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Found 2,339 results
  1. News Article
    Hospital chiefs in the South West have warned the region will not avoid the extreme pressures felt by other parts of the NHS amid rapidly rising numbers of COVID-19 inpatients. The region was the least affected area of England during the pandemic’s first wave, but the medical director of two acute trusts yesterday predicted a “tidal wave” of COVID-19 coming to the West Country. Adrian Harris, medical director at Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust and Northern Devon Healthcare Trust (NDHT), said the region faced an “absolute crisis” and individual trusts would be “hanging on by their fingernails”. His comments, made at NDHT’s board meeting, came on the same day HSJ revealed the South West region now has the fastest growth in COVID-19 inpatients. Although the region is England’s least densely populated, it also has the lowest hospital capacity per capita in the country. Dr Harris said: “We hope and we pray that the lockdown has come in time for Devon. My personal view — and of my colleagues around the country — is that there’s a tidal wave of COVID-19 coming to the West Country." “We are preparing to be hit as hard as the East of England. If we are hit as hard, we will be hanging on by our fingernails and we are planning accordingly.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 8 January 2021
  2. News Article
    The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine can still target a key mutation that has emerged in two new variants of coronavirus, laboratory studies show. However, this is only one of many mutations that are found in the new forms of the virus. So while the study has been welcomed, it is not being seen as definitive scientific evidence about how the vaccine will perform. New variants have been detected in the UK and South Africa. Both forms of the virus are spreading more quickly and this has raised questions over what level of protection vaccines can offer against them. The widely held view is that vaccines will still work, but researchers are on the hunt for proof. Read full story Source: BBC News, 8 January 2021
  3. News Article
    Patients calling NHS 111 in London could face a 30-hour wait before being admitted to a hospital bed, the capital’s ambulance service has warned. Slides presented by London Ambulance Service Trust at a webinar with NHS London this week showed “category three” patients faced long delays at all stages of the process. The length of each stage was said to be as follows: having calls answered at 111 centres (20 mins); the “revalidation” of the call before it is passed to 999 (two hours); 10 to 12 hour waits for an ambulance; and similar waits in emergency departments before being admitted to a bed. Category three calls are considered urgent, but not immediately life-threatening. The calls could involve abdominal pain, uncomplicated diabetic issues and some falls. Category three patients are among those the NHS is encouraging to call first, rather than going straight to accident and emergency, as part of the flagship “111 first” drive designed to produce pressure on emergency care. Normally, the pathway from a 111 call being made to a patient being admitted to a bed would take nine hours with a faster response at all stages, the slides suggest. But the pressure across the NHS from covid cases is leading to much longer waits. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 8 January 2021
  4. News Article
    The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has become the third to be approved by the UK. The US pharmaceutical company’s jab was given the green light by Britain’s regulator and doses will be available in the spring. The announcement comes as the rollout of the Pfizer and Oxford vaccines is scaled up to meet Boris Johnson’s target of immunising all care-home patients by the end of the month, with 1,000 vaccination centres expected to be operational by Sunday. The government has also purchased an additional 10 million doses of the Moderna vaccine on top of its previous order of 7 million, taking the total to 17 million. Supplies will begin to be delivered to the UK once Moderna expands its production capability, the Department of Health and Social Care said. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) accepted the recommendation of the Commission on Human Medicines and authorised the Moderna vaccine following months of rigorous clinical trials and extensive analysis of the vaccine’s safety, quality and effectiveness. The jab is 94% effective in preventing disease, including in the elderly. Read full story Source: The Independent, 8 January 2021
  5. Content Article
    Despite the application of a huge range of human factors (HF) principles in a growing range of care contexts, there is much more that could be done to realise this expertise for patient benefit, staff well-being and organisational performance. Healthcare has struggled to embrace system safety approaches, misapplied or misinterpreted others, and has stuck to a range of outdated and potentially counter-productive myths even has safety science has developed. One consequence of these persistent misunderstandings is that few opportunities exist in clinical settings for qualified HF professionals. Instead, HF has been applied by clinicians and others, to highly variable degrees—sometimes great success, but frequently in limited and sometimes counter-productive ways. Meanwhile, HF professionals have struggled to make a meaningful impact on frontline care and have had little career structure or support. However, in the last few years, embedded clinical HF practitioners have begun to have considerable success that are now being supported and amplified by professional networks. The recent COVID-19 experiences confirm this. Closer collaboration between healthcare and HF professionals will result in significant and ultimately beneficial changes to both professions and clinical care.
  6. Content Article
    Hip-fracture patients are vulnerable to the outcomes of COVID-19. Authors of this study, published in The Journal of Hospital Infection, performed a cross-sectional survey to determine measures employed to limit nosocomial spread of COVID-19 in 23 orthopaedic trauma departments in the North-West of England. Nineteen (87%) hospitals admitted patients to a ward prior to a negative swab, and only 9 (39%) patients were barrier nursed. Hip-fracture patients were operated in non-COVID-19-free theatres in 21 (91%) hospitals. Regular screening of doctors working in trauma and elective areas for COVID-19 was undertaken in three (13%) and five (22%) hospitals, respectively. Doctors moved freely between trauma and elective areas in 22 (96%) hospitals.
  7. News Article
    The chief inspector of hospitals has called for honesty about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on patients warning poor care could become normalised. Professor Ted Baker told The Independent it was vital staff continued to report incidents and revealed the Care Quality Commission had seen a 60% rise in whistleblowing concerns during the last national lockdown in November. He said staff must report incidents and be free to speak up about any concerns as well as being transparent with families where things have gone wrong. He emphasised that where a patient was unable to get the care they clinically needed because of the demand on services, this would amount to a notifiable patient safety incident. Professor Baker’s comments follow multiple anonymous leaks from NHS staff to The Independent in recent weeks, showing how bad the situation has become in some hospitals. Many staff have only spoken out on condition of anonymity. Many hospitals have declared major incidents, cancelled operations and been forced to stretch staffing ratios to unsafe levels to cope with the increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients. Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 January 2021
  8. News Article
    A hospital in the South East today declared a level of critical care alert meaning that it may be forced into ‘refusal or withdrawal of critical care due to resource limitation’ because it has been ‘overwhelmed’ — but later claimed it was an ”administrative error”. Data from an internal NHS dashboard for critical care, seen by HSJ, showed today Darent Valley Hospital, near Dartford in Kent, declared it was at “CRITCON level four”. CRITCON level four declarations are extremely rare. In guidance they are known as “Triage - emergency” and defined as: “Resources overwhelmed. Possibility of triage by resource (non-clinical refusal or withdrawal of critical care due to resource limitation).” The definition continues: “This must only be implemented on national directive from [NHS England] and in accordance with national guidance.” Dartford and Gravesham Trust, which runs the hospital, replied to HSJ more than five hours after it was contacted, and after publication of the story, to say: “This was a purely administrative error which was quickly rectified.” The level has not however been changed so far on the live dashboard, HSJ has confirmed. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 7 January 2021
  9. News Article
    "There can be no debate: this is now much, much worse than the first wave", says a NHS consultant. "Truly, I never imagined it would be this bad. Once again Covid has spread out along the hospital, the disease greedily taking over ward after ward. Surgical, paediatric, obstetric, orthopaedic; this virus does not discriminate between specialities. Outbreaks bloom even in our “clean” areas and the disease is even more ferociously infectious. Although our local tests do not differentiate strains, I presume this is the new variant. The patients are younger this time around too, and there are so many of them. They are sick. We are full." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 7 January 2020
  10. News Article
    Two more life-saving drugs have been found that can cut deaths by a quarter in patients who are sickest with Covid. The anti-inflammatory medications, given via a drip, save an extra life for every 12 treated, say researchers who have carried out a trial in NHS intensive care units. Supplies are already available across the UK so they can be used immediately to save hundreds of lives, say experts. The UK government is working closely with the manufacturer, to ensure the drugs - tocilizumab and sarilumab - continue to be available to UK patients. As well as saving more lives, the treatments speed up patients' recovery and reduce the length of time that critically-ill patients need to spend in intensive care by about a week. Both appear to work equally well and add to the benefit already found with a cheap steroid drug called dexamethasone. Read full story Source: BBC News, 7 January 2021
  11. Content Article
    The Health Services Learning Hub is a dynamic new knowledge platform that will support cross country learning in maintaining essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the post-pandemic recovery phase. The Health Services Learning Hub supports implementation of the World Health Organization's operational guidance on maintaining essential health services.
  12. News Article
    The government is being pressed to urgently pay care homes to take on thousands of patients from hospitals, many of which are on course to be overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Hospitals, particularly in London and the surrounding areas, are seeing very high and rapidly growing numbers of covid-19 admissions, and are running out of options to free up beds. Multiple senior NHS leaders said they need to discharge more patients to care homes, but that this had become increasingly difficult. Beds in many care homes are lying empty, but many care providers are refusing to accept residents where there is a risk of introducing covid-19 and fear of repeating the disaster of the spring in the sector. Part of the problem is some care providers which would otherwise become covid-designated homes say they are not insured for the risk of doing so. HSJ understands national officials in the NHS and government are now considering options to try to alleviate the problem, amid urgent requests from local NHS leaders, including paying for the additional insurance cost. However, sources said the Treasury had not yet been willing to foot the bill. Read full story Source: HSJ, 7 January 2021
  13. News Article
    The government has confirmed plans to open seven new mass vaccination centres across England next week. The seven centres opening are: ExCel Centre (Nightingale), London Etihad Tennis and Football Centre, Manchester Centre for Life, Newcastle Robertson House, Stevenage Epsom Downs racecourse, Surrey Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol Millennium Point, Birmingham The exact opening dates for each site have yet to be established, however the prime minister’s official spokesperson said they would be opening “next week”. More details on how the vaccination sites will operate are expected to be revealed over the coming days. Read full story Source: The Independent, 6 January 2021
  14. News Article
    In a bid to fight against misinformation about the coronavirus vaccines, a group of scientists from all over the world have created an online guide to building a ‘truth sandwich’. The guide serves to arm people with practical tips, up-to-date information and evidence to talk reliably about the vaccines, and enable them to constructively challenge associated myths. The scientists, led by the University of Bristol, are appealing to everyone to understand the facts set out in the 'COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook', follow the guidance and spread the word. Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, the lead author of the guide, said: “Vaccines are our ticket to freedom and communication about them should be our passport to getting everyone on board." “The way all of us refer to and discuss the COVID-19 vaccines can literally help win the battle against this devastating virus by tackling misinformation and improving uptake, which is crucial." Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 January 2021
  15. Content Article
    A team of scientific experts has joined forces from across the world to help fight the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines. Together they have created a unique online guide, led by the University of Bristol, to arm people with practical tips combined with the very latest information and evidence to talk reliably about the vaccines, constructively challenge associated myths, and allay fears. With the race on to vaccinate as many people as possible soonest in the wake of a more virulent virus strain, they’re appealing to everyone, from doctors to politicians, teachers to journalists and parents to older generations, to understand the facts, follow the guidance, and spread the word.
  16. News Article
    Some trusts in London and the South East are closing standalone birth centres and warning they cannot support home births because of high levels of demand for ambulance services from covid patients. Women in East Sussex who planned to give birth at Eastbourne District General Hospital and Crowborough Birth Centre have been told they need to go to other units. Both Eastbourne and Crowborough have standalone midwife-led units and women who have a difficult labour would need to be transferred by ambulance to another hospital. Both East Sussex Healthcare Trust and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust, which run the services, cited pressure on the ambulance services as the reason for the closures. The trusts, both of which are served by South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust, have also suspended support for home births. Services are continuing at a similar birthing unit at Maidstone Hospital, with private ambulances transferring women to Tunbridge Wells Hospital if needed. However, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust has posted on Facebook to warn women the situation may change and it is monitoring ambulance response times to determine “the safety of our out of hospital birthing choices”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 6 January 2021
  17. News Article
    For the first since April the UK has recorded more than 1,000 daily Covid-related deaths – one of the highest figures of the pandemic. Right now, London is at the epicentre of this crisis. Hospitals now have more Covid patients being admitted every day than they did at the peak in April. Many doctors and nurses say they're reaching breaking point. The BBC's medical editor Fergus Walsh filmed inside the intensive care unit at London's University College Hospital, which is one of the busiest in the capital. View video Source: BBC News, 6 January 2021
  18. News Article
    London’s hospitals are less than two weeks from being overwhelmed by covid even under the ‘best’ case scenario, according to an official briefing given to the capital’s most senior doctors this afternoon. NHS England London medical director Vin Diwakar set out the stark analysis to the medical directors of London’s hospital trusts on a Zoom call. The NHS England presentation, seen by HSJ , showed that even if the number of covid patients grew at the lowest rate considered likely, and measures to manage demand and increase capacity, including open the capital’s Nightingale hospital, were successful, the NHS in London would be short of nearly 2,000 general and acute and intensive care beds by 19 January. The briefing forecasts demand for both G&A and intensive care beds, for both covid and non-covid patients, against capacity. It accounts for the impact of planned measures to mitigate demand and increase capacity. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 6 January 2021
  19. Content Article
    While individual countries have gained considerable knowledge and experience of COVID-19 management, an international, comparative perspective is lacking, particularly regarding the measures taken by different countries to tackle the pandemic. This paper from Tartaglia et al. elicits the views of health system staff, tapping into their personal expertise on how the pandemic was initially handled.
  20. News Article
    An experimental treatment involving stem cells from umbilical cords could significantly reduce deaths and quicken recovery time for patients suffering the most severe form of COVID-19, a study suggests. US researchers reported a 91% survival rate in seriously ill patients given the stem cell infusion, compared to 42% in a second group who did not receive the treatment. Researchers said the treatment also appeared to be safe, with no serious adverse reactions reported. Read full story Source: The Independent, 5 January 2021
  21. News Article
    Hundreds of people a day across London are waiting hours for an emergency ambulance to get to them, as paramedics warn that patients are dying as a result of delays. Patients in emergency calls classified as category two, such as those involving a suspected stroke or chest pains, should be seen by paramedics within an average of 18 minutes but are being forced in some cases to wait up to 10 hours. Even life-threatening calls where patients are in cardiac arrest and should be reached within seven minutes have experienced delays, with data suggesting one such call was waiting 20 minutes on Monday. Internal data shared with The Independent shows that London Ambulance Service is holding hundreds of open 999 calls for hours at a time with the service’s boss acknowledging in an email to staff that the service is struggling to maintain standards. Experts warned that the problems in the capital were reflected in ambulance services across the country. One paramedic told The Independent: “Patients desperately requiring ambulances aren’t getting them and, anecdotally, people are deteriorating and dying whilst waiting. Our poor dispatchers have to stare at screens of held calls, working out who gets the next available resource and who waits, suffers or dies.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 5 January 2021
  22. News Article
    Potentially life-saving cancer operations have been put on hold at a major London NHS trust because of the number of beds taken by Covid patients. King's College Hospital Trust has cancelled all "Priority 2" operations - those doctors judge need to be carried out within 28 days. Cancer Research UK said such cancellations did not appear to be widespread across the country. And surgery has not been stopped on the same scale as during the first wave. Rebecca Thomas, who has had her bowel cancer surgery at King's College Hospital "cancelled indefinitely", told the BBC she felt like she had been left "in limbo". Until she has surgery her tumour cannot be studied to see how aggressive it is, and so she won't know until then how significant this wait will turn out to be. A spokesperson for the Trust, which mainly serves patients in south London, said: "Due to the large increase in patients being admitted with COVID-19, including those requiring intensive care, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone all elective procedures, with the exception of cases where a delay would cause immediate harm. "A small number of cancer patients due to be operated on this week have had their surgery postponed, with patients being kept under close review by senior doctors." Read full story Source: 5 January 2021
  23. Content Article
    Information for all women of childbearing age, those currently pregnant or breastfeeding on coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination.
  24. Content Article
    With the UK's official COVID-19 death toll exceeding 60 000, and data from the Office for National Statistics indicating excess deaths of more than 70 000, the succession of grim milestones in 2020 has shown little sign of abating, despite optimism around COVID-19 vaccination. Every single COVID-19 death is a family devastated by loss. The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, a group of over 2000 people who have lost a loved one to COVID-19 in the UK, share their stories in this Lancet commentary, and are campaigning for lessons to be learned as quickly as possible to save lives as the pandemic continues and ahead of the wide-scale roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines across the UK. They call for an immediate public inquiry with a rapid review phase.
  25. News Article
    Many people suffering from “long Covid” are still unable to work at full capacity six months after infection, a large-scale survey of confirmed and suspected patients has found. While COVID-19 was initially understood to be a largely respiratory illness from which most people would recover within two or three weeks, as the pandemic wore on increasing numbers reported experiencing symptoms for months on end. These long haulers – with symptoms affecting organs ranging from the heart to the brain – have no real explanation and no standardised treatment plan for their long-term condition. There is no consensus on the scale and impact of long Covid but emerging data is concerning. In one of the largest studies yet, which has not been peer reviewed, Patient Led Research for COVID-19 (a group of long Covid patients who are also researchers) surveyed 3,762 people aged 18 to 80-plus from 56 countries who responded in nine different languages to 257 different questions Two-hundred and five symptoms across 10 organ systems were recorded, with 66 symptoms traced over seven months. On average, respondents experienced symptoms from nine organ systems. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 January 2021
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