confederation to Thérèse Coffey MP, the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, sets out what needs to be done to support the delivery of an emergency winter plan for health and social care services. It outlines the views of NHS Confederation members on what will be needed to deliver the ‘ABCD’ highlighted as priorities by the Secretary of State: ambulances, backlogs, care and doctors and dentists.
-
Content ArticleIn this blog, Jeremy Hunt MP, Founder of Patient Safety Watch, outlines six priorities for the new Health Secretary, Therese Coffey MP. He argues that these patient safety priorities will help reduce elective and emergency pressures and save money.
