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Found 500 results
  1. News Article
    Three disabled children died in similar circumstances at the UK's largest brain rehabilitation centre for children despite warnings about care failings, The Independent can reveal. Five-year-old Connor Wellsted died in 2017 at The Children's Trust’s (TCT) Tadworth unit in Surrey, having suffocated when a cot bumper became lodged under his chin. Six years later, in 2023, Raihana Oluwadamilola Awolaja, 12, died after her breathing tube became blocked, and Mia Gauci-Lamport, 16, died after she was found unresponsive in her bed. Inquests into all three deaths uncovered a litany of failings and identified common problems in the children's care at the home where multiple senior directors earn six-figure salaries. Now, police have launched a fresh investigation into Connor’s death. Coroners who investigated their deaths criticised staff for failing to adequately monitor the children – all of whom had complex disabilities and needed one-to-one care – and for not sharing the full circumstances of how they died with authorities. The families of the children, who were all under the care of their local council, are demanding that the government and the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), take action. Speaking to The Independent, Connor’s father, Chris Wellsted, said: “How many more children are going to die because of their incompetence? CQC failed, NHS England failed. The government failed. Every organisation that should have been investigating the children's trust. It’s a disgrace.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 10 June 2025
  2. Content Article
    In the UK, around 20,000 children are admitted to intensive care each year. Most will receive oxygen through a ventilator. Many hospitals aim to give almost as much oxygen as people’s blood can carry (more than 94% saturation). However, some studies suggest that this could be harmful for some children. Providing less oxygen (88 to 92% of the blood’s capacity) may be better. A groundbreaking nurse-led NIHR trial explored the oxygen levels of critically ill children in intensive care. The study found that with reduced oxygen targets children spent less time on life-saving machines and required fewer drugs. The researchers say that with reduced oxygen targets: 50 more children would survive in the UK each year the NHS could save £20 million per year. The findings suggest that, if oxygen targets for children in intensive care were reduced across the NHS, 50 more children would survive every year. In total, children would spend 6,000 fewer days in intensive care. Lower oxygen targets could be particularly beneficial in countries where resources are scarce, the researchers say, or at times of crisis (such as during a pandemic).
  3. News Article
    Any cut in UK funding to a global vaccination group would damage soft power and could make Britain less resilient to infectious diseases, as well as causing avoidable deaths among children, leading vaccine and aid experts have warned. Scientists including Sir Andrew Pollard, who led the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, said a major cut in money for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) could also make the UK less able to respond to a future pandemic. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not yet set out its future funding for Gavi, a Geneva-based public-private organisation that has vaccinated more than a billion children in developing countries. The UK has previously been one of Gavi’s main funders, providing more than £2bn over the last four years. But with the UK aid budget cut back from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% and the focus shifting towards bilateral aid the expectation is that there will be a major reduction at Wednesday’s spending review. Pollard, who leads the Oxford Vaccine Group, said that as well as continuing to save lives in poorer countries, there was a self-interested case for continuing with similar levels of support. “It’s a safer place, obviously, for people who are in situations where they wouldn’t have been able to access these vaccines without the government support, but it also makes it a safe place for us, because it’s acting as part of the shield that we have against the spread of infectious diseases around the world,” he said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 June 2025
  4. Content Article
    More information about "Children with eating disorders: a patient safety focus (by Hope Virgo)"
    Trigger warning: This blog contains themes that may be triggering for some people.  Hope Virgo is an author, a multi award winning mental health campaigner, and secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for eating disorders. In this blog, she explores the patient safety issues affecting children with eating disorders and their families. Hope highlights how lack of investment and understanding is leading to avoidable harm and shares five key actions for change.  This blog is part of our World Patient Safety Day 2025 series - Safe care for every newborn and every child. My campaigning work was born out of wanting to fight the injustices that so many people affected by eating disorders go through. Having lived with anorexia from the age of 12-17 before being admitted to a mental health hospital where I began my journey to recovery, I know first-hand just how awful eating disorders are. I have spent huge amounts of life feeling frustrated by how many people get turned away from services for not having that “particular stereotypical look” and with how much neglect is taking place in treatment across the UK. Patient safety concerns Often people still think someone with an eating disorder will be underweight or have been labelled with anorexia. Eating disorders are so much more than that. During my campaign work and the APPG evidence sessions, I’ve met hundreds of people who have been denied treatment for not looking that way. We have spoken to parents who have children with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), who have not been able to access treatment and support. The reality is, there is a postcode lottery and a lot of children and their families aren’t being given the best chance of life. Many carers also tell me how often their concerns are dismissed as silly worries. This cultural dismissiveness across eating disorder services and the lack of training and funding, is leading to huge issues for patient safety. It is causing people to die. It can feel so hard to speak up when support is so limited, but as a parent or carer, learning to push for support is crucial. I’d also recommend looking at the amazing resources for carers produced by the organisation FEAST. Stigma, misunderstanding and dangerous narratives Eating disorders are an illness that is massively stigmatised and misunderstood. Contrary to many assumptions, people with an eating disorder: are not making a lifestyle choice are not being difficult are not all white females. Eating disorders can impact people of any age, size, gender or race. Stigma and misunderstanding leads to so many people being denied treatment for an eating disorder. Marked as ‘untreatable’ One narrative that we have seen in the last two years is an increasing amount of people with eating disorders being marked as untreatable, too complex and in some cases as terminal and moved to palliative care. This dangerous narrative is causing many people to be discharged from services too soon and given inadequate care. If they are discharged prematurely and still have a malnourished brain they are not being given the chance for it to fully rewire - leading them at high risk of relapse. Time for change For too long eating disorders have been stigmatised and underfunded, with very little specific staff training. For children’s services, whilst there has been some investment, it has been very limited. Five key changes to support patient safety The APPG published a report in January 2025 calling on the government for five key things: Develop a national strategy for eating disorders. Provide additional funding for eating disorder services. This funding should address the demand for both adult and children’s services. Launch a confidential inquiry into all eating disorder deaths. Increase research funding for eating disorders: The aim is to enhance treatment outcomes and ultimately discover a cure for eating disorders. Ensure non-executive director oversight for adult and children's eating disorder services. This oversight and accountability should be implemented in all NHS Trusts and Health Boards in the UK. Recovery When you have an eating disorder, it completely consumes you. It takes over every area of your life. And it consumes your family life too. The research shows that people can and do recover at any age, severity of illness or length of illness. So why are we allowing so many to remain stuck living with an eating disorder and denying them the care they need? Over the last few years. we have seen pockets of good practice in services from the development of integrated enhanced cognitive behavioural (I-CBTE) therapy, to areas where GPs have quickly referred patients or supported families to recover. With the right support and treatment in place for people with eating disorders we will not only save lives but also money. Through early intervention we can prevent hospital admissions and prevent begin becoming more malnourished thus leading to quicker recovery times. Final thoughts Eating disorders are a serious mental health issue. They have the highest mortality rate of any other psychiatric illness yet are often hidden in plain sight. It doesn’t have to be this way. People with eating disorders can and do make full recoveries, we just need to do better to enable this to happen. This growing epidemic can only be reversed by investing into prevention, early intervention, and timely, high-quality treatment. Access to services needs to be free from discriminating criteria and bias. The current inpatient treatment approach results in poor outcomes and 40-50 percent relapse rates. Without a cultural shift and a complete reformation of services nothing is going to change. Campaigners, clinicians and others need to work together to make this change happen. March with us On 21 June, 2025, we’ll be taking to the streets of London for the third consecutive year to march for those we love, for those we have lost, and for the future generations affected by eating disorders. This march is not just a walk — it’s a statement to demand better services and put an end to the neglect faced by those struggling with eating disorders across the UK. Find out how you can join.
  5. News Article
    NHS England has told trusts they must help neighbours to cut the number of children waiting for hearing tests, even if it affects their own performance. NHS England co-medical director for secondary care Meghana Pandit has written to regional and integrated care board leaders warning that some areas have fallen behind in responding to serious concerns about paediatric audiology. In 2023, an NHSE audit found that more than a thousand children might have been misdiagnosed or had problems missed. As of February, 1,374 children were still waiting to be seen, and of the 775 who had been assessed, 31 had suffered severe or permanent harm and another 76 moderate harm. Trusts that have previously confirmed that children had diagnoses missed include Barts Health Trust, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust. Professor Pandit said some areas had missed the national “ambition” of recalling and reassessing all patients by the end of March. They are then due to be discharged or have started treatment by the end of September. ICBs now have until 20 June to submit detailed plans on how they will achieve this, and providers are expected to prioritise the reassessments. The letter, written with chief scientific officer Sue Hill and diagnostics director Rhydian Phillips, said: “The risk of decline in an individual provider’s diagnostic six-week wait performance should not be a reason to decline support to this process. It has been agreed nationally that the review, recall and reassessment process should be prioritised in the short term.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 6 June 2025
  6. News Article
    A hospital boss has apologised "unreservedly" after the death of a 12-year-old girl which led a coroner to raise concerns about the "discrimination of disabled children". Rose Harfleet died at Royal Surrey County Hospital, in Guildford, on 30 January 2024, having attended its emergency department the day before with abdominal pain and vomiting. Assistant coroner for Surrey, Karen Henderson, said in a recent report that there was a failure of the medical and nursing staff to appreciate Rose was clinically deteriorating. The coroner said Rose, who from birth was diagnosed with mosaic trisomy 17 with global developmental delay, was "wholly reliant on her mother to advocate on her behalf". But she said at the hospital no history was taken from Rose's mother and that the severity of her signs and symptoms were underestimated. She said poor clinical decisions contributed to Rose's death. "This gives rise to a concern that by not listening to parents or guardians as a matter of course leads to discrimination of disabled children," she added. Read full story Source: BBC News, 4 June 2025
  7. News Article
    As the Trump administration contemplates new clinical trials for Covid boosters and moves to restrict Covid vaccines for children and others, parents whose children participated in the clinical trials expressed anger and dismay. “It’s really devastating to see this evidence base officially ignored and discarded,” said Sophia Bessias, a parent in North Carolina whose two- and four-year-old kids were part of the Pfizer paediatric vaccine trial. “As a parent and also a paediatrician, I think it’s devastating that we might no longer have the option to protect kids against Covid,” said Katherine Matthias, a paediatrician in South Carolina and a cofounder of Protect Their Future, a children’s health organization. Robert F Kennedy Jr, head of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has called for new trials using saline placebos for each of the routine childhood vaccines recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even though these vaccines have already been tested against placebos or against vaccines that were themselves tested against placebos. Marty Makary, the head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s vaccines chief, outlined a plan in a recent editorial to restrict Covid boosters for anyone under the age of 65 without certain health conditions. For everyone else between the ages of six months and 64 years old, each updated Covid vaccine would need to undergo another randomized controlled clinical trial, Makary and Prasad said. It’s not clear when, how or whether this plan will be implemented officially. On Tuesday, top US health officials said on the social media site X that they would remove the recommendation for Covid vaccination from the childhood immunization schedule, and would also cease recommending it for pregnant people, who have much higher risks of illness, death and pregnancy complications with Covid. On Friday, the CDC appeared to contradict that announcement by keeping Covid vaccines as a routine immunization for children – though the agency now says health providers “may” recommend the vaccine, instead of saying they “should” recommend it. Changing recommendations could affect doctors’ and parents’ understanding of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 June 2025
  8. News Article
    The White House has released its long-awaited 'MAHA Report' outlining the government’s target areas for addressing childhood chronic disease: diet, environmental chemical exposure, physical activity/stress and “overmedicalization.” The 68-page report, prepared by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission—which is chaired by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—was ordered by President Donald Trump in February. It serves as an initial assessment for the commission, which now has 82 days to develop a strategy document for realigning federal practices to address the four highlighted factors. “After a century of costly and ineffective approaches, the federal government will lead a coordinated transformation of our food, health and scientific systems,” the commission wrote of its work in the report. “This strategic realignment will ensure that all Americans—today and in the future—live longer, healthier lives, supported by systems that prioritize prevention, wellbeing and resilience.” The report’s takeaways largely align with RFK Jr.’s advocacy priorities prior to entering the administration, some of which he and other government heads have already instructed their departments to act on. In a White House event held hours after the report's release, Trump described the findings around increased incidence of health conditions like obesity (affecting more than one child in five who is over 6 years of age) and autism spectrum disorder (1 in 31 children by age 😎 as "alarming." "Unlike other administrations, we will not be silenced or intimidated by the corporate lobbyists or special interests," Trump said of the findings and recommendations. "I want this group to do what they have to do. ... In some cases it won't be nice, it won't be pretty, but we have to do it." Read full story Source: Fierce Healthcare, 22 May 2025
  9. News Article
    A coroner has warned of a "culture of cover-up" at a care home where neglect contributed to the death of a disabled 12-year-old girl. Raihana Awolaja, who required 24-hour one-to-one care, died of cardiac arrest in 2023 after her breathing tube became clogged while she was left alone at Tadworth Court in Surrey, a residential care facility operated by The Children’s Trust. Now a senior coroner looking into her death, Professor Fiona Wilcox, has written to the Trust's chief executive, warning there could be further deaths at the home if improvements aren't made. Prof Wilcox raised several serious concerns about the home, including that severely disabled children may not be receiving the level of care needed to keep them safe and more staff training was required. She also warned there "may be culture of cover up at Tadworth Children’s Trust". She added: "They carried out a flawed investigation after this incident, pushing blame onto an innocent individual and thereby avoiding highlighting systemic failures and learning and thus risking lessons that should be learned are lost that could prevent future deaths." Read full story Source: ITV News, 21 May 2025
  10. Event
    Join Saphna for a landmark event bringing together school nurses, public health leaders, and youth advocates from across the UK to explore and celebrate the vital role of school and public health nursing in advancing prevention and early intervention for children and young people over the next decade. This year’s theme, Innovate, Adapt, Thrive: The Next Decade of School Nursing, reflects the agility and leadership of our profession in transforming the health and wellbeing of children and young people across the UK. This is a uniquely inclusive conference, ensuring representation beyond England to embrace perspectives from the wider UK community.
  11. Content Article
    The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has appointed Dr Camilla Kingdon to chair an independent review into children’s hearing services (paediatric audiology). The review will consider: NHS England’s response to the service failures in children’s hearing services. How the relevant governance arrangements between NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care could be improved, and identify lessons learned. How NHS England’s handling of any future service failures in similar services could be improved, and identify lessons learned. This call for evidence is seeking the views of: Individuals with experience of children’s hearing services in England. Professionals and organisations who work in or with children’s hearing services in England. The responses will be used inform the findings and recommendations of the independent review. This call for evidence closes at 11:59pm on 2 June 2025
  12. News Article
    A six-year wait for ADHD treatment on the NHS highlights a growing crisis. One mother tells of her frustrations: I wasn’t surprised by the children’s commissioner report out today, calling for urgent action to tackle waiting lists in mental health care for children. Ten years ago, I received a call from my son's reception teacher. They asked me to come in and said he was showing some developmental delays, and autistic traits. Within six months my son, who is now 15, was diagnosed with autism and ADD (attention deficit disorder) and medicated. Fast forward to his younger brother, and he has been languishing on a waiting list for six years. The school referred him to CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) to be assessed for ADHD in November 2021. The school could see how much I was struggling and sent CAMHS an email each week asking where he was on the waiting list. Despite this, it took until October 2024 for him to be diagnosed with ADHD. By then he was in secondary school. Something Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, said really stuck out to me. She said: “The numbers in this report are staggering — but these are not numbers, these are real children.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 19 May 2025
  13. Content Article
    This report describes children’s access to mental health services in England during the 2023-24 financial year, based on new analysis of NHS England data. Demand continues to grow for Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS, commonly known as CAMHS) , with the number of children with active referrals increasing by nearly 10,000 since last year to 958,200. Compared to last year, there have been some areas of progress: fewer children’s referrals are being closed before treatment, and investment in CYPMHS has increased in real terms and when adjusted for inflation. However, figures continue to highlight some concerning trends: Many children were still experiencing long waits to access mental health services, and the number of children with active referrals who were still waiting for treatment to begin at the end of the year has increased by almost 50,000 children from 270,300 in 2022-23 to 320,000 in 2023- 24. Almost half of those referred for being ‘in crisis’ have their referrals closed or were still waiting for their second contact at the end of the year. There has been an uptick in children being referred for suspected and diagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions; these conditions are associated with some of the longest waits. The accessibility of mental health services in England continues to vary widely from one ICB area to another, leading to a postcode lottery in children’s access to suitable support for their mental health conditions.
  14. Content Article
    In December 2022 Dylan Cope, a 9 year old boy, died of sepsis after being discharged from hospital. A coroner in Newport found the boy's death “would have been avoided if he had not been erroneously discharged”, and said what happened "amounts to a gross failure of basic care”. In this video from Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Dylan's parents explain what happened when he became unwell and deteriorated, and the how delays and failures in his care had a devastating impact. They highlight the need for compassionate responses when someone has died or suffered following failures or mistakes in care, and describe how they were engaged with following Dylan's death.
  15. Content Article
    More information about "Top picks: Mental health resources for patients and staff"
    Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event which aims to raise awareness and promote open conversations about mental health.  In this Top picks, we’ve pulled together resources, blogs and reports from the hub that focus on improving patient safety across different aspects of mental health services and also supporting staff with their own mental health and wellbeing. 1 Restraint Reduction Network: Supporting people with lived experience As all forms of restrictive practice can result in harm, it is important that people are able to identify restrictive practices and challenge their inappropriate use. The Restraint Reduction Network have a range of resources that people with lived experience, parents and carers may find helpful. The resources are designed to support people to understand what restrictive practices are, when and why they might be used, people’s rights, and how to identify and challenge unacceptable and unethical practices. 2 Harry’s story: Acute Behavioural Disturbance In December 2022, Harry Vass died after experiencing Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) and a complex disturbance in normal physiology. Harry’s death was found to be avoidable as carers were not fully aware of this condition associated with acute psychosis. In this blog, Harry’s mother Julie describes the barriers they faced in getting the right support and care for Harry before he died and highlights the need for healthcare staff to have a greater awareness of ABD and the associated risks of a medical emergency. You can also read a second blog by Julie, where she explains more about Acute Behavioural Disturbance and the changes she believes are needed to make sure patients like Harry are cared for appropriately. 3 Life Beyond the Cubicle: eLearning to support working well with families during mental health crises A set of eLearning modules designed to educate and update clinicians on the importance of involving families wherever possible during mental health crises to improve patient care, avoid harm and reduce deaths. They were developed as a partnership between Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Making Families Count, with funding from NHS England South East Region (HEE legacy funds). The resources have been co-produced by people with lived experience as patients, family carers and clinicians, supported by an Advisory Group drawn from a wide range of expertise, tested in eleven NHS Trusts and independently evaluated. 4 Mental health crises: how to improve care In May 2024, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Evidence held a webinar on care for adults in mental health crisis. The webinar shared research findings on what works in community crisis care, how acute day units compare to crisis resolution teams and whether peer-supported self-management can reduce acute readmissions. This Collection summarises the 3 research projects presented at the webinar. It includes video clips from the speakers and incorporates quotes from the day. The information will be useful for anyone involved in commissioning or delivering mental health crisis services. 5 Self-harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence This new guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) covers assessment, management and preventing recurrence for children, young people and adults who have self-harmed. It includes those with a mental health problem, neurodevelopmental disorder or learning disability and applies to all sectors that work with people who have self-harmed. The guideline sets out some important principles for care and treatment. For example, it states that self-harming patients treated in primary care must receive regular follow-up appointments, regular reviews of self-harm behaviour and a regular medicines review. 6 Hope Virgo: What needs to happen to stop people with eating disorders being failed by the healthcare system? In this blog, Hope Virgo, author and Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eating Disorders, examines the crisis that continues in eating disorder services in the UK and the devastating impact this is having on patients and their families. She highlights how failures in services lead to avoidable deaths. Hope shares the key recommendations from a new report by the APPG and calls for adequate funding and attention to ensure people with eating disorders receive the help they need to recover. 7 Rethinking doctors’ mental health and the impact on patient safety: A blog by Ehi Iden This blog by Ehi Iden, hub topic lead for Occupational Health and Safety, reflects on the increasing workload and pressure healthcare professionals face, the impact this has on patient safety and why we need to start 're-humanising' the workplace. He highlights that, “It takes a safe healthcare worker to deliver safe healthcare to patients.” 8 Zero Suicide Alliance training The Zero Suicide Alliance is a collaboration of NHS trusts, charities, businesses and individuals who are committed to suicide prevention in the UK and beyond. Their website offers free online training courses to teach people the skills and confidence to have potentially life-saving conversations with someone they’re worried about. They offer short online modules covering general suicide awareness, social isolation and suicide in veterans and university students. 9 How can our team move past a traumatic event? After an extreme traumatic event there are things that you can do to help yourself, and your colleagues, to move on. Fiona Day, medical and public health leadership coach and chartered coaching psychologist, Stacey Killick, consultant paediatrician at Glan Clwyd Hospital, and Lucy Easthope, professor in practice at Durham University’s Institute of Hazard, Risk, and Resilience and adviser on disaster recovery give their tips in this BMJ article. 10 Blog: Shifting the dial on mental health support for young black men In this blog for NHS Confederation, Kadra Abdinasir talks about how mental health services have failed to engage with young black men, and describes how services need to change to overcome the issue. She argues that delivering effective mental health support for young black men requires a move away from a crisis-driven response, to investment in system-driven, community-based projects. Kadra looks at learning from Shifting the Dial, a three-year programme recently piloted in Birmingham as a response to the growing and unmet needs of young black men aged 16 to 25. A recent report on the project found that most young men involved in Shifting the Dial reported good outcomes related to their wellbeing, confidence, sense of belonging and understanding of mental health. 11 Vicarious trauma: The invisible epidemic In healthcare, an insidious epidemic lurks beneath the surface, affecting the very individuals tasked with providing care: vicarious trauma by empathy. Despite its profound impact, this phenomenon remains largely unrecognised and under-discussed within the sector. As leaders, it is imperative that we shed light on this invisible trauma and acknowledge it as one of the greatest challenges facing our industry, as Margarida Pacheco explains in this blog. 12 Beyond stereotypes: A lived experience guide to navigating support for disordered eating Disordered eating can affect anyone, but it can be confusing to understand and recognise it in our own personal experiences. This guide, published by East London NHS Foundation Trust, is a snapshot of how adults in East London have navigated those experiences of uncertainty while seeking support for disordered eating. For many of the contributors, preconceptions about what an eating disorder is (or isn’t) have previously acted as a barrier to seeking or receiving support. It also contains advice on how to seek support for disordered eating. 13 “The alarming rate of suicide among healthcare workers should be a wake-up call in the urgent need to support them” Frontline19 was established at the start of the Covid pandemic as an urgent response to support frontline workers who were under extreme pressure and experiencing significant mental health challenges. Psychotherapist Claire Goodwin-Fee is the founder and CEO of Frontline19. In this blog, Claire explains how systemic pressures and stigma around mental health are continuing to leave healthcare staff extremely vulnerable. 14 Blog: Why harmful gender stereotypes surrounding men’s approaches towards their feelings need challenging This blog explores why men are reluctant to seek support when they are struggling with their mental health and why the suicide rate is so high. It looks at initiatives that exist to encourage men to seek help and highlights what more could be done to support mens’ mental health. 15 Learning how to protect the health system by protecting the caregivers This commentary in JAMA Network Open looks at the increasingly recognised problem of burnout among US healthcare professionals. General Social Survey data suggest that almost one-half of US health care workers experienced symptoms of burnout often or very often in 2022, up from less than one-third in 2018. The article explores research that demonstrates the extent of the issue and highlights studies looking at ways to reduce burnout. The authors conclude that systemic change will be required to tackle the issue. 16 Time for a rebalance: psychological and emotional well-being in the healthcare workforce as the foundation for patient safety In this editorial for BMJ Quality and Safety, Kate Kirk explains why staff well-being is the foundation to improving patient safety. 17 Top tips and key actions for successful collaborative partnership working across mental health services These top tips and key actions have been co-developed to support effective collaborative partnership working in the planning and delivery of community mental health services. They recognise that every heath and care system will experience challenges in relation to partnership working given the statutory and cultural differences of organisations working across the mental health pathways and that there will be different arrangements to frame local partnership working, including for example a Section 75 agreement. 18 Balancing care: The psychological impact of ensuring patient safety In this blog, Leah Bowden, a patient safety specialist, reflects on the impact her job has on her mental health and family life. She discusses why there needs to be specialised clinical supervision for staff involved in reviewing patient safety incidents and how organisations need to come together to identify ways we can support our patient safety teams. Have your say Do you have any stories, insights or resources related to mental health? We would love to hear from you! Comment below (register for free here first) Get in touch with us directly to share your insights.
  16. News Article
    At least 216 children have died of influenza in the US during the last flu season in what the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said was classified as the first high severity season overall and for all age groups since 2017-2018. That number marks the highest pediatric death toll in 15 years; the previous high reported for a regular (non-pandemic) season was 236 pediatric deaths in the 2009-2010 season, according to the CDC. More recently, 207 paediatric deaths were reported during the 2023-2024 season. The high number of paediatric fatalities reported for the past flu season comes as health authorities in New York said that 25 children in the state had succumbed to influenza-associated paediatric deaths – the highest recorded amount ever in New York. “As we begin to analyze the data from the 2024-2025 influenza season, we see this flu season was a challenging flu season for all, yet particularly for children,” said New York state’s health commissioner, Dr James McDonald. The health commissioner warned that “misinformation around vaccines has in recent years contributed to a rise in vaccine hesitancy and declining vaccination rates”. Of the 25 pediatric deaths attributed to flu, only one involved a vaccinated child and five were below six-month age minimum to receive the flu vaccine. “We live in a challenging time, where honest objective information is sometimes blurred by misinformation – therefore, it remains the department’s goal to continue to provide as much education and information as possible about flu and other vaccines that remain our best protection against many viruses and preventable diseases,” McDonald said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 May 2025
  17. News Article
    Children needing a general anaesthetic for tooth extraction are waiting nearly three years in a hidden crisis that is not recorded on national waiting lists. A national report on hospital dentistry found there were more children on locally held waiting lists for assessment than on the nationally reported waiting list – 27,285 compared to 22,474. Some of the longest waits are thought to be in Kent and Medway, where 200 children are waiting for dental extractions – many of them with autism or learning disabilities. The longest wait is 143 weeks — about two years and nine months. The issue is going under the radar because there is a lack of a consistent dataset for community dental services, which are responsible for dentistry for children with special care needs, such as physical or learning disabilities. Children with additional needs often can’t have teeth extracted under a local anaesthetic and instead need to be admitted to a hospital with a paediatric intensive care unit where they can have a general anaesthetic. Being on a locally held waiting list – typically when a community dental service is not part of an acute trust – can mean commissioners are unaware of the scale of children waiting. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 6 May 2025
  18. News Article
    Maternity, prevention, mental health, and children’s services are the national budgets seeing the biggest cuts after government and NHS England decided to slash ringfenced allocations, HSJ analysis reveals. The move has seen national “services development funding” (SDF) – money earmarked for national initiatives – slashed from £4.3bn in 2024-25 to just £500m (so far confirmed) for 2025-26. This year’s SDF is expected to grow as more funding is decided in coming months, but to nowhere near the levels seen in recent years. Mental health has lost £1bn of ringfenced funding, although ICBs are still expected to increase spend in line with total spending growth under the mental health investment standard. Lost SDF bundles in mental health include £215m for children and young people (including eating disorders), £275m for mental health support teams in schools, and £540m split between adult community and adult crisis services – all of which have been moved to ICB allocations. Maternity services received £95m overall in 2024-25 – which is reduced to just £2m this year, with three separate pots cut. Notably, this includes £22m for “Ockenden II workforce”. Funding following Donna Ockenden’s report into maternity failings at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust was largely earmarked for workforce expansions, and safety improvement work. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 29 April 2025
  19. Content Article
    This portal from the Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health, allows you to explore patient safety theory, learn about the NHS patient safety syllabus, share ideas for quality improvement and access summaries of the latest alerts and reports.
  20. Content Article
    This qualitative study looked at whether oncologists should ask children with cancer and their parents about their communication preferences before telling them about their prognosis. The results suggest that patients, parents and oncologists recommend asking patient and parent communication preferences in advance. Research participants provided advice for achieving this goal, relating to the questions that should be asked, giving multiple options and considering delivery and tone.
  21. News Article
    State and local health officials are seeing skyrocketing cases of whooping cough, and experts are sounding the alarm it could join the outbreak of measles in impacting thousands of Americans. Cases of the highly contagious bacterial infection have reportedly risen by more than 1,500 percent nationwide since 2021. Cases of whooping cough have been high in measles-stricken Texas, with the Laredo Public Health Department reporting more cases there than all of last year. “We’ve seen more cases of whooping cough this year in Laredo than in the past few years,” Dr. Richard Chamberlain, director of Laredo Public Health told The Laredo Morning Times. “This isn’t just happening in Laredo; other places in Texas are also seeing more cases. Right now, we’re keeping a close eye on it. There’s no need to panic, but it’s important to stay informed and take simple steps to help keep everyone safe.” “Many babies who get whooping cough are infected by family members or caregivers who may not even know they are carrying the bacteria,” the Louisiana Office of the Surgeon General noted earlier this month. “About half of babies younger than a year old who get whooping cough will need hospital care.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 15 April 2025
  22. News Article
    The US reached a grim milestone Friday surpassing 700 confirmed measles cases in 2025, according to figures posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thirty-two percent of cases occurred in patients under 5 while 38% were reported in those between 5 and 19, according to the agency. As of Friday, the CDC reported 79 hospitalisations, including 45 patients who were under 5. Most measles cases, 97%, occurred in unvaccinated patients or whose vaccination status is unknown. Read full story Source: USA Today News, 14 April 2025
  23. Content Article
    Children’s health and wellbeing has seen a concerning decline in recent years, with children in the UK experiencing some of the worst health outcomes in Europe. Many lifelong health issues are established in childhood, and unless strong and meaningful action is taken to change course, the current generation of children is set to become an unhealthy generation of adults. This will have serious long-term implications for the economy, the health service and society as a whole – as well as consequences for the children themselves. Investing in the health of children and young people is an investment in the future and will provide long-term returns. Improving children’s health will take comprehensive effort across all of society. The government has committed to raising ‘the healthiest generation of children in our history’, and this briefing from the King's Fund focuses on a list of actions that the government should prioritise. The Department of Health and Social Care should: 1. Allocate a greater and more equitable share of health service funding to children in the multi-year Comprehensive Spending Review, ensuring that ICSs increase their spending on specific children’s services by a greater proportion than their overall spending. 2. Work with NHS Online and Healthier Together to improve the quality and accessibility of online health and nutrition information available to families, parents and carers. Launch a national campaign aimed at parents, caregivers and children about the importance of nutrition, how to make healthier choices, and the dangers of excess sugar, salt and ultra-processed foods. This should focus on improving children’s nutrition through clear national dietary guidelines that include examples, recipes and tips, and be relevant to all families regardless of budget, time constraints, dietary and cultural requirements. 3. Place a stronger focus on addressing the shortages in the child health workforce (including in school nurses, health visitors, midwives and consultant paediatricians), and improve staff retention across the medical, nursing and allied health professional specialist children’s workforce when reviewing the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. 4. Set clear expectations that providers improve performance for children’s community and mental health services to ensure that no child has to wait longer than the 18-week target to receive care and treatment. 5. Implement a strategy to drive progress in reaching World Health Organization targets for childhood vaccination uptake rates, reversing the decision to remove this as a key target for 2025/26. 6. Set an expectation that every ICS strategy includes specific focus on children and young people’s health, wellbeing, and health and care services, including clear pathways to ensure that local systems are sufficiently prioritising children. The Department for Education should: 7. Accept the recommendation of the Education Committee to use the Children’s Health and Wellbeing Bill to auto-enrol all eligible children for free school meals. 8. Improve monitoring of compliance to the School Food Standards, ensuring that all school breakfast clubs and school lunches meet the standards. Cross-government departments should: 9. Develop a whole-government approach across all departments to involve and listen to children and young people in policy-making to support national prioritisation and focus on prevention. 10. Place explicit metrics for improving child health into the health mission, including improvements to health outcomes such as obesity, vaccination rates and breastfeeding rates, with explicit and adequate representation for children and a focus on listening to their voices on the Health Mission Delivery Board.
  24. News Article
    The Secretary of State, Wes Streeting, has commissioned an independent review of children’s hearing services and has appointed Dr Camilla Kingdon as its independent chair. The review will consider: the NHS England response to the service failures in paediatric audiology how the relevant governance arrangements between NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) could be improved and identify lessons learned how NHS England’s handling of any future service failures in similar services could be improved and identify lessons learned. In December 2021, a report was published into service issues in paediatric audiology in NHS Lothian, which focused on whether children’s hearing tests were being conducted properly and effectively followed up. Further issues with the diagnosis of hearing issues in newborns and children were identified in other Scottish NHS trusts in 2023. Subsequent assessment of NHS audiology services in paediatric departments across England in 2023 and 2024 identified similar problems. NHS England established the Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme in 2023 to address the issues and oversee remedial action. Dr Kingdon brings extensive expertise to the review. She has been a consultant neonatologist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital for over 20 years and until March last year she was President of RCPCH. She has an MA in Medical Careers Management and was Head of the London School of Paediatrics and Child Health for 5 years from 2014. Read full story Source: Gov UK, 14 April 2025
  25. Content Article
    Dr Camilla Kingdon has been appointed by the Secretary of State to chair an independent review of children's hearing services. This document sets out the terms of reference for the independent review of children’s hearing services in England. The review will consider: NHS England’s response to the service failures in paediatric audiology how the relevant governance arrangements between NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care could be improved and identify lessons learned how NHS England’s handling of any future service failures in similar services could be improved and identify lessons learned. Related reading on the hub: Top picks: 11 resources to support people with hearing loss or deafness

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