Jump to content
  • articles
    7,179
  • comments
    76
  • views
    6,395,394

Contributors to this article

About this News

Articles in the news

 

The serious care failings the NHS tried to keep secret

The NHS has kept secret dozens of external reviews of failings in local services – covering possible premature deaths, unnecessary and harmful operations, and rows among doctors putting patients at risk – an HSJ investigation has found.

At least 70 external reviews by medical royal colleges were carried out from 2016 to 2019, across 47 trusts, according to information provided by NHS trusts, but more than 60 of these have never been published – contrary to national guidance – while several have not even been shared with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other regulators. These include reviews which uncovered serious failings.

Bill Kirkup’s review into the Morecambe Bay scandal in 2015 recommended trusts should “report openly” all external investigations into clinical services, governance or other aspects of their operations, including notifying the CQC. 

Since then the CQC has asked trusts for details of external reviews when it reviews evidence, and in July 2018 it began to ask for copies of their final reports, but HSJ’s research suggests this does not always happen.

James Titcombe, the patient safety campaigner whose son’s death led to the inquiry by Bill Kirkup into the Morecambe Bay maternity care scandal, said a review was now needed of whether its recommendations had been implemented.

“It is not acceptable that five years [on], there are still secretive royal college reports and patients are kept in the dark,” he said.

Read full story

Source: HSJ, 25 June 2020

Read more

Coronavirus: Antibody test lacks 'proper assessment'

COVID-19 antibody tests for NHS and care staff are being rolled out without "adequate assessment", experts warn.

The tests could place an unnecessary burden on the NHS, the 14 senior academics say in a letter in the BMJ,

Last month, the government said it had bought 10 million antibody tests and asked NHS trusts and care homes to make them available to staff in England. Officials say the blood tests - to see if someone has had the virus - will play an "increasingly important role".

The group of scientists say as a positive result is unable to prove immunity, the tests offer "no benefit" to hospitals and care staff. The results do not change what personal protective equipment staff must wear, for example.

The academics also suggest there is little data on how well the test works for people at highest risk - including people belonging to some ethnic minorities and older patients. Instead, they call for other carefully designed strategies to help monitor the spread of the virus.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 25 June 2020

Read more
 

CQC investigates its own response to concerns over troubled service

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has launched a review into its own regulatory response to a troubled autism service.

The CQC has asked its head of inspection for child and justice services, Nigel Thompson, to examine its response to concerns that were raised about an autism service in south Staffordshire in 2019.

Concerns were reported directly to the CQC in early 2019, by parents of children under the services, while similar issues were highlighted in a report from the local Healthwatch branch last July.

In a statement, the CQC said: “Following concerns raised with us by families, in relation to The Hayes autism service run by Midlands Psychology, we are looking at the evidence we received about this service and how we assessed this to inform our regulatory response.

“We are looking into these concerns in accordance with our complaints process. As a learning organisation, we welcome all feedback and we have already met with some of the families, but some meetings have been delayed due to the covid-19 pandemic.”

Read full story

Source: HSJ, 25 June 2020

Read more

People still avoiding hospital visits

Commenting on the newly-released Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, the Health Foundation’s Chief Executive, Dr Jennifer Dixon, has expressed concerns that people are still avoiding visiting hospitals over fear of catching COVID-19.

Hospital admissions have plummeted in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak as people look to avoid exposure to the virus, but as we begin to emerge out of the other side of the pandemic and begin the restoration of services there has been a need to rebuild that faith in patients.

Dr Dixon said: “Today’s data show that deaths from COVID-19, and overall excess deaths, are decreasing. But while deaths in hospital are now below normal levels, deaths at home – just over 900 excess deaths in the week ending 12 June – remain higher than usual for this time of year.

“As COVID-19 now recedes from hospitals, a key question is whether enough has been done to reassure people of their safety when accessing care, balanced against the risks of not seeking care.”

Read full story

Source: National Health Executive, 24 June 2020

Read more
 

NHS trust was negligent in failing to recognise child’s serious bacterial infection, says High Court

A High Court judge has ruled that an NHS trust was negligent in failing to consider early enough that a toddler with fever, lethargy, and vomiting might have had a serious bacterial infection and to give her intramuscular antibiotics.

Mr Justice Johnson said that doctors from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust should have ordered a lumbar puncture on the 15 month old girl on the day she was first seen or the next day.

The girl, referred to in court as SC, was sent by her GP to the hospital by ambulance on 26 January 2006 with a note describing his findings on examination and ending “?meningitis.” The GP, Mark Dennison, had given her intramuscular penicillin.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: BMJ, 22 June 2020

Read more
 

Cancer charities fear 18,000 extra deaths a year due to test delays

Almost half a million people are waiting at least six weeks for tests which could diagnose cancer – up from just 30,000 before lockdown, new analysis shows.

Ministers have been urged to urgently bring forward plans to tackle the backlog of patients waiting for care, with calls for weekly testing of staff to keep coronavirus infections off the wards.

Cancer charities fear there will be an extra 18,000 deaths a year because those with symptoms are not receiving prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: The Telegraph, 23 June 2020

Read more
 

Coronavirus: Warning thousands could be left with lung damage

Tens of thousands of people will need to be recalled to hospital after a serious OVID-19 infection to check if they have been left with permanent lung damage, doctors have told the BBC.

Experts are concerned a significant proportion could be left with lung scarring, known as pulmonary fibrosis. The condition is irreversible and symptoms can include severe shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue.

Research into the prevalence of lung damage caused by COVID-19 is still at a very early stage. It's thought those with a mild form of the disease are unlikely to suffer permanent damage. But those in hospital, and particularly those in intensive care or with a severe infection, are more vulnerable to complications.

In a study from China, published in March, 66 of 70 patients still had some level of lung damage after being discharged from hospital.

Radiologists in the UK say, based on the early results of follow-up scans, they are concerned about the long term-effects of a serious infection.

Prof Gisli Jenkins, of the National Institute for Health Research, is running assessment clinics for those discharged from hospital with COVID-19. He said: "My real concern is that never before in our lifetime have so many people been subject to the same lung injury at the same time."

NHS England has said it is planning to open a number of specialist COVID-19 rehabilitation centres to help patients recover from long-term effects, including possible lung damage.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 24 June 2020

Read more
 

Private provider’s contract suspended pending safety review

An independent provider’s NHS contract has been suspended, and a harm review is to be carried out on patients who have faced a long wait.

Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group suspended DMC Healthcare’s contract to provide dermatology services in north Kent “to ensure patient safety” on Friday. It said it had showing some patients had been on waiting lists longer than they should have been.

It is unable to say how many patients are likely to be involved in the harm review, but it is expected to focus on those who have waited longer than they should or where harm is suspected.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 24 June 2020

Read more

Coronavirus: UK must prepare for second virus wave says health leaders

Health leaders are calling for an urgent review to determine whether the UK is properly prepared for the "real risk" of a second wave of coronavirus.

In an open letter published in the BMJ, ministers were warned that urgent action would be needed to prevent further loss of life.  The presidents of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Nursing, Physicians, and GPs all signed the letter.

It comes after Boris Johnson announced sweeping changes to England's lockdown.

Following the prime minister's announcement, health leaders called for a "rapid and forward-looking assessment" of how prepared the UK would be for a new outbreak of the virus.

"While the future shape of the pandemic in the UK is hard to predict, the available evidence indicates that local flare-ups are increasingly likely and a second wave a real risk," they wrote in the letter.

"Many elements of the infrastructure needed to contain the virus are beginning to be put in place, but substantial challenges remain."

The authors of the letter, also signed by the chair of the British Medical Association, urged ministers to set up a cross-party group with a "constructive, non-partisan, four nations approach", tasked with developing practical recommendations.

"The review should not be about looking back or attributing blame," they said, and instead should focus on "areas of weakness where action is needed urgently to prevent further loss of life and restore the economy as fully and as quickly as possible".

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 24 June 2020

Read more
 

PHSO to restart their work on NHS complaints

NHS England and Improvement have announced changes to the NHS’s complaints process during the coronavirus emergency.

Individual NHS organisations are being told to ensure complaints are still taken, and monitored for patient safety issues. However, NHS organisations have been given latitude over whether they launch full investigation processes in the short term, and being advised to ‘manage expectations’ about investigations being launched. Complaints that are logged will remain open until further notice.

The advice to NHS providers also says that where patients have been waiting over six months for a resolution to their complaint, consideration should be given now to making an effort to see if the complaint can be resolved.

NHS England and Improvement have announced that they will be advising NHS bodies to end their 'pause' in complaints handling from 1 July onwards. 

Similarly, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) reduced its complaints-handling activity during the emergency period. It is not accepting new complaints, and its helpline is temporarily closed. PHSO has announced that it will recommence work on existing complaints, and begin accepting new ones from 1 July.

Read full story

Source: The Patients Association, 15 June 2020 

Read more
 

Governments and corporations need to guarantee safety of COVID-19 whistleblowers

Over 90 civil society groups and individual signatories are calling on all public authorities and private sector organisations to protect those who expose harms, abuses and serious wrongdoing during the COVID-19 crisis.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 emergency, worrying reports concerning hospitals and public authorities retaliating against healthcare professionals for speaking out about the realities of COVID-19 have emerged worldwide, from China to the United States.

Transparency International urges decision-makers at the highest level to resist the temptation to control the flow of information and instead offer assurances to individuals who witness corruption and wrongdoing to blow the whistle.

Marie Terracol, Whistleblowing Programme Coordinator at Transparency International said: “The need for transparency and integrity, heightened in this time of crisis where abuses can cost lives, illustrates the essential role of those who speak up in the public interest."

“National governments, public institutions and companies should listen to workers and citizens who come forward and report abuses they witness and protect them from retaliation, including in countries which still do not offer robust legal whistleblower protection. If people feel they can safely make a difference by speaking up, more instances of abuses will be prevented and addressed, and lives might be saved.”

Read full story

Source: Transparency International. 22 April 2020

Read more

New tool could be used to identify those most at risk from coronavirus

A new risk tool could be used to identify those most at threat from COVID-19, so GPs can give patients tailored advice, health officials have said. 

Scientists at Oxford University are working on a clinical risk prediction model, which aims to give individuals more precise information about the likely impact of the disease on them, instead of a blanket approach. 

Health officials said the plans aimed to allow “very individualised discussions” between patients and their doctors, in the event of future outbreaks, particularly as winter approaches. 

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: The Telegraph, 23 June 2020

Read more
 

Health official defends discharging patients into English care homes

Discharging patients into care homes in England in early April, when the number of coronavirus cases was rapidly increasing, was neither reckless nor wrong, the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) most senior civil servant has claimed.

Faced with aggressive questioning from MPs on the powerful public accounts committee on Monday, Sir Chris Wormald, permanent secretary at the DHSC, said the guidance for discharge was correct based on the information available at the time.

Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said to Wormald: “You were discharging them from hospital into care homes when care homes were already in dire trouble, some of the most vulnerable people in society, the testing wasn’t available, PPE [personal protective equipment] wasn’t available, the training wasn’t available. Wasn’t this a pretty reckless policy by the government?”

Wormald replied: “We don’t believe that. Now, as Prof [Stephen] Powis [national medical director of NHS England] described, at this point Covid was not considered to be widespread in the community.”

A clearly frustrated Clifton-Brown interrupted him saying there were already 1,000 care homes with coronavirus cases at the beginning of April. He also questioned why detailed advice in relation to coronavirus for the social care sector had not been issued until 15 April, almost a month after the equivalent information was provided to the NHS.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 23 June 2020

Read more

Shielding to stop at end of July in England

The 2.2 million people who have been self-isolating in England during the pandemic will no longer need to shield from 1 August.

From 6 July, they will be able to meet up outdoors, in a group, with up to five others and form 'support bubbles' with other households.

The measures can be eased because infection rates are falling, the government says.

Among the list of people who should be shielding are solid organ transplant recipients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, pregnant women with heart disease and people with severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis and severe asthma.

The government says it has worked with clinicians, GPs, charities, the voluntary sector and patient groups on the changes, but some charities are criticising the relaxing of the advice, saying many of the people they support do not feel it is safe to stop shielding.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 23 June 2020

Read more
 

Doctors warn ‘culture of fear’ in NHS could prevent whistleblowing

Doctors have warned that a “culture of fear” in the NHS may prevent life-saving lessons being learned about COVID-19 after a leading hospital consultant emailed scores of staff saying those responsible for “leaks” would be found and fired.

Dr Daniel Martin OBE, head of intensive care for serious infectious diseases at the Royal Free hospital, emailed a report to colleagues at the peak of the pandemic with a note claiming that the trust would “track any leaks to the media” and then “offer you the chance to post your P45 on Facebook for all to see.”

The email, which described journalists at one respected newspaper as “parasites”, was sent to dozens of nurses and junior doctors. It has been examined by Liberty Investigates, the investigative journalism unit of the civil rights group Liberty, and the Guardian, after being shared by a recipient who said they found the language “intimidating”.

 Whistleblowers UK, the non-profit group, said it had been made aware of the email by a separate individual who was also concerned about its contents.

The Royal Free London trust said the email was “badly worded” and did not reflect trust policy. However, the trust said it was an open and transparent organisation that “does everything it can to encourage our staff to raise concerns and, if necessary, whistleblow”.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 22 June 2020

Read more
 

10 million on NHS waiting lists by Christmas

Leading clinicians have written to Boris Johnson warning the UK faces a "second health catastrophe" because so many non-Covid patients are missing out on treatment as a result of the pandemic.

The letter warns that “lives are being put at risk” and that action is needed immediately. It comes as new figures show as many as one in six (10 million) people will be on the NHS waiting list by the end of the year.

The letter, signed by ten specialists, including cancer doctors, patient safety experts, CQCs and medical negligence lawyers, states: “We are increasingly concerned about the impact, including avoidable harm and death caused by the continuing unavailability of urgent diagnostics and treatment for thousands of non-COVID patients. 

“The backlog of such cases is now significant and worsening. We implore the central and devolved Governments of the UK to take urgent strategic action, including in co-ordination and co-operation with each other, to prevent this becoming a second and perhaps even more serious health catastrophe arising from the pandemic in the UK.”

The letter was also signed by barrister Theo Huckle QC, Professor John Fairclough of Swansea and Cardiff Met Universities, Nick Brown of Doughty Street Chambers and Helen Hughes, Chief Executive, Patient Safety Learning.

Cases which have come to the attention of the signatories include Sherwin Hall, 27, a father of one from Leeds, who made 13 visits to hospital during the COVID-19 lockdown before getting a cancer diagnosis for the pain in his groin.

He said of his case: “I am very angry at the way I have been treated due to COVID-19 and the delay on my cancer treatment and now I am fighting for my life.

Read full story

Source: Express, 21 June 2020

 

Read more
 

‘White leaders under pressure’ to prove black lives matter

Incoming Health Education England chief executive Navina Evans said the momentum created by the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement meant there was now increased “pressure on white leaders” to act on racism and discrimination in the service.

Dr Evans praised a letter written by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust chief executive Roisin Fallon-Williams, in which she admitted to being “culpable” and “complicit” in failing to fully understand the inequality and discrimination faced by people with black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds.

“That was great to see, and as you can see from the reactions to her letter people were really, really pleased to have it acknowledged,” she said.

However, Dr Evans added: “As well as that [acknowledgement] there needs to be action”.

Read full story

Source: HSJ, 22 June 2020

Read more
 

Coronavirus: New saliva test to be piloted in Southampton

A new coronavirus test which could replace the existing a nose and throat swab is being piloted in Southampton.

People will be able to simply spit into a pot at home before the sample is sent off to check whether they have COVID-19.

If successful, the saliva test could become an alternative to the existing swab which some people find uncomfortable and can provoke coughing and spluttering.

Read full story

Source: The Independent, 22 June 2020

Read more
 

NHS England considers ‘mandated’ system-level waiting lists

NHS trusts could be asked to create shared waiting lists for elective care under plans being considered by national leaders.

HSJ understands that NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens is to write to all NHS organisations early next month to lay out plans for phase three of the recovery from covid. The letter is expected to focus on the importance of working at a system level to get more services up and running.

Senior NHS sources said the recovery plans are likely to include proposals for creating pooled system-level waiting lists between trusts, but there is still internal debate over the extent to which changes could effectively be mandated; for example, by attaching significant incentive funds. The move appears to be aimed at ensuring an “equitable level of care” across a patch.

In a statement, NHSE said individual providers’ would ultimately still have responsibility and accountability for their waiting lists, even where this might be “supplemented” by system-wide arrangements.

Read more

Source: HSJ, 19 June 2020

Read more
 

Health experts criticise UK's failure to track recovered COVID-19 cases

The UK’s failure to report how many people have recovered from COVID-19 has been criticised by public health experts, who say a huge proportion of cases have remained “invisible” to the health service.

Britain is an outlier internationally in not reporting the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 alongside statistics on deaths and numbers of identified cases. Chile is the only other nation not to share this information out of the 25 countries with the highest reported incidence.

A failure to monitor those who test positive for COVID-19 outside of hospital has left people feeling unsupported and alienated from the health system, the experts say. There is concern that because the majority of community cases have not been logged in patient records, it will be more challenging to research the long-term consequences of the disease.

Prof Devi Sridhar, the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Not tracking people in the community, for me, [is] so astonishing. These people are completely invisible in the health system.”

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 18 June 2020 

Read more
 

COVID-19: Low dose steroid cuts death in ventilated patients by one third, trial finds

Low dose dexamethasone reduces deaths in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 who need ventilation, according to preliminary results from the RECOVERY trial.

The drug was also found to reduce deaths by one-fifth in other hospitalised patients receiving oxygen only, but no benefit was seen among COVID-19 patients who did not need respiratory support.

The chief investigators from the University of Oxford trial said that the findings represent a “major breakthrough” which is “globally applicable” as the drug is cheap and readily available.

Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Oxford and a chief investigator on the trial, added, “This is the only drug that has so far been shown to reduce mortality, and it reduces it significantly. It is a major breakthrough.”

Read full story

Source: BMJ, 16 June 2020

Read more
 

Covid fears may be keeping expectant mothers from attending needed hospital check ups

Doctors fear a rise in stillbirths and babies with impaired growth because pregnant women were too scared to seek help during the pandemic.

At a Royal Society of Medicine webinar on pregnancy and Covid, medics expressed concern that women in need of urgent attention had kept away from maternity services, for fear of catching the infection.

In other cases, those with worrying symptoms which could mean their baby was at risk may have stayed away because they feared putting pressure on services, doctors said.

Dr Maggie Blott, head of obstetrics at the Royal Free London Foundation trust, said: “A lot of the work that we do is is prevention, and a lot of women that we see, turn up for hospital as an emergency - have concerns around abdominal pain, reduced foetal movements, all sorts of things.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: The Telegraph, 18 June 2020

Read more
 

COVID-19 could widen mental health inequalities for a generation, warns charity

The COVID-19 pandemic could entrench and exacerbate inequalities in mental health for a generation unless action is taken, the Centre for Mental Health has warned.

In a report published on Thursday, the charity warned that the lockdown would put greater pressure on groups whose mental health was already poor beforeCOVID-19 hit, such as women and children experiencing violence and abuse, and ethnic minority communities.

The pandemic will leave an “unequal legacy of complicated bereavement, trauma, and economic repercussions which will push more people towards financial insecurity and poverty, significant risk factors for poor mental health,” the report said.

“Unequal experiences of grief, loss, trauma, injustice, and abandonment all add to the psychological damage caused by COVID-19.”

The report, backed by 12 mental health charities and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said that the government must prioritise race equality and support “trauma informed” approaches for all people whose lives had been affected by COVID-19.

Read full story

Source: BMJ, 19 June 2020

Read more
 

Coronavirus: Nurses' leaders urge 'care for those who caring'

Nurses' leaders want all healthcare employers - including the NHS - to "care for those who have been caring" during the coronavirus crisis.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is calling for better risk assessments; working patterns and mental health care for those on the front line. It warns many may be suffering from exhaustion, anxiety and other psychological problems.

The Department of Health and Social Care said support was a "top priority".

The RCN has released an eight-point plan of commitments it wants to see enforced to mark the 100 days since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic.

Amongst its suggestions are a better COVID-19 testing regime for healthcare workers and more attention paid to the risks posed to ethnic minority nurses.

It says employers and ministers "must tackle the underlying causes which have contributed to worse outcomes for Bame staff".

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 19 June 2020

Read more
 

UK virus-tracing app switches to Apple-Google model

In a major U-turn, the UK is ditching the way its current coronavirus-tracing app works and shifting to a model based on technology provided by Apple and Google.

The Apple-Google design has been promoted as being more privacy-focused. However, it means epidemiologists will have access to less data.

The government now intends to launch an app in the autumn, but it says the product may not involve contact tracing at that point. Instead the software may be limited to enabling users to report their symptoms and order a test.

Baroness Dido Harding - who heads up the wider Test and Trace programme - will only give the green light to actually deploying the Apple-Google technology if she judges it to be fit for purpose, which she does not believe is the case at present. It is possible this may never happen.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 18 June 2020

Read more
×
×
  • Create New...