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EventuntilThe Ebola outbreak highlighted significant gaps in monitoring systems for healthcare professionals. Dynamic health information can be challenging to track and respond to effectively, increasing susceptibility to outbreaks of special pathogens. This webinar will describe operational challenges in post-exposure monitoring for Ebola and other special pathogens; explain how digital monitoring tools can strengthen healthcare workers’ safety; identify key design considerations for special pathogen monitoring systems; discuss how Ebola preparedness lessons can be applied to other special pathogens; evaluate how drills and simulations validate readiness; reveal near misses; test escalation pathways; improve coordination between occupational health, infection prevention, supervisors, emergency management, and public health; and recognise the importance of human oversight in digital preparedness systems. Register
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Content ArticleThe massive roll-out of new and repurposed medicines in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights the need for more efficient pharmacovigilance systems, including use of digital technologies. This study reports a large pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of the smartphone app Med Safety in improving suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting by healthcare workers to Uganda's National Pharmacovigilance Centre. Between Aug 11, 2020 and Nov 1, 2022, 367 clusters (healthcare facilities providing dolutegravir-based combination antiretroviral therapy in Uganda) received the allocated intervention (184 in the intervention group and 183 in the control group), with 2464 health-care workers (1211 in the intervention group and 1253 in the control group). In the intervention group, health-care workers received pharmacist-delivered training in Med Safety and traditional ADR reporting methods. The control group received the same training as the intervention group except for Med Safety training. The primary outcome was the cluster-level ADR reporting rate at the end of follow-up (at least 12 months) and was analysed in all sites that received the allocated intervention. Med Safety use was found to increase ADR reporting rates among health-care workers in Uganda, particularly non-serious and dolutegravir-related ADRs. These findings suggest that integrating digital technologies into pharmacovigilance systems could strengthen drug-safety monitoring in Uganda and other LMICs.
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Content ArticleNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death and disability in countries across the 27 European Union (EU) Member States, Norway and Iceland (EU27+2) and in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). While all countries are impacted by NCDs, there are substantial cross-country differences in the current burden of NCDs, the contribution of individual risk factors, and the outcomes of prevention and management efforts. This OECD Health Working Paper finds that countries can be clustered into seven distinct groups of countries within the EU27+2, each with a unique NCD profile. In addition, the remaining 14 OECD countries were grouped, providing a broader international benchmark with corresponding comparative analysis. World Patient Safety Day on the 17 September 2026 is focused on the theme “Safe care for non-communicable diseases”
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Content Article
The King's Fund: Lessons from the Wigan Deal
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Community care
The role of communities in improving health is receiving increasing attention from policy makers and NHS leaders. An important part of this involves using ‘strength-based’ or ‘asset-based’ approaches, which nurture the strengths of individuals and communities to build independence and improve health. Since 2011, Wigan Council has embarked on a major process of change involving moving towards asset-based working at scale, empowering communities through a ‘citizen-led’ approach to public health and creating a culture which permits staff to redesign how they work in response to the needs of individuals and communities. At the heart of this is an attempt to strike a new relationship between public services and local people that has become known as the ‘Wigan Deal’. To understand the approach Wigan Council and its partners have taken, the King's Fund interviewed a wide range of people over the course of seven days. They visited a number of key sites across Wigan, speaking to frontline staff, users of services, the voluntary sector and citizens of Wigan as well as leaders in the system. This fieldwork formed the basis of a report examining how and why the Wigan Deal was developed, how it has been put into practice, and what others might learn from it. -
Content ArticleDespite its proven ability to deliver fast, cost-effective and impactful learning, After Action Reviews (AARs) remain significantly underutilised in healthcare contexts. This study describes the use of AAR to illustrate the strengths of this structured learning approach and to promote its wider use. The authors provide a narrative synthesis of the findings, drawing on field experience and document analysis from two AAR contexts: (1) The ‘micro’ context: in hospital settings to improve patient safety and team performance as experienced within the NHS in England. (2) The ‘macro’ context: in health system settings to enhance preparedness for public health emergencies as used by WHO. Findings include the following:(1) where good practice should be repeated, such as house-to-house vaccination, the provision of consistent messaging for all teams and early communication with family members; (2) where gaps should be closed such as knowledge about procedures to be followed if a patient disappears from a ward, full vaccination of all healthcare workers and community confidence in vaccination. The comparison of the similarities in the process in both contexts and the challenges experienced provides insight into the value of the approach and is designed to support other healthcare contexts to adopt the approach successfully
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News Article
UK healthy life expectancy falls by two years in past decade
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of years people in the UK spend in good health is falling, according to a new report. Over the past decade healthy life expectancy (HLE) has dropped by around two years to just under 61 for both men and women. The UK is one of only five of the richest 21 countries to see HLE decline and its fall was the second steepest. The Health Foundation, which produced the analysis, said there was a significant economic cost to this trend and the findings should act as a watershed moment. It said poverty, poor housing and lifestyle factors such as obesity were to blame along with the impact of the Covid pandemic. The analysis, based on data from the Office for National Statistics between 2022-24 and 2012-2014, found those in the wealthiest 10% of areas could expect to have around 20 more years of good health than those in the poorest. Read full story Source: BBC News, 27 April 2026 -
Content ArticleThis analysis from The Health Foundation examines how healthy life expectancy in the UK has changed over the past decade, how it varies across local areas and how these trends compare with other high-income countries. Healthy life expectancy – the average number of years a person would expect to live in good health based on current mortality rates and levels of self-reported good health – is a key measure of the population’s health, providing a more comprehensive picture of the UK’s health than life expectancy alone. Over the decade 2012–14 to 2022–24, healthy life expectancy in the UK fell by about 2 years, to 60.7 years for males and 60.9 years for females. England, Scotland and Wales all saw steep declines, while the fall in Northern Ireland was more modest. The vast majority of local areas in Great Britain saw a decline over the decade, with healthy life expectancy having now fallen below the state pension age of 66 years in more than 90% of areas. In more than 1 in 10 local areas, healthy life expectancy is below 55 years. Deep inequalities in healthy life expectancy between affluent and deprived areas have widened. The gap between the most and least deprived deciles in England is now 19.4 years for males and 20.3 years for females. At the UK level, life expectancy has remained broadly stable, indicating that the drop in healthy life expectancy is largely driven by self-reported health and cannot simply be explained by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in the most deprived areas, life expectancy has still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Of 21 high-income countries, the UK is one of only five that saw healthy life expectancy fall between 2011 and 2021, and had the second steepest decline. As a result, the UK has fallen from 14th to 20th out of these countries – only the United States now has a lower healthy life expectancy. These findings reinforce growing evidence about declining health in the UK, particularly among the working-age population. Successive governments have failed to take the long-term action needed to address this, resulting in a growing economic and fiscal impact as well as a substantial human cost. A new approach is needed to rebuild the UK’s health that puts improving health on a par with delivering economic growth at the heart of government policy. This should be supported by cross-government action on the wider factors that shape people’s health, a shift to prevention and a new strategy to address economic and health inequalities.
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Content Article
Despite decades of national efforts, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to rise. NCDs are long-lasting health conditions, that typically develop slowly and progress over time. They include cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and strokes), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. NCDs affect far more than health outcomes: they influence how people live and work, strain families and communities, and impose a growing burden on health systems and economies. This report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) assesses the health and economic benefits of tackling NCDs. It highlights how countries that succeed in reducing key health risks such as obesity and tobacco use can save lives, ease pressure on health budgets and unlock substantial economic gains. World Patient Safety Day on the 17 September 2026 is focused on the theme “Safe care for non-communicable diseases”. -
Content ArticleThe government has published its much-awaited Neighbourhood Health Framework. It sets out in new detail what neighbourhood health aims to do and how this will be achieved, building on the 10 Year Health Plan, the Neighbourhood health guidelines 2025/26 and the Medium Term Planning Framework. The framework describes neighbourhood health as putting the person at the centre of how local services are organised and delivered – including GP and community services, urgent care and outpatients, as well as services commissioned by local authorities such as social care and public health. The new guidance brings some long-awaited clarity to commissioners and providers about what neighbourhood health should deliver. There is much to welcome. But questions remain around whether targets can ease pressures on the acute sector as well as improve patient care and experience; whether focus can be maintained on long term population health priorities among a plethora of specific shorter term delivery goals; whether permissiveness in designing local services and rigid structures can coexist; and, fundamentally, whether integrated care boards (ICBs) and other organisations have the capacity to action it all. In this King's Fund article, experts set out their more detailed analysis of the framework. They consider the parts to celebrate, the aspects that raise some concerns, what’s missing, and the questions that remain outstanding.
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Content ArticleSince 2013, Healthwatch has operated nationally and locally to gather the views of people using the health and care system in England. Its primary role has been to support improvements to services by reporting people’s experiences, which it has done by working with communities across England, collecting feedback on health and care services, and sharing this information with government bodies and local systems to inform policy and service development. On 27 June 2025, the government announced plans to close Healthwatch England and the network of 153 local Healthwatch organisations. In line with recommendations from the Dash review of patient safety, the government plans to transfer the strategic functions of Healthwatch England to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and the statutory functions of local Healthwatch organisations to NHS integrated care boards (ICBs) on healthcare and local authorities for views on adult social care. In light of these planned changes, this research from the King's Fund explores what can be learned from the Healthwatch model, including what has worked well, what the challenges have been and how this can inform the government’s planned changes to how patient and service user experiences are collected and used. The King’s Fund reviewed existing evidence, conducted interviews and carried out two workshops with local and national stakeholders.
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Content ArticleCardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and other arterial and aortic diseases. The British Heart Foundation estimates that there are approximately 6.4 million people in England living with CVD (as at September 2024). In 2022, CVD contributed to a quarter of deaths in England. Local authorities have a statutory duty to commission NHS Health Checks – used to help prevent CVD – for their local eligible population. While DHSC provides funding to local authorities for Health Checks through the public health grant, and retains policy responsibility, local authorities. This report examines the effectiveness of the government‘s approach to identifying, preventing and managing CVD in England. It sets out: levels and trends in CVD in England the role of primary care in detecting and preventing CVD commissioning, delivery and performance on Health Checks wider public health work on preventing CVD.
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Content ArticleA King's Fund long read reflecting on the UK's Autumn Budget. Headline announcements Real-terms increase in core local government spending power of around 3.2%, including £600 million of new grant funding to support social care (for both adults and children’s services) and a £86 million increase to the Disabled Facilities Grant. Total health spending increases by 3.8% a year on average in real terms between 2023/24 and 2025/26. This includes a 3.4% increase to day-to-day (resource) spending on items like staff salaries and medicines, and a 10.9% increase in capital investment on items like buildings and equipment over this period. Disincentivising activities that cause ill health by renewing and increasing duties on tobacco-related products and the Soft Drinks Levy. Increases to the National Living Wage and National Insurance Employer Contribution costs, which will particularly affect non-public sector employers.
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Content ArticleSafety is a public health issue that affects not only the well-being of our patients, but also the integrity of our entire industry. Over the years, we've made incredible strides in improving safety standards. Yet challenges remain. And, as we broaden our understanding of what constitutes "harm," we begin to realise that emotional damage to patients can be just as impactful as the physical. This article looks at how can we address safety challenges in healthcare.
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Content ArticlePeople with frailty, particularly severe frailty, are at risk of some of the poorest outcomes from hospital care; their care also consumes the highest resource. How can research help? This National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Collection looks at how research could improve care for people with frailty in hospitals and in the community.
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Content ArticleThis review by the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE) concludes that racism damages health and wellbeing and drives inequalities in London. Racism in the capital is widespread and persistent causing damage to individuals, communities and society as a whole. Its impacts are experienced in different ways and to varying levels of intensity related to individual experiences, socioeconomic position and other dimensions of exclusion such as disability, age and gender. The intersections with other dimensions of exclusion can amplify the effects of racism. The focus of this review is on the effects of racism on health and its contribution to avoidable inequalities in health between ethnic groups – a particularly unacceptable form of health inequity. It is urgent that society tackle the damage to health and wellbeing as a result of racism. The review is part of a series of evidence reviews funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to build the evidence for reducing health inequalities in London through action on specific social determinants of health. The other three reviews cover housing, the cost of living and adult skills.
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Content ArticleThis review has concluded that hospitals that are privatised typically deliver worse quality care after converting from public ownership. The researchers carried out a meta-analysis based on evidence from 13 longitudinal studies, covering a range of high-income countries.* Each study assessed quality of healthcare measures for patients before and after health service privatisation, at either the hospital or regional level. The studies included measured indicators of care quality which included staffing levels, patient mix by insurance type, the number of services provided, workload for doctors, and health outcomes for patients such as avoidable hospitalisations. Key findings: Increases in privatisation generally corresponded with worse quality of care, with no studies included in the review finding unequivocally positive effects on health outcomes. Hospitals converting from public to private ownership status tended to make higher profits. This was mainly achieved by reducing staff levels and reducing the proportion of patients with limited health insurance coverage. Privatisation generally corresponded with fewer cleaning staff employed per patient, and higher rates of patient infections. In some studies, higher levels of hospital privatisation corresponded with higher rates of avoidable deaths. However, in some cases (e.g. Croatia), privatisation led to some benefits for patient access, through more precise appointments and new means of care delivery, such as out-of-hours telephone calls.
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News ArticleDoctors have reported a rise in the number of patients with Victorian diseases such as scabies, as the Royal College of Physicians urged the government to do more to fight poverty. The survey of 882 doctors found 89% were concerned about the impact of health inequalities on their patients, while 72% had seen more patients in the past three months with illnesses related to poor-quality housing, air pollution and access to transport. The Royal College of Physicians found 46% of respondents said that at least half of their workload involved illnesses linked to social factors. One doctor said that they had seen patients with two Victorian skin diseases, erysipelas and scabies, over the past three months. Another said they were seeing more people “with poor nutritional status due to poverty”, eventually leading to “prolonged and impaired recovery from acute illnesses”. Several patients had contracted hypothermia. One doctor said it was due to the patient not being able to afford heating at home. The Royal College of Physicians has called on the government to set out how its health mission will address these illnesses. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 3 April 2025
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News Article
States sue HHS over $12B in cancelled health funds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against HHS over the Trump administration’s abrupt cancellation of billions in public health grants to state health departments. The suit, filed April 1 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, alleges HHS’ discontinuation of more than $11 billion in funding to state health departments violates federal law and jeopardises public health. The eliminated funds supported efforts to track infectious diseases, improve pandemic preparedness, expand mental health services and modernize outdated systems. If funding is not restored, states allege key public health programs will be disbanded and thousands of employees could lose their jobs. State health departments began receiving notices late March 25 that $11.4 billion in grants from the CDC and roughly $1 billion in funds from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were being rescinded immediately. “Slashing this funding now will reverse our progress on the opioid crisis, throw our mental health systems into chaos, and leave hospitals struggling to care for patients,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a news release, adding that the state is set to lose nearly $400 million as part of the cuts. The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary restraining order to immediately prevent the funds from being rescinded, as well longer-term injunctions. Read full story Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 1 April 2025 -
News Article
NHS ‘should give councils more grief’ on health
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The 10-Year Plan’s focus on the NHS risks sidelining the need for more effective action by national and local government on prevention, public health directors are warning. Association of Directors of Public Health president Greg Fell also told HSJ integrated care boards should “give us [councils] more grief” to take more action on prevention, rather than prioritising NHS upstream interventions that are not as effective as primary prevention. Mr Fell, director of public health at Sheffield City Council, said policy makers, NHS leaders and media too often looked to growing “preventive” treatments – such as weight management treatment, and weight-loss drugs – as the solution to problems like growing obesity and falling healthy life expectancy. He said the routine “framing” of prevention as something the NHS can solve with upstream treatments risked diverting from national and local government actions that could make a much bigger difference. Mr Fell said such interventions – and the high-profile GLP-1 drugs for obesity – may be worthwhile, but for overcoming the big health threats were “like emptying an ocean with a teaspoon or, being kind, a soup ladle”. He said: “The answer is way upstream of better treatment. [It] is effective regulation of junk food industries, and that isn’t primarily a Department of Health and Social Care thing, and certainly not an NHS problem. It’s a problem across the government.” Mr Fell said he expected the 10-Year Plan “would be pretty good” but means “the bandwidth has been taken by the NHS”. He called for government to outline its plan for preventive cross-government action as part of its health mission, beginning a “debate about the right mix of policies” across multiple government departments, local government, and others. “We haven’t yet seen much on the health mission,” the director of public health said, adding that it would need to cover tobacco control, alcohol, air quality, obesity, and “how does all that hang together across the totality of government?” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 31 March 2025 -
News ArticleA California coastal destination is telling visitors to leave the measles virus at home this spring break, as cases continue to crop up across the country. San Diego County’s communications office said that while no cases have been reported there this year, the potential for new infections could rise with “many people taking advantage of spring break.” “If you have traveled internationally or nationally near an outbreak area and are experiencing the symptoms of measles, call your healthcare provider immediately,” Medical Director of County Epidemiology and Immunization Services Dr. Seema Shah said in a Monday statement. “Measles isn’t just a fever and rash. It can be a very dangerous illness, especially for young children and babies.” The county has also released a Public Service Announcement on social media to warn people of the potential spread and the vaccination. The warning comes as a deadly outbreak in West Texas grew even larger, with 327 cases identified since late January, officials announced Tuesday. That’s up by 18 since Friday. Read full story Source: The Independent, 25 March 2025
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News ArticleLife expectancy improvement is stalling across Europe with England experiencing the biggest slowdown. Experts are blaming this on an alarming mix of poor diet, mass inactivity and soaring obesity. The average annual growth in life expectancy across the continent fell from 0.23 years between 1990 and 2011 to 0.15 years between 2011 and 2019, according to research published in the Lancet Public Health journal. Of the 20 countries studied, every one apart from Norway saw life expectancy growth fall. England suffered the largest decline in life expectancy improvement, with a fall in average annual improvement of 0.18 years, from 0.25 between 1990 and 2011 to 0.07 between 2011 and 2019. The second slowdown of life expectancy growth in Europe was in Northern Ireland (reducing by 0.16 years), followed by Wales and Scotland (both falling by 0.15 years). Sarah Price, NHS England’s director of public health, said: “This important study reinforces that prevention is the cornerstone of a healthier society, and is exactly why it will be such a key part of the 10-year health plan which we are working with [the] government on. “The slowdown in life expectancy improvements, particularly due to cardiovascular disease and cancer, highlights the urgent need for stronger action on the root causes – poor diet, physical inactivity, and obesity.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 18 February 2025
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EventuntilThis conference is being run by the Local Government Association (LGA) in partnership with the Association of Directors and Public Health (ADPH). This key annual conference in public health will offer delegates the opportunity to hear from leading expert speakers on the very latest thinking on health inequalities, as well as gaining insights from those delivering on the ground. It will provide a much-needed opportunity for the public health community to come together, share learning, take stock and plan for the future. This year’s virtual conference will focus on addressing health inequalities, with a keen eye on local government and system-wide perspectives. It will provide practical insights and strategic discussions to inform and address the changing needs of our communities. Over three days, delegates will be able to put their questions and comments to a line up of speakers and will have the opportunity to participate in sessions sharing good practice from local areas and to discuss issues that matter to them. The afternoon will also feature a virtual Innovation Zone, kindly sponsored by NIHR, providing an opportunity for councils, partners and stakeholders to showcase their public health practice and innovations. Confirmed speakers Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director UCL Institute of Health Equity Anne Longfield, Founder and Chair, Centre for Young Lives Alice Wiseman, Vice President, ADPH Sarah Muckle, Director of Public Health, Essex County Council and ADPH Policy Lead for Children and Young People Alison Hadley OBE, Director Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange, University of Bedfordshire James Woolgar, Sexual & Reproductive Health & HIV Commissioning Lead, Liverpool City Council and Chair, English HIV & Sexual Health Commissioners Group (EHSHCG) Carol Harris, Teenage Pregnancy Operational Lead, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Christopher Rocks, Lead Economist and Head of Secretariat, The Health Foundation Sally Cartwright, Director of Public Health Cambridgeshire Council Glenn Halliday, Strategic People Lead – Work and Health Integration Ruth Tennant, DPH Solihull and ADPH Board Member Katherine Merrifield, Assistant Director of Healthy Lives, The Health Foundation Dr Mubasshir Ajaz, Head of Health and Communities, West Midlands Combined Authority David Buck, Senior Fellow, Public Health and Inequalities, Kings Fund Vicky Head, DPH Milton Keynes Natalie Turner, Deputy Director for Localities, Centre for Ageing Better Greg Fell, President, ADPH This is a virtual event run on the Zoom platform. Register for the conference
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EventuntilThe new government has stated its ambition to create a prevention-first health and social care system and a fairer Britain where everyone lives well for longer. With this in mind, it is an ideal time for the nursing team to update its knowledge on public health and discover how it can play a role in preventing illness, protecting health, promoting well-being and reducing health inequalities. This webinar, delivered in collaboration with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, will give you strategies to maximise your impact whether you work in hospitals, social care or the community, the NHS or independent sector – and whatever your specialty. Find out how you can underpin your practice with the free All Our Health bite-sized e-learning modules on more than 30 public health topics, including obesity, climate change and mental health. And be inspired by nurses who will share helpful hints and tips on how to address some of the major public health issues affecting the population’s health - such as immunisation, screening and supporting smoking cessation, Plus, your questions answered by our panel of experts. Register
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Event
Do With: making the movement happen
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
untilIf you’ve been inspired by the Do With vision and want to work with others to shift the public sector away from its current ‘do to’ mindset and practices towards a ‘do with’ approach, please join this King's Fund online meeting. The event is free and open to anyone working in or with the public sector who wants to move towards a more humane, democratic and impactful way of working. Do With is not a new organisation or formal campaign. Instead, it hopes to be a grassroots movement for change led by the people who are part of it. As such, the event will be a space for attendees to share ideas on how they would like to deliver change and to connect people together who want to work on specific ideas. Those ideas could operate within public sector teams and organisations or within communities or both; and could operate at local, regional or national level. It is up to you and all those inspired by the Do With vision to take it forward. Register -
EventuntilHealth inequalities are associated with social exclusion, structural and physical violence and reduced development, which in turn are linked to adverse health and social outcomes, social conflict and even civil unrest. These issues have clear consequences for personal, community and societal safety. Public services are key institutions through which social inequities are created and maintained, through common drivers of exclusion that affect diverse populations, including the quality of service provision. This presentation identifies strategies that are known to reduce social exclusion that could potentially work across populations, public service sectors and country contexts. Findings are presented from studies in the UK and seven low- and middle-income countries, focused on women, young people, ethnic and religious minorities, migrants and rural populations. Common themes across these studies include: reducing the invisibility of disadvantaged communities in public service planning and delivery, addressing the neglect, restrictions and discriminatory practices that are linked to poor life chances, illness, physical abuse and death. Register
