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The NHS in the time of covid: what happens next
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
What will the next six months bring for the NHS? HSJ has spoken to the service’s most senior figures and makes a number of predictions. Read full story Source: HSJ, 8 June 2020 -
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Contact tracing system rolled-out across Wales
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A contact tracing system has this week been launched in Wales, initially a telephone based process, followed by an online system next week. Anyone who has a positive coronavirus test result will be contacted by a team of contact tracers and asked for details of everyone they have had close contact with while they have had symptoms. From Monday 8th June, a new online system will be used to support the process. People will have the option to use the system to provide details of their close contacts electronically. The system has been trialled in four health board areas over the la -
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Increase in learning disability deaths during the coronavirus outbreak
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have looked at how the number of people who have died during the coronavirus outbreak this year compares to the number of people who died at the same time last year. They looked at information about services that support people with a learning disability or autism in the 5 weeks between 10 April to 15 May in 2019 and 2020. These services can support around 30,000 people. They found that in that 5 weeks this year, 386 people with a learning disability, who may also be autistic, died. Data for the same 5 weeks last year found that 165 people with a learning -
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Coronavirus: 'More than two million' waiting for cancer care in UK
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
About 2.4 million people in the UK are waiting for cancer screening, treatment or tests, as a result of disruption to the NHS during the past 10 weeks, according to Cancer Research UK. It estimates 2.1 million have missed out on screening, while 290,000 people with suspected symptoms have not been referred for hospital tests. More than 23,000 cancers could have gone undiagnosed during lockdown. Chief executive Michelle Mitchell said COVID-19 has placed an "enormous strain on cancer services". "The NHS has had to make very hard decisions to balance risk," she said. "...there have- Posted
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CQC: Fears covid restrictions caused opiate addiction deaths
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Problems with dispensing drugs during the COVID-19 crisis may be contributing to an “apparent increase” in deaths of patients receiving treatment for opiate addiction, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said. The regulator has said the increase in deaths “may be a result of some services stopping all daily dispensing of opiates” and has taken enforcement action against a “large national provider of substance misuse services” which ”stopped all daily dispensing”. The provider has not been named by the CQC as it is “entitled to an appeal period,” but the regulator told HSJ the prov -
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Test and trace system kicks off in England and Scotland
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A team of 25,000 contact tracers are making their first phone calls to track down people who will be told to self-isolate under a new scheme in England. Tracers will text, email or call people who test positive with coronavirus and ask who they have had contact with. Any of those contacts deemed at risk of infection will be told to isolate for 14 days, even if they are not sick. A test and trace system is also launching in Scotland, where an easing of the lockdown is expected later. The aim of England's NHS Test and Trace system is to lift national lockdown restrictions and move -
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Up to a fifth of patients with COVID-19 in several hospitals contracted the disease over the course of the pandemic while already being treated there for another illness, NHS bosses have told senior doctors and nurses. Some of the infections were passed on by hospital staff who were unaware they had the virus and were displaying no symptoms, while patients with coronavirus were responsible for the others. The figures represent NHS England’s first estimate of the size of the problem of hospital-acquired COVID-19, which Boris Johnson last week said was causing an “epidemic” of deaths. -
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Coronavirus test results waits 'undermining confidence'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The government needs to make sure its coronavirus testing strategy is fit for purpose instead of focusing on hitting targets, says the Royal College of GPs (RCGP). In a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, chairman Prof Martin Marshall said long wait times were "undermining confidence" in the results. Health professionals were also concerned about the accuracy of some test results, he said. The government said "95% of tests" were processed "in less than 48 hours". Ensuring there are enough tests to meet demand is part of the government's five tests it says must be met befor -
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Five key areas identified ahead of restarting NHS services
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A joint letter from the Health Foundation, The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust has been delivered to the Health and Social Care Select Committee identifying five key aspects which need addressed ahead of their evidence session on delivering core NHS and care services during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons on 22 April 2020 that the pandemic had reached its peak and talked of his intention to ‘gradually reopen’ the NHS as soon as it was safe to do so. For the joint authors of the letter, before any services loo -
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Coronavirus: real care home death toll double official figure, study says
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than 22,000 care home residents in England and Wales may have died as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19, academics have calculated – more than double the number stated as passing away from the disease in official figures. Academics at the London School of Economics (LSE) found that data on deaths in care homes directly attributed to the virus published by the Office for National Statistics significantly underestimated the impact of the pandemic on care home residents and accounted for only about 4 out of 10 of the excess deaths in care settings recorded in recent weeks in Engla -
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Quarter of people who die from coronavirus in England have diabetes
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than a quarter of all NHS patients who have died after being infected with COVID-19 had diabetes, according to new statistics from NHS England. Between 31 March and 12 May, a total of 5,873 patients with diabetes died in hospital from COVID-19, 26% of all coronavirus deaths. It is the first time data on hospital deaths and underlying health conditions has been revealed by the NHS. People with diabetes have previously been described as being at moderate risk from the virus and were not part of the groups told to shield themselves in their homes due to fears they were at extr -
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Coronavirus: Reopening NHS services must be safe, unions say
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Rapid testing and an adequate supply of protective equipment must be in place when the NHS reopens services cancelled during the peak of the coronavirus oubreak, health unions have said. The unions have put forward a nine-point plan for the NHS to reopen safely as lockdown restrictions ease. NHS England has told hospitals to restart routine and non-urgent operations and procedures which were put on hold to create more capacity for COVID-19 patients. But 16 unions, including Unison, the Royal College of Nursing, Unite and GMB, said they wanted the NHS to continue to operate a "safety-- Posted
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Government launches new portal for care home coronavirus testing
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
With all care home staff and residents now eligible for testing, with a priority given to those in homes looking after residents over 65 years of age, a new online portal has been launched to streamline the process of arranging coronavirus test kit deliveries. As national testing capacity continues to increase, the government is prioritising testing for care homes and other areas identified as having the greatest need. As such, across England, all symptomatic and asymptomatic care home staff and residents can be tested for coronavirus. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) -
News Article
Hospital staff may be carrying SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease, without realising they are infected, according to a study by researchers at the University of Cambridge. Patients admitted to NHS hospitals are now routinely screened for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and isolated if necessary. But NHS workers, including patient-facing staff on the front line, such as doctors, nurses and physiotherapists, are tested and excluded from work only if they develop symptoms of the illness. Many of them, however, may show no symptoms at all even if infected, as a new study published- Posted
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Coronavirus: Care home deaths 'starting to decline'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of deaths linked to coronavirus in care homes in England and Wales has fallen, figures show. The Office for National Statistics analysis showed there were 2,423 fatalities where the virus was mentioned on the death certificate in the week ending 1 May. That is down from nearly 2,800 the week before. More than 8,300 deaths in care homes have been linked to virus since the epidemic started. The number of hospital deaths have been falling since early April but the government and care sector had been struggling to contain outbreaks in care homes. Despite the drop, the vir -
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‘Fundamental’ changes to London’s NHS in wake of COVID-19
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS in London is planning to “fundamentally shift the way we deliver health and care” in the wake of coronavirus, according to documents obtained by HSJ. The plans from NHS England and Improvement’s London office say leaders should: Plan for elective waiting times to be measured at integrated care system level, rather than trust level. Accept “a different kind of risk appetite than the one we are used to”. Expect decisions from the centre on the location of cancer, paediatric, renal, cardiac, and neurosurgical services. Plan for a permanent increase in critical- Posted
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News Article
More people dying at home during COVID-19 pandemic – UK analysis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
About 8,000 more people have died in their own homes since the start of the coronavirus pandemic than in normal times, a Guardian analysis has found, as concerns grow over the number avoiding going to hospital. Of that total, 80% died of conditions unrelated to COVID-19, according to their death certificates. Doctors’ leaders have warned that fears and deprioritisation of non-coronavirus patients are taking a deadly toll. Doctors’ leaders have warned that some sick people are too scared to go to hospital and are aware that much of the usual NHS care had been suspended in the pandemic- Posted
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Blood transfusion trial begins for COVID-19 patients in UK
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Trials have begun in the UK to test the effectiveness of blood plasma transfusions in treating patients suffering from COVID-19. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have started delivering the first units of convalescent plasma, which contains the antibodies of people who have recovered from coronavirus, to hospitals in England. In total, 14 units have been supplied to Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. The first transfusions have been administered, NHSBT confirmed on Wednesday, thoug -
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Over 170 carers call UK whistleblower helpline during COVID-19 crisis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than 170 carers have called a whistleblowing helpline since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a report that highlights the voices of frontline workers and lays bare a catalogue of safety concerns. Compassion in Care, which operates the helpline for care workers, says it is seeing the whistleblowing process move at “unprecedented speed” as the coronavirus crisis unfolds, with many concerns being ignored. With the coronavirus death toll mounting in care homes, the charity’s report flags the “horrendous” unsafe conditions workers are facing amid concerns over lack of- Posted
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Hospitals are continuing to discharge patients infected with Covid-19 into Britain’s struggling care homes, despite new figures showing deaths in the care sector still rising while those in hospitals are falling. Deputy chief scientific adviser Dame Angela McLean revealed the government was now seriously concerned about the scale of the outbreak in care homes. She said the number of deaths was now almost half of those in hospitals adding: “There is a real issue that we need to get to grips with.” In March care homes were told they had to accept thousands of patients discharged f -
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COVID-19 'sheds light on health inequalities in North East'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A leading doctor has called on the government to address regional health inequalities surrounding coronavirus. Dr George Rae, the British Medical Association's regional chairman for the North East, has written an open letter saying the area is "suffering disproportionately". He said it was "time to ask why" and wanted action to "close the gap". A government spokesman said it was working "incredibly hard" to protect the nation's public health. "This is gravely disconcerting," Dr Rae wrote. "Not only does this mean that we're suffering from a disproportionate amount of seriou -
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An NHS app that aims to track the spread of coronavirus is being rolled out for the first time, as part of a trial on the Isle of Wight. Council and healthcare workers will be the first to try the contact-tracing app, with the rest of the island able to download it from Thursday. The app aims to quickly trace recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for the virus. However, the new NHS coronavirus app will have “unintended consequences”, according to the head of the unit developing it. Officials do not know “exactly how it will work”, Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, t -
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The health service will face a “tsunami” of coronavirus survivors discharged from hospitals needing long-term physical and mental support that the NHS will struggle to provide, The Independent has been told. Coronavirus can leave patients with lasting physical damage and scarring to their lungs, meaning many could struggle to breathe and move around as well as they did before – in some cases permanently. Patients admitted to intensive care can also suffer physical effects of being paralysed weeks and almost half who are ventilated with a tube in their windpipe will experience a form- Posted
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Healthcare workers providing support outside of the NHS are finding it harder to access coronavirus tests than their colleagues inside the service, a survey of nurses has suggested. A poll of 22,000 health and care workers conducted by the Royal College of Nursing found 44% of respondents did not know how to access testing – while 76% said they had not been offered a test. The problem was also particularly pronounced among the temporary workers, with four in five not offered testing compared to three-quarters of full time workers. Meanwhile the survey found 79% of those working -
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Deaths in care homes: what do the numbers tell us?
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The Chief Scientific Adviser reportedly warned the government in January that the care homes sector in the UK was particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 – and that has unfortunately proved to be the case. With care home deaths now being reported daily, what do the numbers tell us about this group? Have care home residents been disproportionately affected? And is there a chance the crisis could belatedly mark the start of better times for a sector in danger of collapse? Read full story Source: Nuffield Trust, 1 May 2020