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When the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in the UK in March 2020, Professor Paul Elkington and a team at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) quickly developed a new form of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) called PeRSo (Personal Respirator Southampton) for hospital staff to use. PeRSo is a portable, wearable device which blows air through a HEPA filter into a hood, providing a high level of protection against respiratory infection. In this interview, Paul describes how, working with industry partners, his team was able to provide 3,500 members of staff at UHS with PeRSo during the pandemic. Describing the impact this had on staff morale and Covid infection rates, he explains why PeRSo is a preferable alternative to the FFP3 masks recommended by the Government during the pandemic. Paul outlines how, in the event of another pandemic, providing personal respirators would offer effective protection for healthcare workers and the wider population at relatively low cost. He also outlines what the Government needs to do to ensure the UK is prepared for future pandemics, including making changes to the regulatory framework and incentivising the development of personal respirators designed specifically for infection control. Further reading on the hub: A personal respirator to improve protection for healthcare workers treating Covid-19 (PeRSo) Powered respirators are effective, sustainable and cost-effective Personal Protective Equipment for SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory protective equipment: An unequal solution for healthcare workers? A blog by David Osborn "Forgotten heroes" – the sequel: a blog and resources from David Osborn -
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The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on healthcare systems globally, with potential to aggravate levels of healthcare-associated harm. Due to radical changes within service provision, this period was considered likely to influence patient-reported safety concerns. This study aimed to characterise the nature of these safety concerns at different time periods after the first UK lockdown. The most frequently reported safety incidents involved access to healthcare professionals (12 months/18 months), and errors managing healthcare appointments (24 months). Prominence of themes fluctuated over time, as the context and policies that influenced the safety reports shifted. For example, geographical limitations on healthcare were evident at 12 months, mitigation from healthcare-associated harm by family members at 18 months, and concerns surrounding healthcare professional and other patient’s behaviour at 24 months. Healthcare organisations are undoubtedly still undergoing a protracted period of recovery. However, to protect health services from any further threats to functioning, organisations must review patient safety data systems and examine staff perspectives on the issues identified, notably in relation to infection control policies, social distancing, and patient access to health services. Learning from patient-reported experiences and considering how safety incidents are defined would support improvements in patient safety.- Posted
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The World Health Organization's member countries on Tuesday approved an agreement to better prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics in the wake of the devastation wrought by the coronavirus. Sustained applause echoed in a Geneva hall hosting the WHO’s annual assembly as the measure — debated and devised over three years — passed without opposition. The treaty guarantees that countries which share virus samples will receive tests, medicines and vaccines. Up to 20% of such products would be given to the WHO to ensure poorer countries have some access to them when the next pandemic hits. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has touted the agreement as “historic” and a sign of multilateralism at a time when many countries are putting national interests ahead of shared values and cooperation. Dr. Esperance Luvindao, Namibia’s health minister and the chair of a committee that paved the way for Tuesday’s adoption, said that the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted huge costs “on lives, livelihoods and economies.” "We — as sovereign states — have resolved to join hands, as one world together, so we can protect our children, elders, frontline health workers and all others from the next pandemic," Luvindao added. "It is our duty and responsibility to humanity.” The treaty’s effectiveness will face doubts because the United States — which poured billions into speedy work by pharmaceutical companies to develop Covid-19 vaccines — is sitting out, and because countries face no penalties if they ignore it, a common issue in international law. Read full story Source: The Independent, 20 May 2025- Posted
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Presentation from David Osborn, health and safety consultant and member of the Covid Airborne Transmission Alliance (CATA), to the Safer Healthcare Biosafety Network. You can watch the video of the presentation and download the pdf presentation slides below. David Osborn, health and safety consultant and member of the Covid Airborne Transmission Alliance (CATA), has given an account of CATA’s journey through the Covid-19 Public Inquiry to the Safer Healthcare Biosafety Network (SHBN). This has been in two parts: His first presentation was delivered on 3 December 2024, just as the public hearings for module 3 (impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems) were drawing to a close. In this second presentation (28 March 2025) David updates the group on CATA's current position and summarises their final submissions to Baroness Hallett. The detail in CATA’s closing submissions to the Inquiry may be found in its written statement at this link. Links are provided in the last two slides of the attached PDF file to CATA’s letters to the Chief Nursing Officers and Ministers. 2025-03-28 SHBN Presentation.pdf It should be noted that, as at 19 May 2025: No reply has been received from the Chief Nursing Officers to CATA’s letter of 4 March. No reply has been received from the Minister (Rt Hon Ashley Dalton MP) to CATA’s letter of 18 March. CATA has therefore written again to the Rt Hon Ashley Dalton MP. The letter is attached below: cata-letter-to-ashley-dalton-mp-1-may-25 (1).pdf -
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Hancock ignored call to test all NHS staff, Covid inquiry hears
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The government ignored an early warning by two Nobel prize-winning scientists that all healthcare workers should be routinely tested for coronavirus in the pandemic, the Covid inquiry has heard. The advice came in a strongly-worded letter sent in April 2020 by the chief executive of the Francis Crick Institute, Sir Paul Nurse, and its research director, Sir Peter Ratcliffe, to the then health secretary Matt Hancock. NHS and care home staff were not offered Covid tests until November 2020 in England, unless they had symptoms of the disease. Matt Hancock is due to appear at the inquiry next week, along with other health ministers from the four nations of the UK. Giving evidence, Sir Paul, who won the Nobel prize for medicine in 2001, said it was "disturbing" that he did not receive a response to his concerns until July 2020. "For the secretary of state to ignore a letter from two Nobel laureates in physiology or medicine for three months is a little surprising, I would say," he told the inquiry. "Rather than acknowledge they couldn't do it, because that would have indicated a mistake in their overall strategy, they remained silent." It was likely that the decision not to routinely test NHS and care home staff led to an increase in infections and deaths in the early stages of the pandemic, he added. Read full story Source: BBC News, 15 May 2025 Further reading on the hub: "Forgotten heroes" – the sequel: a blog and resources from David Osborn The pandemic – questions around Government governance: a blog from David Osborn- Posted
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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.- Posted
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A proponent of using the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 despite scant evidence of its efficacy has been named to a top pandemic prevention role at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Washington Post reports. Steven J Hatfill is a virologist who served in Donald Trump’s first administration, during which he promoted hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus in the early months of the pandemic, when vaccines and treatments were not yet available. He recently started as a special adviser in the office of the director of the administration for strategic preparedness and response, which prepares the country to respond to pandemics, as well as chemical and biological attacks. The Trump administration embraced using the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, along with other drugs such as ivermectin and chloroquine, as treatments against Covid-19, despite concerns over both their efficacy and potentially serious side-effects. In June 2020, just months after the pandemic started, the Food and Drug Administration warned against using hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat Covid-19 over “reports of serious heart rhythm problems and other safety issues”, even after Trump approved the ordering of millions of doses of the drug from Brazil for US patients. Last year, a study released at the onset of the pandemic that promoted hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 was withdrawn by the publisher of the medical journal. In an interview with the Post, Hatfill defended his support of hydroxychloroquine, which remains in use to treat diseases including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. “There is no ambiguity there. It is a safe drug,” Hatfill said, noting that “they gave the drug to the president” in 2020. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 May 2025 -
Content Article
The health service in England has endured a punishing winter. Stark warnings about a potential ‘quad-demic’, the ‘busiest year on record’ for A&E and ambulance services, and ’jampacked’ hospitals prompted comparisons with the COVID-19 pandemic. But how bad was winter 2024/25? The Health Foundation present analysis of routinely collected and publicly available data on health service performance and the possible contributing factors. Key points: This winter saw the NHS in distress. Only 73% of A&E patients were treated within 4 hours, similar to the last two winters, and far below the 95% constitutional standard. The number of people experiencing 12-hour waits before admission reached a new record high. Numbers of A&E diverts and ambulance handover delays were worse than over previous winters. Looking at operational performance, winter pressures and other factors, the analysis explores the extent to which disruptions to urgent and emergency care were caused by higher than usual levels of winter illnesses and/or systemic weaknesses within the NHS. Levels of flu and diarrhoea and vomiting were higher than usual. Hospital admissions for flu reached a similar peak to winter 2022/23 but took longer to fall, leading to a 50% higher total number of flu bed days. However, hospital admissions for RSV were similar to previous winters, while admissions for COVID-19 remained low. Winter A&E attendances have risen steadily each year. However, slightly fewer patients attended major A&E departments in winter 2024/25 than in 2023/24, and emergency hospital admissions fell slightly. This suggests the NHS struggled to cope with a small increase in demand from patients needing emergency hospitalisation, while also expanding elective activity in line with government commitments to improve elective performance. Bed occupancy during winter has been rising for the last 15 years, exceeding the NHS 92% threshold for the first time in winter 2017/18, highlighting a system at its limits. Since COVID-19, a substantial increase in delayed discharges is likely to have obstructed the flow of patients out of hospitals, worsening bottlenecks upstream in the care pathway from A&E into wards and from ambulances into A&E. Overall, the conditions this winter, while severe, were similar to those in recent years and not far above what the NHS can normally expect. Attributing operational problems to external factors such as winter illnesses and higher demand risks offering false comfort about the resilience of the health service. The shows the health service performing far worse than before the pandemic and reporting record or near-record levels of operational problems across urgent and emergency care. Ahead of the government’s forthcoming Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, this raises key questions about what might be behind some of the underlying issues contributing to what has now become an annual winter crisis.- Posted
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Global study on Covid vaccine safety falls victim to Trump cuts
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The largest ever global study into the safety of Covid-19 vaccines has been terminated just 13 months shy of completion, after becoming caught up in the Trump administration’s sweeping funding cuts. The Global Vaccine Data Network, which was established in 2019 by the New Zealand-based vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris and the US-based vaccinologist Steven Black, has already produced some of the world’s most comprehensive studies on vaccine efficacy and safety, based on data from more than 300 million people. The University of Auckland hosts the network, which collaborates with institutions and experts across the globe. The groundbreaking five-year project to evaluate the safety of Covid vaccines across hundreds of millions of people received more than NZ$10m from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2021, but after a recent funding review by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), it can no longer finish the project, Petousis-Harris said. The network looks at data from millions of people to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines, analyse risk and benefits and respond to issues such as vaccine hesitancy. To do this requires “enormous study power, enormous populations and diversity”, said Petousis-Harris, who is an associate professor at the University of Auckland. But funding for the global Covid vaccine safety project was “suddenly cut … without warning, without planning”, she told the Guardian. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 April 2025- Posted
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After more than three years of intensive negotiations, WHO Member States took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics, by forging a draft agreement for consideration at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May. The proposal aims to strengthen global collaboration on prevention, preparedness and response to future pandemic threats. In December 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO Member States established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument, under the WHO Constitution, to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Following 13 formal rounds of meetings, nine of which were extended, and many informal and intersessional negotiations on various aspects of the draft agreement, the INB today finalized a proposal for the WHO Pandemic Agreement. The outcome of the INB’s work will now be presented to the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly for its consideration. "The nations of the world made history in Geneva today," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "In reaching consensus on the Pandemic Agreement, not only did they put in place a generational accord to make the world safer, they have also demonstrated that multilateralism is alive and well, and that in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground, and a shared response to shared threats. I thank WHO's Member States, and their negotiating teams, for their foresight, commitment and tireless work. We look forward to the World Health Assembly's consideration of the agreement and – we hope – its adoption." Proposals within the text developed by the INB include establishing a pathogen access and benefit sharing system; taking concrete measures on pandemic prevention, including through a One Health approach; building geographically diverse research and development capacities; facilitating the transfer of technology and related knowledge, skills and expertise for the production of pandemic-related health products; mobilizing a skilled, trained and multidisciplinary national and global health emergency workforce; setting up a coordinating financial mechanism; taking concrete measures to strengthen preparedness, readiness and health system functions and resilience; and establishing a global supply chain and logistics network. Read full story Source: WHO, 16 April 2025 -
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WHO agrees legally binding pandemic treaty
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed the text of a legally binding treaty designed to better tackle future pandemics. The pact is meant to avoid the disorganisation and competition for resources seen during the Covid-19 outbreak. Key elements include the rapid sharing of data about new diseases, to ensure scientists and pharmaceutical companies can work more quickly to develop treatments and vaccines. For the first time, the WHO itself will also have an overview of global supply chains for masks, medical gowns and other personal protective equipment (PPE). WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the deal as "a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world". "[Member states] have also demonstrated that multilateralism is alive and well, and that in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground, and a shared response to shared threats," he said. It is only the second time in the WHO's 75-year history that an international agreement of this type has been reached – the first being a tobacco control deal in 2003. It still needs to be formally adopted by members when they meet for the World Health Assembly next month. US negotiators were not part of the final discussions after President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the global health agency, and the US will not be bound by the pact when it leaves in 2026. Read full story Source: BBC News, 16 April 2025- Posted
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The provision of high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) was a critical challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study evaluated an alternative strategy—the mass deployment of a powered air-purifying respirator (PeRSo), in a large university hospital.- Posted
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During the Covid-19 pandemic, global stocks, supply logistics and suitability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect healthcare workers were recurrent challenges. The “Personal Respirator – Southampton” (PeRSo) was developed by a team of healthcare professionals at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust during the first wave of the pandemic. It delivers High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtered air from a battery powered fan-filter assembly into a lightweight hood with a clear visor that can be comfortably worn for several hours. This study looks the development of PeRSo and highlights feedback from doctors and nurses that the PeRSo prototype was preferred to standard FFP2 and FFP3 masks, being more comfortable and reducing the time and risk of recurrently changing PPE. Patients also reported better communication and reassurance as the entire face is visible.- Posted
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Long Covid health staff 'abandoned and forgotten'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Healthcare workers with Long Covid say the government needs to do more to support those left with life-changing disabilities since catching the virus. Nurse Rachel Hext, 37 from Paignton, insisted she caught Covid in her job as a nurse in a small community hospital in Devon. "We were clapped and called heroes, and now those of us who have been bereaved or disabled by it have been forgotten," she said. The government said it knew Long Covid could have a debilitating impact on people's physical and mental health, that there was a "range of support for staff" and it was funding research into it. Mrs Hext is one of a group of healthcare workers with long Covid who have taken their fight to the High Court to try to sue the NHS and other employers for compensation. The staff, from England and Wales, said they believed they first caught Covid at work during the pandemic and said they were not properly protected from the virus. She said: "I want acknowledgement and I want support for the people who need it. "Long Covid is absolutely life-changing. It's devastated us as a family." Read full story Source: BBC News, 20 March 2025 Related reading on the hub: "Forgotten heroes" – the sequel: a blog and resources from David Osborn The pandemic – questions around Government governance: a blog from David Osborn Healthcare workers with Long Covid: Group litigation- Posted
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Dr Barry Jones, Chair of CATA/CAPA and lead for BAPEN, gives an update on CATA's ongoing campaign to achieve meaningful changes to the current IPC guidelines for healthcare and beyond. CATA has at last received a reply form the 4 Nation CNOs to CATA’s letter to them of October 2024. It contains a number of points which we have responded to in a further letter 4/3/2025. You will see that we have focussed on the legal aspects of not recognising the airborne route of transmission of Covid-19 and other respiratory pathogens. Related reading on the hub: Update on CATA's ongoing campaign around the current IPC guidelines for healthcare (11 February 2025) -
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A global threat in the form of a measles outbreak is mounting as more than 22 million infants missed their first vaccine dose for the disease in 2020, warned the world’s top health agencies. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), in a joint statement on Wednesday, said the number represents the largest increase in missed vaccinations in two decades. The 22-million figure is three million more than in 2019, “creating dangerous conditions for outbreaks to occur,” according to the agencies. The surveillance of measles cases deteriorated because of the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in a reported dip in cases by more than 80%t in 2020, the statement said. Measles is one of the most contagious viruses to date. It kills more than 60,000 people a year, mostly young children. But at the same time, the disease is entirely preventable through vaccinations, which have averted more than 30 million deaths from the disease globally. “Large numbers of unvaccinated children, outbreaks of measles, and disease detection and diagnostics diverted to support Covid-19 responses are factors that increase the likelihood of measles-related deaths and serious complications in children,” said Kevin Cain, the CDC’s global immunisation director. Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 November 2021- Posted
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Pandemic disrupted routine vaccinations of US kindergarteners
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Yet another hidden cost of Covid-19 was revealed on Thursday as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented new data showing how the pandemic has dramatically impeded the US effort to vaccinate kids for other diseases. According to the CDC’s report, national vaccine coverage among American children in kindergarten dropped from 95% to below 94% in the past year – which may seem like a small amount but meant 350,000 fewer children were vaccinated against common diseases. “Overall, today’s findings support previous data showing a concerning decline in childhood immunizations that began in March 2020,” Shannon Stokley, the CDC’s immunization services deputy division director, said in a press conference on Thursday. Some of the reasons for the lower vaccination rates included reluctance to schedule appointments, reduced access to them, so-called “provisional” school enrollment, the easing of vaccination requirements for remote learners, fewer parents submitting documents and less time for school nurses to follow up with unvaccinated students. States and schools also told the CDC that there were fewer staff members to assess kindergarten vaccination coverage, and a lower response rate from schools, both due to Covid-19. “The CDC provides vaccines for nearly half of America’s children through the Vaccines for Children program,” Stokley said. “And over the last two years, orders for distribution of routine vaccines are down more than 10% compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic. “We are concerned that missed routine vaccinations could leave children vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough which are extremely dangerous and can be very serious, especially for babies and young children.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 21 April 2022 -
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More than 1 in 10 school entry-age children in England are at risk of measles because they have not had their vaccine jabs, data reveals. Coverage for the two doses of MMR that helps protect five-year-olds against measles, mumps and rubella is currently at 85.5%. That is the lowest for a decade, and well below the 95% target recommended to stop a resurgence of measles. Measles is highly contagious, more than Covid, and can cause serious illness. Nine in every 10 people can catch it if they are unjabbed and exposed. As well as a distinctive rash, measles can lead to severe complications, such as pneumonia and brain inflammation, and sometimes can be fatal. Vaccination can remove almost all of these risks. Two doses of the MMR vaccine give 99% protection against measles and rubella and about 88% protection against mumps. When a high percentage of the population is protected through vaccination, it becomes harder for the disease to pass between people. But since the start of the Covid pandemic, there has been a concerning drop in the number of children receiving these vaccines on time. Experts say some parents may not have realised doctors were still offering appointments, or did not want to burden the NHS. Coverage of the first dose of the MMR vaccine in two-year-olds has now fallen below 90%. This means that more than one in 10 children under the age of five are not fully protected from measles and are at risk of catching it. Among all five-year-olds in England, 93.7% have had one dose and 85.5% have had the recommended two doses. Read full story Source: BBC News, 1 February 2022- Posted
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Thousands fewer children immunised against common diseases because of lockdown
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Lockdown measures in England led to thousands fewer children receiving vital immunisations for a range of diseases include measles, diphtheria and whooping cough, Public Health England (PHE) has warned. PHE has warned parents they should continue to get their children immunised regardless of lockdown and restrictions brought on by coronavirus. During the first wave of coronavirus the government advised that children should continue to receive vaccinations as scheduled but despite these some appointments were delayed and the numbers of children vaccinated against common diseases fell compared to 2019. PHE looked at data from almost 40% of GP surgeries for use of the common 6-in-1 vaccination for diseases including diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, and polio as well as uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to 19 October. In total 167,322 children had the 6-in-1 vaccine, a drop of 6,600 on the same period in 2019, a fall of almost 4%. A total of 167,670 children had the MMR jab, 4,700 fewer than in 2019, a drop of 2.8%. Although the vaccinations recovered after lockdown the rates are still lower overall than 2019. Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at Public Health England, said: “Vaccines remain the best defence against infection. It’s essential we maintain the highest possible uptake to prevent a resurgence of serious and sometimes life-threatening diseases. “Routine vaccinations are still available throughout the pandemic – it’s vital that we continue to make it as easy and safe as possible for parents to take their children to appointments.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 November 2020- Posted
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In a new blog on the hub, Laura Evans discusses the lack of protection against Covid-19 for vulnerable patients when going for a GP appointment or into hospital and shares her personal experience of being dismissed when asking for basic patient safety measures to be put in place. We'd like to hear your experiences. Are you a vulnerable patient? What is your Trust or GP practice doing to make you feel safe? Please comment below (sign up first for free) or you can email us at [email protected].- Posted
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In this blog, Laura Evans discusses the lack of protection against Covid-19 for vulnerable patients when going for a GP appointment or into hospital. She shares her personal experience of being dismissed when asking for basic patient safety measures to be put in place. Imagine you are in hospital waiting to be taken down for surgery. You are informed the surgeon does not like wearing gloves, mask or headwear and says it is their personal preference. You are also informed that the operating theatre has not been cleaned since the patient before you. What do you do? Do you say something, politely reminding people of your right to be kept safe in hospital? Or do you remain silent to avoid being ridiculed or made to feel like there is something wrong with you? Of course, this scenario would never happen. It would not be tolerated by society. There are safety regulations and protocols in place to prevent, as far as reasonably possible, spread of disease in healthcare settings. However, where spread of Covid-19 is concerned, this genuine fear is the lived reality for millions of people attending healthcare appointments where their vulnerability is neither checked nor proactively catered for. Many people do not have the confidence, in some cases the wherewithal, to ask people to be careful around them in healthcare settings. Those who do ask for their needs to be met, like myself, have been condescended to and, in some instances, shouted at when arranging appointments. The only exception being when arranging appointments on the cancer pathway, where there is an acceptance that the immune system may be compromised. It is astonishing. What is it about this particular C word? Covid-19 is responsible for the deaths of over a quarter of a million people in the UK and the mass disablement of millions lucky enough to survive it but who are now living with Long Covid. There are also over a million people who shielded during the pandemic restrictions, whose clinical vulnerability has not suddenly gone away. Even if the basic human response leaves a lot to be desired, it has become an economic imperative to prevent so many people being sick. The World Health Organization only declared the emergency phase of the pandemic over, the virus itself continues to devastate lives. The number of people unable to work full time, or even work at all, since the start of the pandemic is rising sharply.[1] The number of people moving to part time work or unemployment to care for someone has also risen in the last few years.[2] A BMJ study found people living with Long Covid have lower quality of life than stage 4 lung cancer patients.[3] Covid-19 has profoundly debilitating effects on aspects of normal life, such as walking, talking, cognitive function, bathing and dressing, personal relationships with friends and family, and employment. There is a lot of rhetoric about preventative medicine; why is more not being done to protect people from these devastating consequences? It is not just Covid-19 that spreads easily when basic protections are not proactively put in place. Patients are still swabbed for MRSA in pre-op checks despite the MRSA outbreak being two decades ago. Clearly proactive prevention works. Yet, there is no routine testing for Covid and a large proportion of positive cases are hospital acquired. My local NHS Trust, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, has been exemplary across its Southport and Ormskirk hospital sites wherever patients request safety precautions. Nothing is too much trouble. However, interactions with other Trusts have resulted in an appalling lack of respect and dignity, and an unnecessary battle for safe practices and care pathways. There is a worrying ‘survival of the fittest’ narrative pervading this matter, harking back to times when sick and disabled people were treated as socially embarrassing and a burden, to be hidden away and kept quiet. Anyone with the privilege of a robust immune system should ask if you would allow a medical practitioner to treat your open wound without gloves if you knew they were carrying a bloodborne infection? Any reasonable person would doubt such lapses in judgement. So why is Covid-19 different? Why should a vulnerable person be expected to tolerate lack of protections against Covid-19 and why is the NHS not compelled to put basic patient safety measures in place as they are expected to prevent spread of disease? It makes no sense. References House of Commons Library. Research Briefing. Labour Market Statistics. UK Government, 18 February 2025. Office for National Statistics. Employment in the UK: February 2025. Estimates of employment, unemployment and economic inactivity for the UK. 18 February 2025. Walker S, Goodfellow H, Pookarnjanamorakot P, et al. Impact of fatigue as the primary determinant of functional limitations among patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome: a cross-sectional observational study. BMJ Open, 2023. We would like to hear your experiences Are you a vulnerable patient? What is your Trust or GP doing to make you feel safe? You can share your experience by posting in the Comments below or join our conversation in the Community area of the hub. Related reading on the hub: “A perfect storm”: The global impact of the pandemic on patient safety Promises of Long Covid support have not materialised (a blog by Clare Rayner) Covid-19 : A risk assessment too far? A blog by David Osborn - Questions around Government governance Exploring the barriers that impact access to NHS care for people with ME and Long Covid Patient safety concerns for Long COVID patients- Posted
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Prescriptions for ADHD drugs jump 18% year-on-year, figures show
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Prescriptions for drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have jumped 18% year-on-year since the pandemic, research suggests. Experts said increasing awareness of ADHD, including via social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, is likely to have encouraged more people to seek diagnosis and treatment for the condition. However, they warned that “misinformation on these platforms may lead to misconceptions about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment”. Another reason behind the rise could be the “strong association between the impact of the (Covid) pandemic and the worsening of ADHD symptoms”, they said. Dr Ulrich Muller-Sedgwick, ADHD champion at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said people with ADHD need access to timely and effective assessment, “followed by the appropriate treatment”. He added: “We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people coming forward for ADHD support in recent years. “There are many reasons for this, including improved recognition of ADHD in women, greater public awareness and the impacts of the pandemic which exacerbated many people’s symptoms. “The right diagnosis and care, including medication and reasonable adjustments, can greatly benefit people’s health and support them to reach their full potential at school, university or work. “We know that expanding ADHD services through targeted investment would help ensure people receive the vital care they need.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 March 2025- Posted
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Loved ones remembered on fifth anniversary of start of Covid
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen said that "a shadow passed over us" and recited a moving poem of Covid pandemic memories to mark the fifth anniversary since the outbreak of the deadly virus. Emotional scenes played out across the UK on Sunday as the bereaved and their communities hosted hundreds of events to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the pandemic in a day of reflection. Rosen, 78, was rushed to hospital with Covid and put into an induced coma in intensive care in March 2020. Speaking at a memorial event in Staffordshire, the poet said "thanks to the expertise and care I received, I came through, but I look back over my shoulder and think of those who didn't". The annual day is one of the recommendations set out by the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration, external. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "As we mark five years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, I know for many there is deep grief and loss that may never be relieved." In London, sobbing could be heard as bereaved relatives, led by a Highland piper, joined well wishers to walk beside the National Covid Memorial Wall. They passed 3,000 photographs of the faces of some of those who died, which represents just over 1% of the total death toll from Covid in the UK, organisers said. Read full story Source: BBC News, 8 March 2025- Posted
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This study investigated burnout and sources of stress related to the Covid-19 pandemic among a group of healthcare risk managers and patient safety practitioners. An online survey asked the open question, "Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, what work or non-work-related issues have been causing you the most stress?" The results showed that burnout and pandemic-related stress were very common in the healthcare risk management and patient safety workforce. Stressors included: the impacts of social distancing. changing duties and workload. real and potential impacts of the virus (for example, fear of infection for self or others). financial concerns (personal and organisational). untrustworthy and constantly changing guidance. feeling abused by persons in power. positive comments about the experience of working during the pandemic.- Posted
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On 20 March 2020, Rowan Brown started to feel a tickle at the back of her throat. Over the next few days, new symptoms began to emerge: difficulty breathing, some tiredness. By the following week, the UK had been put under lockdown in a last-minute attempt to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, or Covid-19. Brown didn’t know then she was at the beginning of a condition that did not yet have a name, but which has since become known as Long Covid. After two weeks, she had a Zoom with a friend, and at the end of the conversation it was as if all life force had drained out of her body. Her doctor advised her to stay in bed for two weeks. Those two weeks turned into three and a half months of extended Covid symptoms: nausea, fevers, night sweats, intense muscle and joint pain, allodynia (a heightened sensitivity to pain), hallucinations, visual disturbances. By the end of the three months, she had noted 32 different symptoms. “I didn’t recognise the way my body felt at all: my skin, my hair,” she remembers now. “It was like being taken over by a weird alien virus, which I guess is what happened.” Brown, 48, is one of 2 million people in the UK thought to be experiencing long Covid symptoms; according to a study published last summer, roughly 400 million people worldwide have been affected. Often, long Covid patients experience mild primary infections, are never admitted to hospital and only realise there is a problem later, when the symptoms persist well beyond the usual two weeks. Some make a full recovery, some see improvements over time; others, like Brown, have seen little progress since being infected five years ago. One of the main challenges in diagnosing and treating long Covid is its unpredictability: research studies have linked it to more than 200 symptoms affecting every part of the body. Many patients go on to develop complications such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder; 59% of patients show signs of organ damage. The unwillingness to discuss chronic illness is especially concerning when combined with the scepticism faced by Long Covid patients, who have to advocate for themselves so that medical professionals, employers and loved ones understand the gravity of their illness. All of this conspires to make Long Covid patients feel invisible, voiceless and forgotten. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 March 2025 Further reading on the hub: Exploring the barriers that impact access to NHS care for people with ME and Long Covid Building an NHS that’s there for Long Covid and ME Top picks: 12 research papers on Long Covid It's time to confront Long Covid: An interview with Clare Rayner on why we must keep pushing for research, treatment and prevention Healthcare workers with Long Covid: Group litigation – a blog from David Osborn- Posted
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