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Found 500 results
  1. News Article
    A hospital trust and a staff member have been found guilty of health and safety failings over the death of a young woman in a mental health unit. Alice Figueiredo, 22, was being treated at Goodmayes Hospital, east London, when she took her own life in July 2015, having previously made many similar attempts. Following a seven-month trial at the Old Bailey, a jury found that not enough was done by the North East London Foundation NHS Trust (NELFT) or ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa to prevent Alice from killing herself. The trust was cleared of the more serious charge of corporate manslaughter, while Aninakwa, 53, of Grays in Essex, was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter. The jury deliberated for 24 days to reach all the verdicts, setting a joint record in the history of British justice, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Both the trust and Aninakwa were convicted under the Health and Safety at Work Act. It was only the second time an NHS trust has faced a corporate manslaughter charge. During the trial, prosecutors said that not only was Alice repeatedly able to self-harm while she was in hospital, but that these incidents were not properly recorded or assessed. The court also heard there were concerns about Benjamin Aninakwa's communication, efficiency, clinical and leadership skills. The trust had previously placed him on a performance improvement plan for three years, which ended in December 2014. In addition, there was a high turnover of agency staff on the ward, the court heard. Mrs Figueiredo says she raised concerns about her daughter's care verbally and in writing on a number of occasions to the hospital and to Mr Aninakwa. After Alice died, she said the family found it very difficult to get answers about what happened. For nearly a decade they gathered evidence and pressed both the police and the CPS to take action. Read full story Source: BBC News, 9 June 2025
  2. News Article
    Women would no longer be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy in England and Wales under a proposed shake-up of abortion laws. MPs are set to get a free vote next week - meaning they will not be told how to vote by their party - on a change to the law. It comes amid concern more women are being investigated by police on suspicion of illegally ending a pregnancy. Abortion is illegal in England and Wales, most often prosecuted under a piece of Victorian legislation, the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861. But it is allowed up to 24 weeks and in certain other circumstances under the terms of the 1967 Abortion Act. This requires two doctors to sign it off and even before 24 weeks can require a woman to testify that her mental or physical health is at risk. An amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, tabled by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, aims to decriminalise abortion at any stage by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy, ending the threat of investigation or imprisonment. The framework by which abortion is accessed would remain the same. But abortions would only need to be signed off by two doctors - as the law currently demands - if the procedure takes place in a hospital or other healthcare setting. Time limits would also still apply in healthcare settings. "The police cannot be trusted with abortion law – nor can the CPS or the wider criminal justice system," Antoniazzi said. "My amendment to the crime and policing bill will give us the urgent change we need to protect women." Read full story Source: BBC News, 20 June 2025
  3. News Article
    A second bungled embryo implant at Monash IVF has sparked a new investigation and the expansion of a review into the first incident, which led to a woman unknowingly giving birth to a stranger’s baby. Monash IVF said in a statement on Tuesday that in June “a patient’s own embryo was incorrectly transferred to that patient, contrary to the treatment plan which designated the transfer of an embryo of the patient’s partner”. “Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them,” the fertility company said. The first error was announced in April. In that case, a patient at one of its Queensland clinics had an embryo incorrectly transferred to her, meaning she gave birth to a child of an unrelated woman. The mistake was blamed on human error. Monash IVF asked senior counsel Fiona McLeod to investigate. Lawyers described the incident as a legal and ethical nightmare while Monash IVF said it was confident it was an isolated incident. The latest incident happened in a Victorian laboratory. The state’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, confirmed the Victorian health regulator was investigating. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 10 June 2025
  4. Content Article
    This guidance supports trusts and community providers in enabling frontline staff to fulfil their legal requirements under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005, specifically when supporting people with a learning disability. A Health Services Safety Investigations Body Report in 2023, on the care of acute hospital inpatients with a learning disability in England, found variation in staff understanding and application of the MCA in the care of people with a learning disability. Leadership within Trusts have been asked to ensure they understand the guidance, take the actions indicated and make these resources available to all frontline staff.
  5. News Article
    The Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded Biden-era guidance clarifying that hospitals in states with abortion bans cannot turn away pregnant patients who are in the midst of medical emergencies – a move that comes amid multiple red-state court battles over the guidance. The guidance deals with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (Emtala), which requires hospitals to stabilize patients facing medical emergencies. States such as Idaho and Texas have argued that the Biden administration’s guidance, which it issued in the wake of the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade, interpreted Emtala incorrectly. In its letter rescinding the guidance, the Trump administration said that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) “will continue to enforce Emtala, which protects all individuals who present to a hospital emergency department seeking examination or treatment, including for identified emergency medical conditions that place the health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child in serious jeopardy. CMS will work to rectify any perceived legal confusion and instability created by the former administration’s actions.” Abortion rights supporters said on Tuesday that rescinding the Biden administration’s guidance will muddy hospitals’ ability to interpret Emtala and endanger pregnant patients’ lives. Since Roe’s collapse, dozens of women have come forward to say that they were denied medical treatment due to abortion bans. A reported five pregnant women have died after having their care denied or delayed, or being unable to access legal abortions. “This action sends a clear message: the lives and health of pregnant people are not worth protecting,” Dr Jamila Perritt, an OB-GYN and the president of Physicians for Reproductive Health, said in a statement. “Complying with this law can mean the difference between life and death for pregnant people, forcing providers like me to choose between caring for someone in their time of need and turning my back on them to comply with cruel and dangerous laws.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 3 June 2025
  6. News Article
    A corporate manslaughter investigation has been opened into failings that led to hundreds of babies dying or being injured at maternity units in Nottingham. Nottinghamshire Police said it was examining whether maternity care provided by the Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust had been grossly negligent. The trust is at the centre of the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS, with about 2,500 cases of neonatal deaths, stillbirths and harm to mothers and babies being examined by independent midwife Donna Ockenden. The police investigation will centre on two maternity units overseen by the trust, which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital. NUH said it was "deeply sorry for the pain and suffering caused", and it was "absolutely right" that accountability was taken. In a statement on the force's website, Det Supt Matthew Croome, from the investigation team, said corporate manslaughter was a "serious criminal offence". He said: "The offence relates to circumstances where an organisation has been grossly negligent in the management of its activities, which has then led to a person's death. "In such an investigation we are looking to see if the overall responsibility lies with the organisation rather than specific individuals and my investigation will look to ascertain if there is evidence that the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has committed this offence." The force said its investigation into deaths and serious injuries related to NUH's maternity care - called Operation Perth - had seen more than 200 family cases referred to it so far. Read full story Source: BBC News, 2 June 2025
  7. News Article
    A leading British palliative care consultant has described the assisted dying bill as "not fit for purpose" and is urging MPs to stop the bill from progressing any further. Rejecting assurances from supporters of assisted dying who claim the proposed British version would be based on the scheme used in the American state of Oregon - widely regarded as the model with the most safeguards - Dr Amy Proffitt said "it's far from a safe system". "The majority, 80% of the people that have assisted death have government insurance with Medicaid or Medicare suggesting that the vulnerable in society are not worth it," she said. "Put that into our NHS and what does it say about us as a society... those with disability, those with learning disabilities, those with social deprivation?" Dr Proffitt added: "I think it's deeply dangerous for the bill that has been proposed and it needs to be scrapped and we go back and look again." She and other leading palliative care doctors have expressed concern about the erosion of end of life care if the bill passes. It is a fear expressed by Britain's hospice sector. Read full story Source: Sky News, 1 June 2025
  8. News Article
    A woman was left fighting for her life after using a so-called “weight loss jab” sourced from a salon with police making three arrests. The woman suffered internal injuries earlier after using an injection earlier this month. She has since been discharged. Two other people also become unwell. North Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation into the supply of the injections as they arrested three women from the Selby area. Medical professionals in North Yorkshire and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a warning against using weight loss medicines bought from private clinics or online. They warned that buying products from unregulated suppliers “significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not licensed for use in the UK and can pose a direct danger to health”. NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) Chief Pharmacy Officer, Laura Angus, said: “There has been a lot of attention in the media and on social media about these so-called ‘skinny jabs’, but as with any medicines bought outside of legitimate supply chains, the contents may not match the ingredients on the label. “If you use such products you could be putting your health at serious risk. “If you are thinking of buying a weight-loss medicine, please talk to a healthcare professional first. The only way to guarantee you receive a genuine weight-loss medicine is to obtain it from a legitimate pharmacy – including those trading online – using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 25 May 2025
  9. News Article
    The House of Representatives passed the President Donald Trump-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill” in a 215-214 vote on 22 May after debating for hours overnight on the controversial legislation that includes significant cuts to Medicaid. Healthcare revisions to the multitrillion-dollar legislation include a two-year acceleration of Medicaid work requirements for able-bodied people ages 18-64 no later than 31 December 2026. The work requirements were originally set for 2029, but have been accelerated to generate faster savings. Gender transition procedures will no longer be covered by ACA plans beginning 1 January 2027. The bill, which President Trump and GOP leaders argue is aimed at tackling “waste, fraud and abuse,” now heads to the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. However, it is not clear when the vote will be held. The bill’s revisions have also resulted in backlash from several healthcare advocacy groups. America’s Essential Hospitals President and CEO Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, said that their organisation “strongly opposed” the “deep Medicaid cuts” in the bill, highlighting that the cuts would “threaten the health and well-being of millions of Americans.” Read full story Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 22 May 2025
  10. News Article
    More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed on behalf of weight-loss drug users who claim that popular weight-loss medications such as Ozempic have caused a loss of vision. Patients from New York and New Jersey have claimed that they suffered non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after taking drugs containing semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus. The condition is rare and includes a loss of blood flow to the optic nerve that causes sudden vision loss in one eye. "People are just waking up and developing this [vision] condition,” Jason Goldstein, the lawyer representing the patients, told Newsday. “They wake and they totally can't see. A lot of them lose their peripheral vision. They could lose total vision. I have one client who lost it in both eyes." One of the patients, 57-year-old Edward Fanelli, told the newspaper, "If it was on the label, I definitely wouldn't have taken it,” referring to a warning of potential vision loss. Fanelli, a New Jersey resident, started taking Ozempic to treat his Type 2 diabetes in October 2022 and was diagnosed with the condition about eight months later. He could no longer do his job as a general contractor because of his vision loss. Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, has defended its popular medications. Lauren Browdy Weiner, a spokesperson for the drug maker, said the condition is not considered a possible adverse reaction for drugs. "Novo Nordisk is of the opinion that the benefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains unchanged,” she told Newsday. She continued: “Patient safety is a top priority for Novo Nordisk, and we take all reports about adverse events from use of our medicines very seriously. “This also relates to eye conditions, which are well-known comorbidities for people living with diabetes." Read full story Source: The Independent, 20 May 2025
  11. Event
    In this conference we will look at the factors contributing to record high clinical negligence claims as well as new initiatives and schemes being implemented to improve quality of care and reduce the need for patients to make claims and litigate. Featuring leading legal experts and experienced clinicians, this conference will explore the patient perspective and why patients decide to litigate. There will be an update on clinical negligence as well as an overview of what the Patient Safety Incident Report Framework means for clinical negligence litigation, The conference will also present new initiatives including the NHS Resolution’s Early Notification Scheme as well as the Maternity Incentive Scheme. Throughout the day, there will be interactive sessions, small breakout groups and collaborative exercises fostering a dynamic learning experience. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/clinical-negligence or email [email protected]. Follow on X @HCUK_Clare #ClinicalNegligence hub members receive a 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
  12. Event
    It has been widely recognised that there are number of challenges associated with the current system, both in DoLS and in the court, and we have to deal with these challenges with the tools that we have for now. Attention needs to turn to getting deprivation of liberty in the community cases to court more effectively, as well as cases involving children and young people. It is also vital that providers understand the Mental Capacity Act and use it effectively. By attending this conference you will hear from leading professionals on next steps for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards as well as it’s interaction with the Mental Health Act. You will also hear what the implications are for the NHS, keeping people at the heart of decisions about them, as well as lessons from getting Deprivation of Liberty wrong in practice. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/liberty-protection-safeguards-mca or email [email protected] Follow the conference on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #LPS2025 hub members receive a 20% discount. Email [email protected] for discount code.
  13. News Article
    An ex-doctor is now costing Columbia University over $1 billion after a new sex abuse settlement with nearly 600 victims in a deal approved in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday. Columbia University agreed to the record-breaking $750 million settlement with 576 victims of disgraced gynaecologist and convicted sex criminal Robert Hadden — with a per-case average of $1.3 million, the attorney for the victims announced. "This settlement is not about money — it's about accountability," said victim Laurie Maldonando. "Columbia University enabled sadistic abuse," said Maldonando, who was a patient of Hadden’s for nearly a decade, "and now, they’ve been forced to face the truth." In 2023, Hadden was sentenced to 20 years in prison for preying on — and sexually abusing — hundreds of vulnerable patients during his years as a gynaecologist at prestigious Big Apple hospitals, including ones associated with Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian. "For far too long, Columbia and New York-Presbyterian have prioritized protecting their reputations over protecting their patients," said attorney Anthony T. DiPietro, who has battled with Columbia in court on behalf of hundreds of Hadden victims since 2012. DiPietro said he discovered a "smoking gun" that year — a letter penned by the then-head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia in 1995, apologizing for "Hadden’s assault" and undercutting the institution’s claims they were unaware — by digging around the Utah basement of a client. The attorney had already secured $277 million in previous settlements against Columbia for Hadden victims, bringing the hospitals' total payouts to just over $1 billion with Monday’s agreement. "We deeply regret the pain that his patients suffered, and this settlement is another step forward in our ongoing work and commitment to repair harm and support survivors," said a spokesperson for the university, who "commended" the survivors for their "bravery." Read full story Source: Fox News, 6 May 2025
  14. News Article
    The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) is calling on MPs to consider serious concerns about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for England and Wales, ahead of the pivotal Commons Report stage debate and Third Reading. With too many unanswered questions about the safeguarding of people with mental illness, the College has concluded that it cannot support the Bill in its current form. RCPsych is once again sharing its expert clinical insight to support MPs in making informed decisions ahead of the debate in Westminster on Friday 16 May 2025. During the Committee stage of the parliamentary process, the College raised questions about the assessments of the coordinating doctor and independent doctor, and is now raising further questions about the multidisciplinary panel (which would include a psychiatrist) being proposed by the Bill. Dr Lade Smith CBE, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: "After extensive engagement with our members, and with the expertise of our assisted dying/assisted suicide working group, the RCPsych has reached the conclusion that we are not confident in the Terminally Ill Adults Bill in its current form, and we therefore cannot support the Bill as it stands. "It’s integral to a psychiatrist’s role to consider how people’s unmet needs affect their desire to live. The Bill, as proposed, does not honour this role, or require other clinicians involved in the process to consider whether someone’s decision to die might change with better support. "We are urging MPs to look again at our concerns for this once-in-a-generation Bill and prevent inadequate assisted dying/assisted suicide proposals from becoming law." Read press release Source: RCPsych, 13 May 2025
  15. News Article
    Family doctors in England are deeply divided on the issue of assisted dying, BBC research on plans to legalise the practice suggests. The findings give a unique insight into how strongly many GPs feel about the proposed new law - and highlight how personal beliefs and experiences are shaping doctors' views on the issue. BBC News sent more than 5,000 GPs a questionnaire asking whether they agreed with changing the law to allow assisted dying for certain terminally ill people in England and Wales. More than 1,000 GPs replied, with about 500 telling us they were against an assisted dying law and about 400 saying they were in favour. Some of the 500 GPs who told us they were against the law change called the bill "appalling", "highly dangerous", and "cruel". "We are doctors, not murderers," one said. Of the 400 who said they supported assisted dying, some described the bill as "long overdue" and "a basic human right". It comes as MPs will this week again debate proposed changes to the controversial bill, with a vote in parliament expected on whether to pass or block it next month. If assisted dying does become legal in England and Wales, it would be a historic change for society. Read full story Source: BBC News, 14 May 2025
  16. News Article
    The NHS’s total liabilities for medical negligence have hit an “astounding” £58.2bn amid ministers’ failure to improve patient safety, an influential group of MPs have warned. The Commons public accounts committee (PAC) said the “jaw-dropping” sums being paid to victims of botched treatment and government inaction to reduce errors were “unacceptable”. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has set aside £58.2bn to settle lawsuits arising from clinical negligence that occurred in England before 1 April 2024, the PAC disclosed. “The fact that government has set aside tens of billions of pounds for clinical negligence payments, its second most costly liability after some of the world’s most complex nuclear decommissioning projects, should give our entire society pause,” said Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the PAC chair. “This is a sign of a system struggling to do right by the people it is designed to help,” he added. The PAC urged ministers to take urgent steps to reduce “tragic incidences of patient harm” and to also end a situation where lawyers take an “astronomical” 19% of the compensation awarded to those who are successful in suing the NHS. That amounted to £536m of the £2.8bn that the health service in England paid out in damages in 2023-24 – its record bill for mistakes. “Far too many patients still suffer clinical negligence which can cause devastating harm to those affected,” and the ensuing damages drain vital funds from the NHS, the report said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 May 2025
  17. News Article
    Anyone misleading the public and describing themselves as a nurse without the relevant qualifications and registration will be committing a crime, under new measures announced by the government to protect the title ‘nurse’ in law.  The move will help to boost protections and safety for both patients and staff, driving up standards and improving patient experience across the NHS through the government’s Plan for Change. Currently, anyone – including those struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for serious misconduct or criminal convictions – can call themselves a nurse. This can result in the public thinking they’re getting advice and care from an expert professional like a nurse when they aren’t.   Previous reported examples of the job title being misused include someone calling herself a nurse at a large public event after being struck off and another reportedly masquerading as an aesthetic nurse. There will be exemptions for relevant professions like veterinary nurse, dental nurse and nursery nurse, where the title ‘nurse’ is legitimately used. The government is listening to nurses and recognises they are the backbone of the NHS, and today’s announcement follows campaigning by unions for the government to act on the issue, as well as by Dawn Butler MP who introduced a Ten-Minute Rule Bill earlier this year to protect the title ‘nurse’.  Paul Rees MBE, Interim Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said: "The public should always feel confident that anyone using the title ‘nurse’ is a registered professional with all the safeguards that brings. We look forward to working with the government and our stakeholders to deliver on it. In the meantime, it is already an offence for somebody to hold themselves out as a registered nurse when they are not." Read full story Source: Department of Health and Social Care, 12 May 2025
  18. News Article
    A woman has been cleared of illegally terminating a pregnancy, after taking abortion pills during lockdown. Nicola Packer took the pills at home in November 2020. She had been prescribed mifepristone and misoprostol after a remote consultation. She later delivered a foetus, which the court heard was estimated to be about 26 weeks in gestation, which she brought with her to Chelsea and Westminster hospital, Isleworth crown court heard. She was arrested in hospital and later charged with “unlawfully administering to herself a poison or other noxious thing” with the “intent to procure a miscarriage”. Packer had been prescribed the medication under emergency pandemic legislation – later made permanent – that allows for pills to be dispatched by post after a remote consultation in pregnancies up to 10 weeks. The prosecution had alleged that she believed she was more than 10 weeks pregnant at the time she took the pills. But she denied the charges, and was found not guilty by a jury of nine women and three men, who returned a unanimous verdict, after the two-week trial. Katie Saxon, the chief strategic communications officer at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: “A woman who sought medical attention after experiencing a traumatic event has had to endure a protracted police investigation and public trial, her private life picked apart by prosecutors and reported in the national press, at a huge emotional and financial cost. “Prosecuting women for ‘illegal’ abortion is never in the public interest, and no woman should ever have to go through this again.” Dr Ranee Thakar, the president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “As a doctor, I am acutely aware of how vital it is that women can access essential healthcare in a safe and supportive environment. “Restrictive abortion laws in England and Wales nurture an environment of fear, stigmatisation and criminalisation. They needlessly subject women to prolonged investigation, criminal charges, and custodial sentences for ending their own pregnancy.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 May 2025
  19. News Article
    Nineteen states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the federal government on 5 May aiming to block the Trump administration’s large-scale restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS). In the lawsuit, New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James and 19 other AGs argue the restructuring is an “unconstitutional and illegal dismantling of the department.” They contend the government has violated hundreds of laws and bypassed congressional authority by enacting the plan, which has erased decades of public health progress and left HHS unable to execute many vital functions. The state AGs said the restructuring has significantly hindered mental health and substance use services, HIV/AIDS response efforts, maternal mortality monitoring and disability support, among other key services. HHS announced the restructuring 27 March, outlining plans to lay off 10,000 full-time employees and consolidate the agency from 28 divisions to 15. The agency defended the restructuring — and its legality. “We are following the law, period,” an HHS spokesperson said. “Nothing has been rushed and multiple rounds of discussions between divisions and HHS occurred before the announcement. Every step taken has been deliberate, collaborative and consistent with federal personnel policy and civil service protections. To suggest otherwise is inaccurate and misrepresents the integrity and facts of the process.” “The reforms are designed to strengthen the agency’s capacity to serve the American public, not weaken it. HHS remains confident that the process will withstand legal scrutiny and looks forward to a resolution that reflects the facts and the law.” Read full story Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 5 May 2025
  20. News Article
    NHS staff including doctors, nurses and pharmacists who do not wish to take part in assisted dying will have specific protection against discrimination under a new amendment from the bill’s sponsor Kim Leadbeater, backed by ministers. Leadbeater, who is hoping to shore up support for the bill before a crucial Commons vote next week, will add the additional protections for any staff involved in the proposed process, including ancillary staff, who will not have to give any reason for their refusal. The private member’s bill, which faces its next Commons stage next Friday (16 May), currently says doctors and health professionals may refuse to take part. But the Guardian understands this will be extended to any person who may possibly be involved in the process and will be amended to say “no person is under any duty to participate in the provision of assistance”. There will also be an amendment to the current Employment Rights Act that will specifically ban discrimination, dismissal or disciplinary action if a person chooses not to participate. “Choice is at the heart of the bill,” Leadbeater said. “Assisted dying is not for everyone and nor should it be. But for those who do make that choice, the bill that MPs will be debating again in less that two weeks, contains even more protections and is more effective and workable than it was before.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 May 2025
  21. News Article
    Five hospitals that are part of Palm Beach (Fla.) Health Network have filed a lawsuit against The Leapfrog Group, alleging the patient safety organization’s rankings are based on flawed methodology. The complaint, filed April 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, claims the rankings unfairly damage the hospitals’ reputations. “Leapfrog fails to fairly evaluate hospitals that do not complete its hospital survey, and rather than indicating that there is insufficient data to issue a grade to non-participating hospitals, it instead assigns a score equivalent to the ‘Worst Hospital’s Score’ on several measures,” Palm Beach Health Network said in a statement. “This flawed methodology does not accurately reflect hospitals’ performance on patient outcomes.” The hospitals that filed the complaint are Delray Medical Center in Delray Beach; Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach; Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center; West Boca Medical Center in Boca Raton; and St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. The complaint was filed a day before The Leapfrog Group published its latest round of hospital safety grades. Three of the hospitals that filed the complaint received an “F” grade and two earned a “D.” The complaint also alleges Leapfrog’s safety grades are “distorted by undisclosed financial incentives” and penalize hospitals that do not submit data for participation by assigning “artificially low ratings.” Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog, described the lawsuit as an attempt by hospitals to suppress critical safety information from the public. “When we look at these hospitals’ results from CMS, we see preventable suffering and death far exceeding the national average, and even the national average is too high,” she said in a statement. “These hospitals may wish to withhold their hospitals’ Safety Grades from the community they serve, but Leapfrog intends to fully defend its expert, proven and long-standing methodology to prevent that from happening and publish Grades for all eligible hospitals, including these hospitals.” Read full story Source: Becker's Hospital Review
  22. Content Article
    In this blog, Laura Evans discusses the impact the recent UK Supreme Court judgment on the meaning of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 may have on access to health and care services for transgender people. Last month, the UK Supreme Court ruled in the For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers case that the protected characteristic of ‘sex’ under the Equality Act 2010 relates to biological sex. This judgment, followed recently by an update from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on its practical implications, will impact many different organisations in the UK.[2] This includes healthcare providers, where the judgment comes with numerous potential patient safety risks for transgender people. Transgender people already encounter various barriers to accessing health and care, including long waits to access NHS gender dysphoria services, lack of training in transgender health, and discrimination.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] There are also emerging concerns, now the subject of research, on how the algorithms used to assess disease risk and to help make decisions on treatment fail to take transgender patients into account, reinforcing health inequalities.[8] There are very practical and, somewhat ironically, biological issues to consider when looking at the potential impact of this ruling. Transgender people who have not undergone full gender reassignment surgery will still have sex organs and genitalia of the sex they were assigned at birth. In the case of trans men, this may mean they continue to require gynaecological and reproductive healthcare despite identifying and presenting as male.[9] Trans men can develop gynaecological cancers or medical conditions and trans women can develop testicular or other cancers.[10] Even where transgender people have undergone surgery, the clitoris and prostate are generally retained therefore trans men could develop vaginal or vulval cancers and trans women could develop prostate cancer.[11] Preventing discrimination Under the Equality Act 2010, people with the protected characteristic ‘gender reassignment’ are protected from discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of this characteristic when accessing services and public functions, such as medical services, buildings and premises, including onsite facilities like toilets and changing rooms. Public sector providers like the NHS are additionally under the Public Sector Equality Duty to: Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Advance equality of opportunity between people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment and those who do not. Foster good relations between groups who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. It is difficult to see how public sector providers will be able to meet the Public Sector Equality Duty if they refuse transgender people access to services in the gender with which they identify. There are also implications under data protection legislation. Under the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UKGDPR) 2018, health, genetic and biological data, where it is used for identification purposes, are all 'special category' data forms subject to enhanced protections. Access to services In light of the judgment, NHS England has stated that it is now reviewing its guidance on same sex accommodation because previous guidance advised that transgender patients should be accommodated according to their gender identity.[12] We know the health service remains heavily under pressure and is often at its capacity limits, as highlighted by the ongoing normalisation of arrangements such as corridor care in hospitals across the country.[13] [14] The practical impact of potentially having to provide entirely separate facilities for transgender patients to ensure they can access specific services is hard to judge at this stage. However, it would seem highly likely that this may have unintended consequences of delaying access to care and treatment for these patients, resulting in avoidable harm. Conclusion Overall, the climate of misunderstanding, exclusion and fear that has followed the judgment is likely to leave intersex, transgender and non-binary people afraid to access health services altogether. This would lead to worsening health outcomes as illness may be diagnosed too late. Fear and shame, and the inability to live freely as yourself, are all known triggers for mental ill health and suicidal thoughts, leading to increased need across mental health services that are already stretched with long waiting lists. References For Women Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, UKSC 16 [2025] (On appeal from CSIH 37 [2023]), 16 April 2025. Equality and Human Rights Commission. An interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court Judgement, 25 April 2025. Mikulak M, Ryan S, Ma R, et al, Health professionals’ identified barriers to trans health care: a qualitative interview study, Br J Gen Pract 2021; 71 (713): e941-e947. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.01792021. Safer JD, Coleman E, Feldman J et al. Barriers to Health Care for Transgender Individuals. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes 2016; 1; 23(2):168-71. Murry R. Acting on the evidence; ensuring the NHS meets the needs of trans people. The King's Fund 26 September 2022. London Assembly. Trans health matters: improving access to healthcare for trans and gender-diverse Londoners, February 2022. BBC News. Life on a NHS transgender waiting list, 20 March 2024. The Guardian. NHS treatment algorithms ‘not taking transgender patients into account’, 5 May 2023. Sbragia JD, Vottero B. Experiences of transgender men in seeking gynaecological and reproductive health care: a qualitative systematic review. JBI Evidence Synthesis. 18(9):p 1870-1931, September 2020. de Nie I, Wiepjes CM. de Blok CJM, et al, Incidence of testicular cancer in trans women using gender-affirming hormonal treatment: a nationwide cohort study. BJU International, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.15575 Bertoncelli Tanaka M, Sahota K, Burn J, et al, Prostate cancer in transgender women: what does a urologist need to know? BJU International 2022; 129: 113-22. BBC News. NHS will be pursued if gender policies don’t change, equalities watchdog says, 17 April 2025. Royal College of Nursing. On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis, 16 January 2025. Patient Safety Learning. Response to RCN report: on the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis, 17 January 2025.
  23. News Article
    Resident doctors have criticised a recent Supreme Court ruling on gender, calling it scientifically unfounded and harmful to transgender and gender-diverse people. Medics at the British Medical Association’s (BMA) resident doctors conference in London passed a motion which states that “attempting to impose a rigid binary has no basis in science or medicine”. The court declared that the words “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex. The Department of Health and Social Care said on Tuesday that “following the Supreme Court ruling, it is clear healthcare should be based on biology”. However, the union’s resident doctors conference passed a motion which states: “This meeting condemns the Supreme Court ruling defining the term ‘woman’.” The motion adds: “We recognise as doctors that sex and gender are complex and multifaceted aspects of the human condition and attempting to impose a rigid binary has no basis in science or medicine while being actively harmful to transgender and gender-diverse people.” Read full story Source: Medscape, 29 April 2025
  24. News Article
    The chair of England's first public inquiry into mental health deaths vowed to "seek out the truth" - despite difficulties getting documents from the NHS. The first key evidence sessions in the Lampard Inquiry - examining more than 2,000 deaths at NHS inpatient units in Essex between 2000 and 2023 - have begun in London. Baroness Lampard said although the hearing was "breaking new ground", 21 legal notices had been issued to NHS organisations to force them to submit evidence. "We will seek out the truth," she said, adding she would not hesitate to use her legal powers "to the fullest extent necessary to compel the production of evidence where it's not provided". Counsel to the inquiry, Nicholas Griffin KC, said: "We have been unimpressed with a significant number of requests for deadline extensions... and the number of occasions where providers have not given the material expressly asked for." He said there were problems with the condition of paper records, "missing documents" and providers, including private ones, sending information late. Mr Griffin said it was a criminal offence to suppress, conceal, alter, or destroy relevant evidence and said providers should be properly resourced to respond to the inquiry. He said the inquiry should not be delayed because of it. Read full story Source: BBC News, 28 April 2025
  25. News Article
    Last week, judges at the UK's highest court unanimously ruled that the definition of a "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refers to "a biological woman and biological sex". Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), said the ruling was "enormously consequential" and ensured clarity. She vowed to pursue organisations that do not update their policies, saying they should be "taking care" to look at the "very readable judgment". On single-sex hospital wards, Baroness Falkner told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the NHS will "have to change" their 2019 policy, which says transgender patients are entitled to be accommodated on single-sex wards matching how they identify. She said the court ruling means there is now "no confusion" and the NHS "can start to implement the new legal reasoning and produce their exceptions forthwith". Keir Starmer says last week's Supreme Court decision - which prompted impassioned protests by trans rights activists at the weekend - has given "much needed clarity" to women and service providers. Read full story Source: Sky News, 22 April 2025
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