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News ArticleThe NHS will have to divert £45bn from essential services to pay for new medicines under the terms of the UK-US trade deal agreed last December, leading to more than 200,000 avoidable deaths of patients, analysis has found. Ministers have defended the deal as a way of helping British drug exports to the US avoid tariffs, and giving patients in England access to potentially life-extending drugs that would otherwise be denied. But they have been accused of caving in to US demands to spend billions of pounds a year extra on drugs supplied to the NHS after pressure from Donald Trump. The potentially devastating impact on NHS care has also caused growing alarm among health experts. Now analysis, published in the British Medical Journal, lays bare the likely cost of the deal to the NHS – and the projected deadly impact of cuts to health services on the population in England – for the first time. In total, £44.7bn in NHS cash will be diverted from health services by 2036 in order to pay more for new medicines under the trade deal, unless extra funding is made available to cover the additional costs, the analysis suggests. Reduced NHS spending on services will have an adverse effect on the nation’s public health, the analysis found, causing 229,000 excess deaths by 2036. The estimated avoidable death toll is larger than the number that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, between March 2020 and June 2022 (137,000). If the indirect effect on adult social care was also included, excess deaths would increase to 291,000, the report from the University of York, the University of Liverpool and Christchurch hospital in New Zealand found. Most of the preventable deaths would be among people with heart, respiratory and gastrointestinal disease or cancer. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 1 July 2026
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Content ArticleSamuel Cross, Karl Claxton, and Andrew Hill argue that diversion of billions of NHS funding to pay more for new drugs under the UK-US trade deal will harm public health and result in thousands of excess deaths.
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News Article
One person a week in England dies with undiagnosed TB, study finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
One person a week dies with undiagnosed and therefore untreated tuberculosis in England, a study has found. British-born, older men were among those most likely to have TB diagnosed only after death, researchers said, suggesting healthcare workers could be overlooking the possibility of the disease in these patients. Being diagnosed with TB postmortem should be considered a “never event” that prompts urgent investigations, they said, describing it as “the ultimate diagnostic delay”. Tuberculosis rates in England are at a 10-year high, with 9.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2024. The rate is only just below the World Health Organization’s “low incidence country” threshold of 10 cases per 100,000 – a level expected to be breached when 2025 figures are published. Most TB cases are diagnosed in people born outside the UK, with an average age of 36. But research published in the journal Thorax found that was not the case in those diagnosed after death, who tended to be older and British-born. “As TB rates continue to rise, we need to keep asking: ‘Could this be TB?’, even in people who do not fit the usual risk profiles,” said Dr Eleanor Morgan, the study’s co-author and a resident doctor at Liverpool University hospitals NHS foundation trust. “If England is to eliminate TB, reducing delays in diagnosis will be essential so that fewer people miss the opportunity to receive effective treatment.” The researchers also found children aged under four were at higher risk, which they said could be linked to underdeveloped immune systems, non-specific symptoms, and challenges in getting samples from very young children for testing. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 June 2026 -
Content ArticleC-sections are a common procedure in maternity care, but higher rates of emergency caesareans can be a sign of systemic issues. In this article the authors analyse a chart presenting Health Episode Statistic (HES) 2023/24 data to explore the intersection of ethnicity and socio-economic deprivation in shaping the likelihood of emergency C-sections in England. They found that there were higher rates of emergency C-sections among women and people giving birth from Black and Asian ethnic groups than from the White group, regardless of deprivation quantile. This data adds to a growing body of evidence that maternal health outcomes in the UK are not equal.
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Content Article
Prevention of future deaths report: Pamela Honeybone (25 September 2025)
Anonymous posted an article in Coroner reports
On 30 July 2025 an investigation was commenced into the death of Pamela Ann Honeybone, who died at Scarborough General Hospital on 19 October 2024 aged 90. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 23 September 2025. The conclusion of the inquest was that: Pamela Ann Honeybone died as a consequence of naturally occurring disease. Diagnosis of her condition was delayed when another patient was scanned in error instead of Mrs Honeybone, but it has not been possible to determine on the balance of probabilities that this contributed to her death. On the 19 of September 2024 Pamela Ann Honeybone was admitted to Scarborough General Hospital following a fall. She required CT scanning but another patient with the same first name underwent the investigation in error and its results were attributed to Mrs Honeybone. Mrs Honeybone’s condition continued to deteriorate and a CT scan undertaken on the 15 of October 2024 revealed the presence of an abdominal mass suggestive of lymphoma. Mrs Honeybone was moved to end of life care and she died at the hospital on the 19 of October 2024. Matters of concern: It was accepted in evidence that neither the doctor who escorted the wrong patient from the Emergency Department to radiology, nor the radiographer who undertook the CT scan on her, checked the identity of the patient in question. No transfer checklist was completed, and the patient was not asked to complete and/or sign the CT scanning questionnaire herself. No member of staff inquired as to the outcome of this patient’s CT scan prior to her discharge a few hours later. The scanning error was recognised by a radiologist on the 15th of October 2024, but was not conveyed to Mrs Honeybone’s treating team until late October, by which time she had died and her death had been scrutinised by the Medical Examiner and certified by her treating doctor as wholly natural and not requiring referral to the Coroner. As a result of the aforementioned delay, a Trust investigation did not commence until late November 2024. No prompt after action review therefore occurred in the hours and days after the error was recognised. When the Trust investigation did commence, staff directly involved either could not be identified or had no recollection of events. Despite hearing evidence that it was a doctor who would have escorted the wrong patient to scanning, the Trust Investigation focussed on nursing involvement with the patients in question and did not seek to identify and question medical team members. An Action Plan was drawn up as a result of the Trust Investigation, but for various reasons no audit of compliance with patient identification processes commenced until early August 2025, some ten months after Mrs Honeybone’s death. The results of the audit thus far were made available to me at inquest and indicate that 1 in 5 audited treatment encounters between staff of all grades and specialisms still occur without the patient being positively identified. The coroner heard evidence that while radiology transfer checklists are routinely completed ‘in hours’ at Scarborough Hospital when a dedicated HCA is on duty to perform this task, no such checklist is in use at the Trust’s York site at any time of the day. Mrs Honeybone’s misidentification occurred ‘out of hours’ at Scarborough when no designated person assumes responsibility for this task at that site. The coroner considers the above represent a continuing risk to others from misidentification and delayed responses to identified errors, with clear implications for patient safety. -
Content ArticleHow do you create a strong foundation of primary and community care in neighbourhoods? The King's Fund brought together senior leaders from across health and care in England and Singapore to discuss the shift to population health, prevention and neighbourhood-based health and care.
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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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News Article
One person diagnosed with cancer every 80 seconds in UK, report reveals
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of people in the UK being diagnosed with cancer has reached a record high, with one person diagnosed every 80 seconds, a report reveals. Cancer Research UK found that more than 403,000 people were being diagnosed with the disease each year. The rise is largely due to a growing and ageing population, as people are more likely to develop cancer as they get older. The NHS is struggling to cope with rising demand for care. Cancer waiting times across the UK are among the worst on record, according to the report. Incidences have risen to 620 per 100,000 people, from 610 a decade ago, partly driven by rising obesity levels. The proportion of cases diagnosed early has barely changed, inching up from 54% to 55%. There have been some major successes. Death rates have fallen, and the proportion of people surviving for a decade or more has risen. But Cancer Research UK said this progress was now at risk of stalling, in part due to pressure on cancer services. It said the government’s recent national cancer plan for England was a crucial step towards improving care but there needed to be “funding and resources to translate ambition into impact”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 23 April 2026 -
News Article
UK loses WHO status as measles-free after rise in deaths and fall in jab uptake
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The UK has lost its status as a measles-free country after a rise in deaths from the disease and fall in the proportion of children having the MMR jab in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it no longer classified Britain as having eliminated measles because the disease had become re-established. The UK is one of six countries in Europe and central Asia that the WHO says is no longer measles-free, the others being Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. The WHO had adjudged the UK to have eliminated the disease between 2021 and 2023, but recent increases in the number of recorded cases – there were 3,681 in 2024 – and rises in the number of outbreaks and deaths has led to a rethink. Doctors, public health experts and local councils said the WHO’s decision reflected the country’s diminishing uptake of the MMR vaccination, which they linked to vaccine hesitancy and parents’ difficulty in getting appointments for their child to be immunised. Dr Simon Williams, a public health researcher at Swansea University, said: “It’s sad to see the UK losing its measles elimination status, although it’s not surprising given outbreaks in recent years. Measles is an eminently preventable disease but vaccine coverage of MMR has declined. We are seeing vaccine hesitancy growing in the UK, as in many countries, and social media-based conspiracies about MMR are a factor.” He said the decision by the UN health body “is a wake-up call that more needs to be done” to get rates of MMR in children in the UK back up to the 95% that the organisation says is needed to eliminate measles, mumps and rubella altogether through herd immunity. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 January 2026 -
Content Article
Six steps to de-implementation: A toolkit for leaders
Alison Bravington posted an article in Quality Improvement
Some healthcare practices, including tasks intended to make care safer, are implemented without any evidence that they are of benefit, and can add an unnecessary burden to the day-to-day work of healthcare staff. This six-step toolkit provides resources to help identify which tasks or processes might be suitable for streamlining, and a step-by-step a guide to developing an evidence-based strategy for safely rethinking, reducing or removing a practice. It has been developed by the Yorkshire Quality and Safety Research Group at the Bradford Institute for Health Research, UK, through consultation with healthcare professionals and public contributors. -
Content ArticleThe NHS in England has historically delivered high quality at low cost, but recently, its performance has declined. The challenges facing the NHS hold potential lessons for the United States.
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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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News Article
Trump’s tariffs could hit UK medicine supply, Wes Streeting warns
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
US tariffs could adversely affect the supply of medicines to the UK, the health secretary has said. Donald Trump announced a wide range of “reciprocal” tariffs on goods imported into the US, including a 10% levy on the UK as well as 20% on the EU, 34% on China and 46% on Vietnam. It triggered a rout on stock markets worldwide, with plunges not seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, wiping out trillions of dollars in value. Wes Streeting told Sky News that the chaos caused by the fears of a global trade war could disrupt supplies of medicine. “As ever in terms of medicines, there’s a number of factors at play,” he said. “There have been challenges in terms of manufacturing, challenges in terms of distribution, and if we start to see tariffs kicking in, that’s another layer of challenge, but we watch this situation extremely closely.” He added: “We are constantly watching and acting on this situation to try and get medicines into the country, to make sure we’ve got availability, to show some flexibility in terms of how medicines are dispensed, to deal with shortages. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Streeting said patient data was “not for sale” as part of any trade negotiations with the US designed to mitigate the impact of the tariffs. “The NHS is not for sale and our patients’ data is not for sale,” Streeting said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 April 2025 -
News ArticleSuperbugs are on the rise in the UK and the government is failing in its efforts to tackle them, ministers have been warned. The World Health Organization has described antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – where pathogens evolve and develop resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobials so the drugs usually used to fight them no longer work – as “one of the top global public health and development threats”. AMR is already contributing to more than 35,000 deaths a year in the UK, estimates suggest. But the government “remains a long way” from achieving its aim of containing and controlling AMR, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. If urgent action is not taken to stem the crisis, the consequences for health, life expectancy, the functioning of the NHS and the wider economy would be “huge”, the watchdog said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 February 2025
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Content ArticleThe UK is the “sick man” of Europe at the moment—on almost every health indicator including life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, obesity rates and healthcare capacity—we lag behind our peers. Recent data from the Office for National Statistics shows the substantial impact this is having on our national prosperity. The number of people who cannot work primarily because of long-term illness reached a record nearly 2.6 million. In this article for The Guardian, Professor Dame Sally Davies, former chief medical officer for England, argues that this is not the first time the UK has lagged behind on health outcomes and faced the associated economic harm. During the 19th-century Industrial Revolution and the 20th-century post-war period, Britain faced health crises that, like today’s, also undermined labour supply, economic participation and growth. She highlights that in both of these instances, national leaders implemented bold new public health strategies on both health and economic grounds and asks the question, 'Why is the Government not taking a more comprehensive policy approach to tackling the serious health issues we face in 2023?'
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Content ArticleThe Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) is a 60-question exam required as part of UK medical training to progress from FY1 to FY2. This independent review into the PSA was commissioned by the Medical Schools Council (MSC) together with the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) in the summer of 2022. It suggests a strategic future direction for the PSA and addresses how the PSA has impacted prescribing assessment and practice for medical students and Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctors. It is intended to support national decision making about the future of UK prescribing assessment in the context of the imminent introduction of the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA). Recommendations Appropriate and mandatory assessment of prescribing should remain as a condition of practice for doctors in the UK: evidence of prescribing competence is highly desirable for new UK doctors, and those entering the UK from overseas. The addition of the PSA to the MLA should be considered as a pragmatic suggestion to form a Medical and Prescribing Licensing Assessment (MPLA): this could comprise an additional and separate paper under the umbrella of the MLA. The examination regulations need standardising and publishing: both the PSA and the MLA, when launched (or the MPLA) should publish examination regulations. This will standardise examination delivery between administering institutions and clarify the management of irregularities or appeals. The governance of the PSA should be reviewed to ensure that any examination irregularities are identified and addressed prior to confirming results to candidates. The PSA or combined MPLA should be considered as a requirement for medical practice in the UK: this could be a summative assessment as an exit from medical school or an entry requirement for FY1, and should be required for international medical graduates licensing (IMGs) via the PLAB route for entry at FY1 and FY2. The GMC should have regulatory oversight: the PSA (or MPLA) should be a national requirement for medical practice. As such, it should be subject to regulatory oversight from the GMC. If implemented, the proposed MPLA should be funded in the same way as the MLA: the MPLA should be funded in the same way as the MLA will be funded (by universities). In the case of IMGs, funding would follow the model of the PLAB test (self-funded).
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Content ArticleIn this report, Professor Brian Edwards summarises contributions given to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry by various politicians and senior civil servants, relating to how prepared the UK and Scottish Governments were for the Covid-19 pandemic. It contains reflections on the contributions of: Nicola Sturgeon (First Minister of Scotland during the pandemic) Matt Hancock (Secretary of State for Health and Social Care during the pandemic) Jenny Harries (Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency) Emma Reed (civil servant, DHSC)
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Content Article
UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Every Story Matters (June 2023)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Covid-19 Inquiry
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is the independent public inquiry set up to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and learn lessons for the future. In order to fully understand the impact of the pandemic on the UK population, the Inquiry is inviting the public to share their experiences of the pandemic by launching Every Story Matters. It will inform the Inquiry’s work by gathering pandemic experiences which can be brought together and represent the whole of the UK, including those seldom heard. The output of Every Story Matters will be a unique, comprehensive account of the UK population’s experiences of the pandemic, to be submitted to the Inquiry’s legal process as evidence. Share your story here. Every Story Matters provide a toolkit that contains information and creative assets that can be used to encourage participation in Every Story Matters. Every Story Matters aims to provide inclusive methods for people to talk about their experience of the pandemic, so anyone that wants to share their story feels heard, valued, and can contribute to the Inquiry. tips on engaging people to take part in Every Story Matters print campaign assets to download online campaign assets to download information on how to use campaign assets information on accessible engagement options. -
Content Article“Crisis,” “collapse,” “catastrophe” — these are common descriptors from recent headlines about the NHS in the UK. In 2022, the NHS was supposed to begin its recovery from being perceived as a Covid-and-emergencies-only service during parts of 2020 and 2021. Throughout the year, however, doctors warned of a coming crisis in the winter of 2022 to 2023. The crisis duly arrived. In this New England Journal of Medicine article, David Hunter gives his perspective on the current state of the NHS.
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Content Article
This is part of our series of Patient Safety Spotlight interviews, where we talk to people working for patient safety about their role and what motivates them. Dan talks to us about how his experiences as a paediatrician and military doctor have influenced his view of patient safety. He also describes the increasing complexity in healthcare systems and highlights the need for the Government to commit policy and resources to building and sustaining the NHS workforce. -
Content ArticleAre whistleblower reward programmes a charter for malicious complaints, as some claim, or are they a genuine incentive providing a safety net against retaliation? How successful are these programmes in recovering fraud and other proceeds of crime and serious organised crime? This paper aims to answer these questions—it was produced by WhistleblowersUK in collaboration with US lawyers who contributed to the development and improvement of US reward programmes. It aims to address questions about the legislation around US reward programmes, dispel some of the myths and look at some of the objections attributed to British attitudes about rewarding whistleblowers.
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News ArticleA group of potent synthetic opioids called nitazenes have been linked to a rise in overdoses and deaths in people who use drugs, primarily heroin, in England over the past two months, drug regulators have warned. The Office for Health Improvements and Disparities has issued a National Patient Safety Alert on potent synthetic opioids implicated in heroin overdoses and deaths. In the past 8 weeks there has been an elevated number of overdoses (with some deaths) in people who use drugs, primarily heroin, in many parts of the country (reports are geographically widespread, with most regions affected but only a few cities or towns in each region). Testing in some of these cases has found nitazenes, a group of potent synthetic opioids. Nitazenes have been identified previously in this country, but their use has been more common in the USA. Their potency and toxicity are uncertain but perhaps similar to, or more than fentanyl, which is about 100x morphine. The National Patient Safety Alert provides further background and clinical information and actions for providers.
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News Article
Alarming decline in vaccine update must be tackled, say MPs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The UK’s status as a global leader on vaccination is at risk because of falling uptake rates among children and an “alarming” decline in clinical trial activity, MPs have warned. The Health and Social Care Committee said in a report that it was concerned that England did not meet the 95% target for any routine childhood immunisations in 2021-22.1 Committee chair Steve Brine MP said that new spikes in measles cases in London and the West Midlands because of low uptake of MMR vaccines should be a “massive wake-up call” for the government to take action. “Vaccination is the one of the greatest success stories when it comes to preventing infection. Unless the government tackles challenges around declining rates of childhood immunisations and implements reform on clinical trials, however, the UK’s position as a global leader on vaccination risks being lost,” he said. The Health and Social Care Committee said, “It is unacceptable that there are people who are unable to take advantage of the important protection that vaccination offers because of practical challenges of time and location that can and must be tackled.” Read full story Source: BMJ, 27 July 2023 -
Content ArticleThere has been growing concern about doctors’ conflicts of interests (COIs) but it is unclear what processes and tools exist to enable the consistent declaration and management of such interests. This study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine mapped existing policies across a variety of organisations and settings to better understand the degree of variation and identify opportunities for improvement. The analysis of organisational policies revealed wide variation in what interests should be declared, when and how. This variation suggests that the current system may not be adequate to maintain a high level of professional integrity in all settings and that there is a need for better standardisation that reduces the risk of errors while addressing the needs of doctors, organisations and the public.
