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Found 500 results
  1. News Article
    Children who need life saving emergency surgery after a serious injury are almost six times more likely to die if in poorer countries than in wealthier ones, according to an international study led by the University of Cambridge. The research, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, analysed 237 children aged 18 and under who underwent trauma laparotomy – emergency surgery for severe abdominal injuries – in 85 hospitals across 32 countries. Traumatic injuries, including those caused by road traffic accidents and violence, are among the leading causes of death and disability in children and adolescents worldwide. This study looked at children who needed emergency surgery for severe abdominal injuries, comparing their care and outcomes across hospitals around the world. Overall, 8% of children in the study died within 30 days of surgery. After taking account of differences between patients and settings, children treated in countries with lower levels of development were almost six times more likely to die than those treated in countries with higher levels of development. The study found major differences in the care children received, which are likely to be important in understanding why outcomes were worse in poorer countries. Children often faced longer delays before reaching hospital and before receiving surgery. They were also less likely to receive a blood transfusion, have a CT scan, receive medicine used to reduce bleeding, or be operated on by a consultant surgeon. Children also made up a larger share of these cases in poorer countries than in wealthier ones. This suggests that poorer countries may face a double challenge: more children needing emergency surgery after trauma, and less access to the care needed to treat them. Read full story Source: Surgery, 15 June 2026
  2. News Article
    A “fundamental failure in quality governance” has led NHS England to take enforcement action against one of England’s largest trusts. NHSE has decided to intervene at Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust because it believes the provider is “unable to provide assurance” that it has a “clear and consistent quality governance structure across the whole organisation that will ensure no further patients may suffer harm”. A letter to the trust from NHSE North West regional director Louise Shepherd said: “There have been a series of escalating quality concerns over the previous 18 months, for which [the trust] has been unable to respond at the expected pace… The culmination of quality concerns and [the trust’s] response has resulted from a fundamental failure in quality governance.” Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board placed the trust in a “rapid quality review process” in January over concerns that it has made insufficient progress to remedy care failings identified by two independent reviews into its spinal services. The trust then commissioned the Good Governance Institute to undertake a review. It produced 43 recommendations and found NCA lacked a “clear and consistent quality governance structure to ensure patients would not suffer harm”. In September, the Care Quality Commission issued a warning notice to the trust following an inspection of Salford’s surgical services. It said NCA had not ensured surgical wards had sufficient and suitably qualified staff, as well as effective risk-management systems. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 23 June 2026
  3. News Article
    Despite increasing diversity at entry levels in the fields of medicine, this decreases at higher levels. Researchers have discovered that, despite many years of equality policies, advancement in UK surgery still largely depends on who already holds power in the room. Surgeons from underrepresented groups are more likely to leave training and face barriers to promotion, especially in environments dominated by White men in senior positions. This comes from a new study published in the Journal of Management Studies that analysed a decade of NHS career data. The findings suggest that informal networks and professional culture continue to shape careers as much as formal rules. Dr Carol Woodhams, lead author of the study and Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of Surrey, said: ‘Decisions about progression are not purely based on merit but are influenced by who is seen to “fit” the traditional image of a surgeon. In some parts of the NHS system, particularly specialist surgical fields, inequality is more entrenched. ‘In others, especially large teaching hospitals with stronger oversight and clearer procedures, the gap narrows. This suggests that organisational context plays a decisive role in shaping outcomes for staff from underrepresented groups, including their progression, retention, and experience of inequality.’ Despite increasing diversity at entry levels in the fields of medicine, this decreases at higher levels. Researchers have discovered that, despite many years of equality policies, advancement in UK surgery still largely depends on who already holds power in the room. Surgeons from underrepresented groups are more likely to leave training and face barriers to promotion, especially in environments dominated by White men in senior positions. This comes from a new study published in the Journal of Management Studies that analysed a decade of NHS career data. The findings suggest that informal networks and professional culture continue to shape careers as much as formal rules. Dr Carol Woodhams, lead author of the study and Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of Surrey, said: ‘Decisions about progression are not purely based on merit but are influenced by who is seen to “fit” the traditional image of a surgeon. In some parts of the NHS system, particularly specialist surgical fields, inequality is more entrenched. ‘In others, especially large teaching hospitals with stronger oversight and clearer procedures, the gap narrows. This suggests that organisational context plays a decisive role in shaping outcomes for staff from underrepresented groups, including their progression, retention, and experience of inequality.’ Researchers analysed the career paths of 3,402 trainee surgeons across 212 NHS trusts over 10 years, tracking promotion to consultant level and exit from training. They compared outcomes across gender and ethnicity and examined how these varied depending on workforce composition and governance structures. Dr Woodhams said: "People often assume inequality is a thing of the past because the rules have changed. But what we see here is that informal dynamics still carry significant weight. Who is recognised, supported and ultimately promoted is shaped by who already holds power." The study finds that environments with a higher concentration of senior White male surgeons tend to reinforce in-group advantages, while others face steeper barriers. However, stronger governance and transparency can counteract this, particularly in formal promotion decisions. Dr Woodhams added: "This is not about blaming individuals. It is about recognising that systems and cultures matter. The encouraging part is that change is possible. Where organisations take accountability seriously and make processes clearer, inequalities begin to shrink." Read full story Source: Surgery, 17 June 2026
  4. Content Article
    High-volume low-complexity elective hubs have been central to NHS England’s strategy to reduce waiting times for planned surgery. By concentrating activity in dedicated units, separating elective from emergency care and applying operational management principles, they are expected to deliver high levels of productivity and throughput, benefitting patients, populations and the system. The aim of this study was to identify features of hubs that contribute to strong performance in optimising care delivery, with a view to offering practical insights for those leading new and existing surgical hubs. Findings For those designing, delivering and overseeing surgical hubs, this study has several implications. First (and most prominently), work to ensure the implementation of standards relating to hub delivery, such as those set out by accreditation criteria, need to be accompanied by efforts to secure continuous improvement, for example through collection and regular review of process data to identify challenges to productivity, quality and patient experience as they arise. Active work to learn from the views of patients and staff appears to be an essential component of this since their experience of care as delivered will help to identify opportunities for improvement that may not be apparent from activity data alone. Second, since not all influences on productivity are within the scope of control of hub leads, a strong relationship with host organisations is vital, both in providing hubs with the latitude to implement staffing models and work routines that are appropriate to their distinctive needs, and in ensuring that emerging challenges to service delivery are dealt with promptly. Finally, efforts to foster strong relationships across a coherent set of clinical and non-clinical staff appear crucial. Besides ensuring that insights were transmitted from frontline staff to service managers in the hubs we studied, familiarity between staff groups also oiled the perioperative pathways, and created an environment that was receptive to the continuous adjustments needed to maintain productivity, quality and patient experience.
  5. News Article
    Thousands of people across the UK could face complex surgery to remove a spinal implant now linked to significant bone loss. This alarming development follows the device's global withdrawal from sale and an urgent recall for patients to undergo X-rays. The M6-C artificial disc implant was designed to replace damaged neck discs, offering an alternative to spinal fusion surgery, involving metal rods. However, the implant has been associated with osteolysis – a progressive condition where bone tissue is destroyed and reabsorbed by the body. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 19 June 2026
  6. News Article
    About one in 10 operations in England are cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice or postponed, according to research. A study of elective surgery at 91 English NHS trusts found that 10% of operations were cancelled the day before the planned surgery date; while 9% were postponed when patients had their pre-op appointment. If the study’s findings were replicated nationally, that would equate to approximately 300,000 cancellations or postponements. Yet nearly 40% of cancellations could be avoided, the authors concluded. Researchers for the National Institute for Health and Care Research Central London patient safety research collaboration, NHS England, University College London and the Royal College of Anaesthetists examined planned surgery data over seven days in November 2024. They found that the most common causes of cancellations were for medical reasons, patients not attending, operating lists overrunning and emergency admissions. But in 37.3% of cases, had these issues been identified as little as three to five days earlier, the operation could either have gone ahead, or another patient could have been offered the surgery slot, the study calculated. The study, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, also found that nearly two-thirds of operations postponed at the pre-op appointment were because patients needed further tests or specialist clinical review. The authors concluded that clinical pathways need overhauling, with more early screening, nimbler surgery scheduling and better communication. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 April 2026
  7. Content Article
    Postponing or cancelling elective surgical procedures can adversely affect the patient experience, clinical outcomes, and operational efficiency. The Postponement and Cancellations in Elective Care (PACE2024) study assessed the incidence and causes of postponement at preoperative assessment and cancellation within 24 h of planned surgery across the NHS in UK. Data from 78 NHS trusts from a 7-day survey in 2024 show reduced cancellation rates (now 9.9%) and postponements (8.7%) with improved theatre efficiency (74.7% of lists reported as running efficiently) since the Super-SNAP1 study in 2022. Postponements were most commonly attributable to a need for further investigation, and cancellations were most frequently associated with acute medical conditions and list overruns. Because nearly half of postponements involved additional testing or consultations, and acute medical conditions were the main driver of short-notice cancellations, earlier optimisation and robust preoperative assessment to meet fit to proceed criteria are needed. Proactive management of acute medical conditions and patient-initiated reasons for cancellation, optimised theatre scheduling to reduce list overruns, and enhanced preassessment pathways to ensure preparation for surgery could reduce disruption and improve theatre utilisation, with positive impacts on patient experience, workforce, and resource utilisation.
  8. News Article
    NHS patients in England are facing a “postcode lottery” in access to robotic-assisted surgery, according to an analysis by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The data, published on 20 April, shows that despite national guidance from NHS England there remain major differences in how the technology is funded, distributed and used across NHS trusts in England. Freedom of Information data from NHS trusts reveal that there is no consistent funding model for robotic surgery with some trusts, such as Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, relying on charitable funding. Read full article. Source: Digital Health, 21 April 2026
  9. Content Article
    More information about "“When patient education is rushed, safety is compromised” (a blog by Julie Smith, April 2026)"
    Julie Smith is a content director for a patient information library, and a Topic leader for the hub. In this blog she draws on recent research and her own expertise to explain why deprioritising patient education represents a failure to keep patients safe. Patient education and surgical outcomes: what the evidence shows Last year, Caroline Kamau-Mitchell published her research findings for The Surgeon titled ‘Benefits of patient education in surgery’ [1]. Her work involved surveying 38,689 patients who underwent a procedure in the NHS in England. Kamau-Mitchell found that around half of patients felt anxious before their procedure and this often correlated with outcomes, both in terms of patient satisfaction, but also post-procedure results. She noted that patient education: can reduce preoperative anxiety increases satisfaction teaches people what to expect from surgery and when to seek help. When patient education is rushed, safety is compromised I am the content director for a patient information library so it’s no surprise that this paper piqued my interest. It is both reassuring and affirming to see in black and white just how much of a difference good patient education makes. Sadly, we do hear both from patients and clinicians that information sharing is sometimes limited and rushed. In order for the patient to be truly educated and informed, they need time to digest the information, mull it over, discuss with loved ones, before deciding. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Healthcare providers are busy, overwhelmed and under pressure to deliver against tight targets and deadlines. This can result in cutting corners such as rushed consultations, very little time between information sharing and the procedure itself, and ultimately, unsafe care. The result of this could be catastrophic; symptoms of a serious complication may be ignored, important post-operative advice may be missed and, ultimately, the consent given will not be truly informed. Anxiety, uncertainty and the patient experience of surgery The point around anxiety is also an important one to consider. Hospitals may be second homes to our healthcare providers, but to most people they are overwhelming, alien and can carry negative connotations or memories. There are strange smells and sounds, people walking around in scrubs and masks, not to mention the maze-like configuration of so many of them. This is all before you consider that the patient may have a life-threatening condition, an awful injury or unexplained symptoms that require a procedure. If we have an opportunity to reduce their anxiety, especially given Kamau-Mitchell’s conclusion that this can be reduced with patient education, we absolutely have to take it. Patient education is a core component of safe care Kamau-Mitchell’s research shows that we cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to patient education. Deprioritising patient education represents a failure to keep patients safe. The evidence is there for all to see; properly educated patients are more satisfied, less anxious, have better outcomes and know what the warning signs are if anything goes wrong. We want to make patients feel safe when they have surgery. This isn’t just about having the right person with the right expertise providing their care, it’s also about them being prepared and knowing what to expect. Patient education plays such an important part in this and so it is our duty to both get it right in terms of its content but also make sure it’s shared in a timely and accessible manner. Making consent a meaningful process, not a formality Accountability is key here – consent must be treated as a defined and prioritised part of the care pathway, supported by leadership and embedded in organisational processes. There is plenty of good-quality information and well-informed healthcare professionals able to deliver the information but if they are not given the time and resources to deliver it, the issue of poor consenting processes will persist. It is the duty of clinical and safety leadership to ensure good patient education is prioritised and promoted so it becomes a part of the culture of their organisation. Failing to prioritise patient education is a preventable patient safety risk and should be treated as such. Kamau-Mitchell’s study findings must be considered by any healthcare providers when it comes to how they much time and effort they put into providing education for their patients. If they don’t, they put their patients at risk of poor experience, poor outcomes and uninformed consent. Reference [1] C. Kamau-Mitchell, “Benefits of patient education in surgery,” The Surgeon, pp. 162-166, 2025.
  10. News Article
    A major investigation into the care of more than 200 NHS cases has been expanded to include a "small number" of heart patients, confirms Sussex Police. The force is looking into allegations of medical negligence at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton between 2015 and 2021 as part of Operation Bramber. Officers are examining claims about preventable deaths and injuries in the trust's neurosurgery and general surgery departments. University Hospital Sussex NHS Trust, which runs seven hospitals across East and West Sussex, said it would continue to "fully co-operate" with the police investigation. Initially, 40 deaths were investigated as part of Operation Bramber, which was launched by the police in 2023, after both a coroner and two consultant surgeons at the hospital raised concerns. A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: "As a result of a further witness coming forward during the course of the investigation, police are now starting to review a small number of cases relating to cardiothoracic surgery at the Royal Sussex County Hospital." And added: "Cases relating to neurosurgery and general surgery at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton between 2015 and 2021 have started to be reviewed by specialist consultant surgeons who are totally independent of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. "They have been commissioned to provide expert medical opinion on individual cases, and their reports will be considered alongside information obtained from our police enquiries to determine whether any cases will be taken forward and if so, which ones." Read full story Source: BBC News, 15 April 2026
  11. News Article
    At the height of Covid, hundreds of cancer patients had mastectomies without the reconstruction that would normally accompany them. They would eventually get the surgery, they were told – but for many that promise feels more meaningless by the day Every time she lifts her arms to get dressed or hang out her washing, Julie Ford gets a painful reminder of one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. At 7am one day in April 2021, she had gone into hospital, alone and wearing a mask, to have her right breast and lymph nodes removed in a bid to stop breast cancer from spreading. Later that day, still groggy from the anaesthetic, in pain and with surgical drains hanging from both sides of her chest, she had staggered to the door with the help of two nurses. She was eased into a friend’s car and driven home to fend for herself. While Julie’s breast had been removed, it was not reconstructed. Usually, both procedures are carried out in the same operation. But as reconstruction using tissue from the patient’s abdomen is a complex, eight-hour procedure requiring a large surgical team, it was considered “non-essential” and paused by most NHS trusts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like hundreds of women with breast cancer who underwent urgent mastectomies without reconstruction in 2020 and 2021, Julie was assured she could have the procedure once Covid restrictions lifted. But five years later, Julie, now 62, is still waiting. A national shortage of specialist surgeons and theatre space, as well as the need to prioritise new cancer cases, means many women like her, who had breasts removed during lockdown, feel they have been abandoned. They live in daily physical discomfort and mental distress as they continue to await the reconstructions they were promised years ago. A 2024 study found at least 2,200 patients who have survived breast cancer, or who were at high risk of developing it, were waiting for surgery across 40 NHS centres in England, with an average wait of 2.5 years. And Wood fears there is little to encourage struggling hospitals to clear the backlog. Instead of investing resources into “expensive and lengthy” surgeries such as breast reconstructions, NHS trusts that want to reduce the size of their overall waiting list have an incentive to prioritise quick, simple operations where several patients can be ticked off the list in a short time, he says. “There are capacity issues, with growing demand and a shortage of theatre time and surgeons’ time, but to tackle it you need to have [NHS trust] management that is bothered to find a solution, not just sit on their hands.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 April 2026
  12. Event
    Team Based Quality Reviews (TBQR) provide a structured, evidence-based approach to team learning in clinical practice. Building on existing processes such as morbidity and mortality (M&M) meetings and significant event analyses, TBQR supports whole-team reflection from the point of an event through to shared learning, meaningful actions, addressing unintended consequences and follow-up for improvement. This one-day course, developed in partnership with NHS Education Scotland, RCSEd and the GMC, equips healthcare professionals with the tools, frameworks, and strategies needed to embed TBQR into clinical practice. Participants will gain practical skills in implementation strategies, analysing events, identifying meaningful actions, and overcoming barriers—such as time, resources, and system alignment. Designed for colleagues leading or interested in safety reviews, or seeking to improve daily work practices, this course provides an opportunity to enhance the understanding, and application of Human Factors and Systems Thinking into practice. It explores how TBQR can be used not only to learn from harm, but also from success, innovation, and complexity in care delivery. This course provides delegates with an opportunity to join a wider network of professionals and learn from areas of good practice across the globe. By supporting collective learning and psychological safety, TBQR strengthens team performance, staff wellbeing, and organisational resilience, ultimately advancing safe, effective, and sustainable healthcare. Learning style There are two components to this course, as follows: Online / e-Learning training module. This pre-workshop module supports the learner in their understanding of the TBQR process, its underlying principles and provides an overview of designing quality and safety review pathways. Face-to-face workshops which will involve interactive lectures on core topics relevant to safety reviews and practical work. Aims & Objectives To equip surgeons and the healthcare workforce with the knowledge, skills, and implementation strategies to design, lead, and participate in Team Based Quality Reviews (TBQR), grounded in contemporary safety science and Human Factors principles. The course complements existing national safety review policies and frameworks, fostering a culture of learning, improvement, and understanding of resilience in systems. Learning outcomes By the end of the course, participants will be able to: Explain the purpose, principles, and practical relevance of Team Based Quality Reviews (TBQR) within health and care settings. Describe and map a TBQR process tailored to their own team or organisation, applying Human Factors principles to enhance learning and safety. Apply Systems Thinking and appropriate analytical frameworks to review cases in TBQR, M&M meetings, or similar review and reflective practices. Demonstrate the use of the TBQR process in a simulated scenario to identify system strengths, vulnerabilities, and strategies to build resilience within the system. Evaluate, plan, and apply implementation strategies to embed TBQR in their workplace in order to: Enhance learning and innovation Advance training Focus resources where required Improve staff wellbeing Promote psychological safety Engage patients and families. Register
  13. Event
    Making mistakes is an inescapable part of being a surgeon, yet research shows that many surgeons feel ill-prepared for this reality and struggle with the deep personal impact that errors can have. Feelings of isolation and lack of support are common, and even conversations with colleagues can sometimes intensify rather than relieve distress. Despite the centrality of this issue to our profession, it is rarely discussed openly. Many surgeons suffer in silence—leading to burnout, dropout, or reliance on unhelpful coping strategies. The True Cut workshop offers a safe and supportive space for honest reflection and practical learning. It explores how we can build better coping strategies in ourselves and our colleagues, how we can respond compassionately to patients and families, and how we can support one another in the aftermath of an error. The workshop is designed to be equally relevant for experienced surgeons and those in training. Target audience: Surgeons at all levels and Trainees Learning style: The day centres on selected excerpts from True Cut, a verbatim play created from interviews with surgeons, their colleagues, and patients. Each scene serves as a starting point for facilitated small-group discussions, held in a safe, supportive, and confidential setting. Scientific evidence is woven together with stimulating perspectives from the arts, encouraging thoughtful engagement and deeper reflection. Aims & objectives: To examine the ever-present possibility of mistakes in surgery, enabling participants to better understand and navigate their impact. Learning outcomes Participants will: better understand the universal nature of mistakes in human activity appreciate the deep and lasting impact of mistakes in surgical practice share and normalise the immediate and late effects on theatre staff - empathise with different perspectives - prepare themselves and others for the aftermath of mistakes support each other to grow and thrive in practice despite and even because of mistakes explore how we should respond to patients and families encourage a more open culture within their own practice, fostering dialogue and candour in their own unit - make links to online and in person resources The course covers the following areas of the Surgical Curriculum: GPC 1 : Values and behaviours GPC 2 : Communication and interpersonal skills. Dealing with complexity and uncertainty GPC 5 : Teamworking GPC 6 : Patient safety Register
  14. Content Article
    Surgical excellence demands teamwork. Poor team behaviours negatively affect team performance and are associated with adverse events and worse outcomes. Interventions to improve surgical teamwork focusing on frontline team members’ nontechnical skills have proliferated but shown mixed results. Literature on teamwork in organisations suggests that team behaviours are also contingent on psychosocial, cultural, and organisational factors. This study examined factors influencing surgical team behaviors to inform more contextually sensitive and effective approaches to optimising surgical teamwork.
  15. News Article
    The family of a man who died waiting for life-saving brain surgery at one of the country's leading hospitals say they're "furious" the department which treated him is now under rapid investigation. John Brackenbury died in 2016 after doctors at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge prioritised another patient for treatment. Despite several recommendations being made after John's death, whistleblowers at the hospital have told Sky News that changes didn't happen. Mr Brackenbury's daughter, Jenny Dunk, said it's "despicable" that lessons weren't learnt from his death. "Nobody cared, nobody saw dad as a human being, you know, they're all about kind of looking after themselves and their own egos and protecting each other," Jenny said. John was admitted to Addenbrooke's in November 2016 after suffering a brain haemorrhage, which needed treatment within 48 hours. But clinicians unexpectedly chose to operate on a different patient. "We were told that there was an unfortunate sequence of events and they took the wrong person. They took an 85-year-old Mrs B instead of a 70-year-old Mr B," John's widow Jean explained. John's operation was delayed until the following day, but he died overnight. His daughter Jenny said: "He was just left in a bed, nil-by-mouth, and abandoned." His widow describes John's treatment as "completely cruel". "There didn't seem to be any communication whatsoever between the surgical staff and the ward staff," Jean said. Read full story Source: Sky News, 14 March 2026
  16. Content Article
    Despite improving patient safety in some perioperative settings, some checklists are not living up to their potential and complaints of “checklist fatigue” and outright rejection of checklists are growing. Problems reported often concern human factors: poor design, inadequate introduction and training, duplication with other safety checks, poor integration with existing workflow, and cultural barriers. Each medical setting—such as an operating room or a critical care unit—and different clinical needs—such as a shift handover or critical event response—require a different checklist design. One size will not fit all, and checklists must be built around the structure of medical teams and the flow of their work in those settings. Useful guidance can be found in the literature; however, to date, no integrated and comprehensive framework exists to guide development and design of checklists to be effective and harmonious with the flow of medical and perioperative tasks. Burian and colleagues propose such a framework organised around the 5 stages of the checklist life cycle: (1) conception, (2) determination of content and design, (3) testing and validation, (4) induction, training, and implementation, and (5) ongoing evaluation, revision, and possible retirement. They illustrate one way in which the design of checklists can better match user needs in specific perioperative settings (in this case, the operating room during critical events). Medical checklists will only live up to their potential to improve the quality of patient care if their development is improved and their designs are tailored to the specific needs of the users and the environments in which they are used.
  17. News Article
    Just 6% of surgeons in private hospitals are women, says a report warning that a “private boys’ club” culture stops talented female doctors from getting work. Research by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) found that for some specialties, such as orthopaedics, independent hospitals employ more male doctors than they do women. Overall, only 488 of 7,934 surgeons at the country’s biggest private hospital chains are women — substantially lower than the proportion of female surgeons in the NHS. More than half of the UK’s doctors are women, but surgery has traditionally been male-dominated and a series of reports in recent years warned of a culture of sexism and harassment. Professor Felicity Meyer, a consultant vascular surgeon and chair of the Women in Surgery forum at RCS England, said: “The independent sector now delivers a growing share of surgical care, yet women remain strikingly underrepresented within its surgical workforce. “RCS England’s own work has repeatedly shown that this is not just an issue of fairness, but one that affects the resilience, safety and sustainability of the profession as a whole and ultimately impacts patient safety." Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 1 March 2026
  18. Content Article
    Wrong-site surgery (WSS) is defined as a “surgical or other invasive procedure performed on the wrong side, site, or patient, or an incorrect procedure performed on the patient.” This avoidable medical error continues to be significant problem in hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities (ASFs). Expanding on previous WSS research, the authors of this study took a novel approach and reviewed and analysed 644 WSS events reported in Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2024 and identified combinations of clinically related variables, such as type of facility, hospital procedure location, error type, clinician specialty, region of the body, and specific procedure. Most of these WSS events occurred in hospitals rather than ASFs, distributed across operating rooms, interventional radiology, and other procedural locations. The most frequently involved specialties were interventional radiology, pain management and orthopaedics. This study represents one of the largest samples of WSS events examined in a single study. The authors have visualised their deep-dive analysis in 16 figures, tables, and supplemental appendices to help stakeholders comprehend the many combinations of variables contributing to WSS, identify these factors in their own facility, and design interventions to improve patient safety.
  19. News Article
    The NHS has secured two alternative suppliers of medical cement, a move set to prevent delays for patients awaiting surgery. This crucial intervention follows global supply issues that impacted the health service's main provider of bone cement. Bone cement is vital for anchoring artificial joints and filling the space between new implants and a patient's bone. Earlier this month, experts warned that a shortage could lead to significant postponements for hip and knee replacements and other pre-planned operations. Officials had estimated a potential six to eight-week supply gap after Heraeus Medical, the NHS's primary German-based supplier, reported a packaging fault. The new agreements aim to avert this critical disruption. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 25 February 2026
  20. News Article
    A woman who had to have her leg amputated after a botched knee operation has won compensation from the hospital trust. The 69-year-old, who has not been named, underwent an operation in 2021 at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, near Hull, to replace a prosthetic knee she had had for more than 15 years. However, the surgeon's drill slipped, damaging nerves and blood vessels which led to her needing an above-knee amputation after emergency repair surgery failed, said her lawyers at Hudgell Solicitors. Read full article. Source: BBC News, 18 February 2026
  21. News Article
    A shortage in medical cement is likely to lead to delays in some patients getting joint surgery, NHS bosses say. It comes after Heraeus Medical, the main supplier of bone cement to the health service, has had to temporarily halt production at its main site for two months. The German firm supplies about three-quarters of the bone cement needed in the NHS. The product is used in about 1,000 operations a week, mostly in knee replacements, but also in some hip and shoulder replacements. Hospitals are being told to prioritise emergency patients ahead of those on the waiting list. These are likely to be older patients who have suffered falls and those with broken hips. Read full story. Source: BBC News, 18 February 2026 Related reading A formal update on this from NHS England, with actions for NHS organisations, can be found here.
  22. Content Article
    This letter from NHS England provides an update on a significant disruption that has emerged in relation to the supply of bone cement products sold by Heraeus Medical. A packaging fault temporarily halted production at Heraeus’ main production site. Whilst production has now restarted, product availability will be impacted for at least two months. The update advises that stock already in the UK supply chain may be sufficient for ~two weeks’ supply, at normal ordering volumes, beyond this there will be a period of six-eight weeks’ gap in supply. The update includes the following actions for NHS organisations: Trusts and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) should work to ensure available supply is focused on higher risk activities (for example urgent care and Trauma provision). Where use of a specific type of products is necessary. Trusts should review and clinically prioritise waiting lists and types of activity to maximise use of available stock, based on patient need, staff preference, training on alternative products and scarcity of supply. Trust and ICBs should proactively have conversations with Independent Sector (IS) providers in their area to ensure bone cement resources are prioritised for those patients within the clinical priority list above. ICB colleagues are asked to support and coordinate mutual aid where required. Clinicians should determine if the available alternatives are suitable, working closely with procurement colleagues and wider trust leadership. Any decisions to substitute products (as an interim measure or longer term) should be grounded in evidence‑basd practice and patient safety and informed by a documented risk assessment. Trusts should consider how to utilise any additional theatre time that is released, if arthroplasty or other elective procedures are not possible given lack of Heraeus products. Trust colleagues are asked to share this information with relevant teams in your organisation who may be affected by the supply disruption, for example: theatre leads, anaesthetic leads, surgical teams, and trauma and orthopaedic leads. Trusts are also asked to ensure transparent and timely communication with patients, particularly in circumstances where treatment waits may be extended or scheduled surgery requires rearrangement. It is essential that patients are kept fully informed of any changes to their care pathway.
  23. Content Article
    Medication administration errors represent a significant yet preventable cause of patient harm in the peripartum period. Implementation of best practices can significantly reduce medication errors and associated patient harm. Cases of medication errors involving unintended intrathecal administration of tranexamic acid highlight the need to improve medication safety in peripartum patients and obstetric anaesthesia. In obstetric anaesthesia, medication errors can include wrong medication, dose, route, time, patient or infusion setting. These errors are often underreported, have the potential to be catastrophic, and most can be prevented. Implementation of various types of best practice cost effective mitigation strategies include recommendations to improve drug labelling, optimise storage, determine correct medication prior to administration, use non-Luer epidural and intravenous connection ports, follow patient monitoring guidelines, use smart pumps and protocols for all infusions, disseminate medication safety educational material, and optimize staffing models. Vigilance in patient care and implementation of improved patient safety measures are urgently needed to decrease harm to mothers and newborns worldwide.
  24. News Article
    Surgeons can safely perform two common operations from distances of up to 1,700 miles, a new study has found. New research delved into telesurgery, a cutting-edge technique that allows medical professionals to operate on patients remotely using a surgical robot connected via a secure video-link. Academics in China initiated the study, highlighting that robust evidence on this method has previously been "scarce". Their primary aim was to ascertain whether telesurgery could achieve results comparable to, or "non-inferior" to, those from robotic-assisted surgery performed locally. Some 72 patients were randomly assigned to be given telesurgery or local surgery, with the main measure of success the outcome of the surgery. The researchers found telesurgery “was not inferior to local surgery in terms of the probability of surgical success”. Read full article. Source: The Independent, 29 January 2026
  25. News Article
    Five trusts with unusually high levels of surgical infections, which experts called “largely preventable” harm, have been identified by the UK’s health security agency. The UKHSA briefing issued last month said the acute providers had rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) that fell above 95th percentile thresholds for certain orthopaedic categories in 2024-25. The group of “statistical high outliers” were Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals trusts, identified for repair of neck and femur. North Tees and Hartlepool FT were identified for reduction of long bone fractures, and North Bristol Trust for hip replacement. Infection Prevention Society vice president Kerry Holden toldHSJ: “Reducing surgical site infections is fundamental because they are largely preventable harms that have a significant impact on patients, including increased morbidity, prolonged recovery, and avoidable readmissions, as well as substantial cost pressures on the healthcare system.” She added that an outlier trust would be expected to review practices such as theatre discipline, skin preparation, and treatments or action taken to prevent disease, as well as develop targeted quality improvement interventions with clear leadership oversight. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 27 January 2026

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