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Showing results for tags 'Equipment shortages'.
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Content Article
RCEM’s recommendations An additional 4,500 beds across the United Kingdom be made available between now and next Winter, and approximately 8,500 more over the next five years. The allocation of additional beds should be made available based on a local assessment of population needs and not worsen health inequalities. Hospitals should define thresholds for occupancy, and justify if they exceed 85% (sometimes this is appropriate, but more often, not) • Any new hospital buildings should increase the proportion of side rooms in order to restrict the number of beds made unavail- Posted
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Content Article
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on service delivery, including the use and availability of beds, due to: infection control measures placing limits on ward space. reduced elective capacity. staffing redeployment. For this reason, this analysis uses the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20 as the comparator, to fairly illustrate long-term trends. As a result of the bed shortage demonstrated by this analysis, the BMA is calling for: an increase in core bed stock adequate funding to increase the workforce, ensuring that additional beds can be- Posted
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Key messages The total number of NHS hospital beds in England has more than halved over the past 30 years, from around 299,000 in 1987/88 to 141,000 in 2019/20, while the number of patients treated has increased significantly. Most other advanced health care systems have also reduced bed numbers in recent years. However, the UK has fewer acute beds relative to its population than many comparable health systems. Since 1987/88, the largest percentage reductions in bed numbers have occurred in mental illness and learning disability beds as a result of long-term policies to move- Posted
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News Article
‘Challenged’ trust plans to move patients to chairs to free up beds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
An acute trust in the Midlands is planning to move patients to chairs on wards to free up beds for people waiting in its emergency department, following one of its “most challenged” days. In an email sent to staff at Nottingham University Hospitals on Tuesday, interim chief operating officer Rachel Eddie and chief medical officer Keith Girling wrote: “We are asking wards to transfer [patients confirmed as ready for discharge] to the discharge lounge, or if that isn’t possible, move them to a chair on the ward so that a patient waiting for a bed in ED or in an emergency pathway assessment- Posted
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News Article
Plans for 150 new diagnostic hubs to cut rising waits
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Plans for up to 150 new community diagnostic hubs to tackle the NHS’ ballooning diagnostic waiting lists are included in NHS England ‘blue print plans’ leaked to HSJ. The document pointed out the hubs “were highlighted in the phase 3 letter [from Sir Simon Stevens] and will be recommended as part of new service models for diagnostics in the forthcoming [Sir Mike] Richards’ Review of Diagnostics Capacity”. It said “at least 150 community diagnostic hubs should be established in the first instance (broadly equivalent to the number of acute hospitals)” although it appears many of these- Posted
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News Article
Game-changing ventilators have yet to be given approval by medical regulator
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
None of the new life-saving mechanical ventilators ordered last month to cope with the increase in coronavirus patients has so far been awarded safety approval. Models by manufacturers such as Dyson have yet to get the green light from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Financial Times reported. It comes a month after the Government issued a rallying cry to put non-medical manufacturers such as Dyson on a "war footing" to make additional machines. The lag is thought to be due in part to changing clinical understanding of how best to manage the virus.- Posted
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News Article
Non-acute services to receive 30 million PPE products
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Adult social care services are to receive millions of personal protective equipment products following a national audit of personal protective equipment (PPE), HSJ can reveal. The government will deliver more than 30 million items to local resilience forums in the coming days, for distribution among social care and other front-line services, according to a letter seen by HSJ. The stock should not be sent to acute trusts or ambulance services, the letter, from health and social care secretary Matt Hancock and housing, communities and local government secretary Robert Jenrick, stated.- Posted
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National chiefs: Ventilators will follow ‘most immediate need’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
National and regional NHS chiefs will seek to share out scarce ventilators to ”areas with the most immediate need, on a fair share basis relative to patient ventilation need," they have told hospital chiefs, who are increasingly concerned about what they will receive and when. Many are expecting demand for ventilated beds to outstrip what they have as the number of patients seriously ill with covid-19 ramps up. Trust leaders yesterday told HSJ they were growing increasingly worried about the lack of information over when the machines would be sent to their trusts. Some are worried Lo- Posted
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News Article
Staff in ‘near revolt’ over protective gear crisis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Lack of staff testing, workforce shortages and running out of personal protective equipment (PPE)are the three biggest concerns for trusts fighting the coronavirus outbreak, according to an HSJ chief executive survey conducted over the last 36 hours. Thirteen of the 34 trust chief executives who responded to the snap survey, who were from trusts across England, also warned they would run out of intensive care capacity by next week as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise. The survey also revealed some trusts were already being forced to dilute safe staffing ratios and rati- Posted
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News Article
Blood tests rationed amid equipment shortage
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
A national shortage in blood collection tubes has meant trusts are having to limit blood tests, with some trusts advising doctors to only order blood tests if they deem it absolutely necessary or using the same tubes for different tests rather than using a different tube of blood for each test. It has also been reported that the global disruption to the supply chain may mean shortages could continue before the supply lines recover. The NHS Supply Chain, has said there was “some improvement in the supply position in September” but that controls on the products "are likely to continue to be -
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Content Article
The Health and Social Care Select Committee is currently holding an inquiry to consider the preparedness of the UK to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. MPs will focus their discussion on measures to safeguard public health, options for containing the virus and how well prepared the NHS is to deal with a major outbreak. At Patient Safety Learning we are gathering #safetystories from both staff and patients to highlight the challenges for safety in healthcare that are resulting from the pandemic. Ahead of the Committee’s next oral evidence session we have raised several urgent safety issu- Posted
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News Article
Trusts to ‘run out of gowns this weekend’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
London trusts have been warned not to expect deliveries of gowns from the national supply chain for at least the next few days, HSJ understands. Without central deliveries, providers risk running out of gowns ahead of the Easter weekend. Trusts will have to rely on existing supplies and any new stock they procure independently. Staff performing or assisting aerosol-generating procedures on confirmed or suspected covid-19 patients should wear gowns, according to the latest guidance from Public Health England. But supplies have been an issue for weeks, with trust procurement lead- Posted
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News Article
UK doctors fighting coronavirus still say they don't have personal protective equipment (PPE). Jon Snow spoke to Dr Jenny Vaughan, a leading member of the Doctors’ Association who have written to the government to demand better personal protective equipment for medical staff. He asked her whether the PPE equipment promised by the government was starting to reach the medical staff on the frontline, and what kinds of problems medical personnel had been encountering. Watch news story Source: Channel 4 News, 23 March 2020- Posted
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News Article
Major trust diverts ambulances and cancels electives after covid surge
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
One of England’s largest hospital trusts has been forced to divert ambulances and cancel operations, after seeing a very steep increase in covid-19 admissions over the past week. Whipps Cross Hospital in north east London, part of Barts Health Trust, declared a critical incident over the weekend, the trust has confirmed. The trust has also declared a “high pressure phase” of covid response. A well placed source said Whipps Cross had been forced to divert ambulances in recent days, because of pressure on its emergency services, while a message to staff said it was deferring some plann- Posted
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News Article
‘Borderline critical’ stock leads to new blood test restrictions
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Local NHS organisations are increasing their efforts to conserve ubiquitous blood collection products amid concerns current measures are not working and stocks may run even lower. There is also a concern in east London that the message to reduce routine tests is not being heeded, with GPs not cutting back enough. However, this week the British Medical Association raised concerns over suspending routine tests, including “NHS Health Checks, monitoring of quality of care, and medication reviews”. The union said: “It would also be unreasonable to ask healthcare staff to simply delay the -
News Article
NHSE steps up action on blood test tube shortage
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
According to NHSE guidance today, non-essential blood tests should be stopped and GPs should prioritise genomic tests over others. Vitamin D testing should also be stopped in all, but "exceptional circumstances" amid shortages in the blood collection tube stocks. The guidance, issued by the NHSE has advised genomics for testing of unwell neonates, prenatal screening and cancer diagnoses are “a high priority". NHSE have also said changes to testing “should be made in consultation with individual patients” and that “it is important to make clear that routine tests will be deferred only whe -
News Article
GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
GP surgery staff are facing abuse from patients who are “angry and upset” that their blood test has been cancelled because of the NHS-wide chronic shortage of sample bottles. “Patients are angry when we ring them up and say, ‘Sorry we can’t do your blood test after all’. A lot of people are quite angry and concerned about their own health,” Dr David Wrigley, the deputy chair of council at the British Medical Association, said. “Patients are quite rightly upset and some get quite aggressive as well. They are worried because they don’t know what the implications of their cancelled test- Posted
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News Article
NHSE tells trusts to ‘immediately stop all ambulance handover delays’
Clive Flashman posted a news article in News
· Trusts told to identify actions to “immediately stop all delays” · Letter calls for issue to be discussed at every board meeting · It follows concern over harm to patients from delays Trusts and integrated care systems are being told by NHS England and Improvement to take urgent action to ”immediately stop all delays” to ambulance handovers, which will require “difficult choices”. A letter yesterday from NHS England’s medical director, director for emergency and elective care, and its regional directors was sent to all local chief exec- Posted
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News Article
Military appalled by planning fiasco over NHS protective kit
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Military personnel have criticised the NHS for its “appalling” handling of distributing personal protective equipment. The armed forces are helping with the distribution of equipment and staff have been seconded to help planning across seven hubs. A senior army source lambasted the health service for its logistics for PPE, alleging that masks, aprons, gloves and other items were being assigned to hospitals without regard to relative need, leading to oversupply in some areas and shortages in others. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 22 April 2020 -
News Article
GPs tell patients to buy their own oxygen as NHS supplies run low
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
GPs are advising patients with respiratory diseases to buy oxygen privately amid shortages of the gas across the NHS. Last week hospitals were warned to urgently consider limiting how many patients were given oxygen simultaneously. Hospitals usually have a pipeline to pump liquid oxygen from a central store to the wards, but most do not have the capacity to meet the demand from the number of patients they are treating with COVID-19. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 12 April 2020 -
News Article
Shortages are dogging the fight against the coronavirus. At Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) it's still only possible to test six staff for the virus per day, consultants have been making their own personal protective equipment, and there's an urgent need to save oxygen. Searching for ways round the problem, Dr Tom has been working with Leeds University on a 3D-printed valve that could be attached to the hospital's ventilators to reduce the amount of oxygen they use. But he also began looking at CPAP machines used to treat sleep apnoea at home. These maintain air at a continuous pressu- Posted
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'System failure' on personal protective equipment
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
If there is a public inquiry over the handling of the coronavirus, the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to front-line staff could be a major theme. The government has been put under major pressure by staff over the past four days because of delays to the delivery of vital equipment. This left them at risk as they dealt with a flood of covid-19 cases described as “all-consuming” by one hospital chief executive (while another major trust declared a critical incident). The last two weeks have prompted a mammoth effort from local and national procurement teams to make sur- Posted
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