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Review launched into East Kent NHS trust after baby deaths

The government has announced an independent review into maternity services at an NHS trust where a number of babies have died.

“Immediate actions” have also been promised and an independent clinical team has been placed “at the heart” of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. It comes amid reports that at least seven preventable baby deaths may have occurred at the trust since 2016, including that of Harry Richford.

Harry died seven days after his emergency delivery in a “wholly avoidable” tragedy, contributed to by neglect, in November 2017, an inquest found.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the health minister Nadine Dorries confirmed the independent review would be carried out by Dr Bill Kirkup, who led the investigation into serious maternity failings at Morecambe Bay. It will look at preventable and avoidable deaths of newborns to ensure the trust learns lessons from each case and will put in place appropriate processes to safeguard families.

The review is expected to begin shortly and work in partnership with affected families.

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Source: 13 February 2020

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Hospital's 'gross failings' led to pressure sores death

A double amputee suffered fatal pressure sores caused by "gross and obvious failings" in her hospital treatment.

Janet Prince, from Nottingham, developed the sores after being admitted to Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in July 2017. The 80-year-old died in January 2019.

Assistant Coroner Gordon Clow issued a prevention of future deaths report to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).

Nottingham Coroner's Court had heard Ms Prince was taken to QMC in Nottingham with internal bleeding on 15 July 2017. The patient was left on a trolley in the emergency department for nine hours and even though she and daughter Emma Thirlwall said she needed to be given a specialist mattress, she was not given one.

"No specific measures of any kind were implemented during that period of more than nine hours to reduce the risk of pressure damage, even though it should have been easily apparent to those treating her that [she] needed such measures to be in place," Mr Clow said.

Ms Prince was later transferred to different wards, but a specialist mattress was only provided for her a few days before she was discharged on 9 August, by which time Mr Clow said her wounds "had progressed to the most serious form of pressure ulcer (stage four) including a wound with exposed bone".

Mr Clow said there were "serious failings" over finding an appropriate mattress and other aspects of her care while at the QMC, including "a gross failure" to prevent Ms Prince's open wounds coming into contact with faeces.

Mr Clow said the immediate cause of her death was "severe pressure ulcers", with bronchopneumonia a contributory factor. Recording a death by "natural causes, contributed to by neglect", he said he was "troubled by the lack of evidence" of any changes to wound management at NUH.

NUH medical director Keith Girling apologised for the failings in Ms Prince's care, claiming the trust had "learnt a number of significant lessons from this very tragic case".

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Source: BBC News, 14 February 2020

 

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Harrowing stories of burned out NHS doctors bullied and broken

Dedicated to caring for the sick and vulnerable, junior ­doctors should expect to be ­supported and valued as they carry out their vital work. However, hundreds have revealed they are subjected to bullying and harassment at overstretched hospitals that have been plunged into a staffing crisis by a decade of savage health cuts.

A Mirror investigation uncovered harrowing stories of young medics being denied drinking water during gruelling shifts, working for 15 hours on their feet non-stop and of uncaring managers tearing into them for breaking down in tears over the deaths of patients.

One was even accused of “stealing” surgical scrubs she took to wear after suffering a miscarriage at work. The distraught woman finished her shift wearing blood-soaked trousers, instead of going home to rest.

Doctors are now quitting in their droves, leaving those left ­struggling to cope with a growing ­workload. The Mirror investigation reveals the reality of working for an NHS which has been subject to a record funding squeeze and is 8,000 medics short.

Health chiefs vowed to ­investigate the Mirror’s evidence from 602 ­testimonials submitted to the lobbying group Doctors Association UK.

Chairman Dr Rinesh Parmar said: “These heartbreaking stories from across the country show the extent of bullying and harassment that frontline doctors face whilst working to care for patients".

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Source: The Mirror, 12 February 2020

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Baby with heart condition dies from mould exposure at hospital after open heart surgery

A baby with a serious heart condition has died after she received an infection from mould in a Seattle hospital's operating room, her mother says. 

Elizabeth Hutt was born with a heart condition that she battled for the entirety of her six-month-long life. The young child underwent three open heart surgeries, and after the third one is when it's believed she contracted an Aspergillus mould infection in the hospital's operating room. 

The mould in the hospital's operating rooms was first detected in November, around the same time as the child's third surgery. 

It was later determined the infection was contracted from the mould discovered in three of the 14 operating rooms at the hospital in November. The mould came from the hospital's air-handling units in the operating rooms, and 14 patients have developed infections from the mould since 2001, the hospital revealed. Seven of those 14 children have since died from their infections. 

Elizabeth's parents have joined a class action suit against Seattle Children's Hospital in January, which alleges facility managers knew about the mould since 2005 and failed to fix the problem. 

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Source: The Independent, 14 February 2020

 

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Cancer: Neck lump patient in robot surgery first

Pioneering robotic surgery to remove hard-to-reach head and neck cancers has been performed in Wales for the first time.

More than 20 patients a year from across Wales are expected to benefit from the new service at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Surgeons use a precision robot with several arms to remove tumours and improve the chances of recovery. The first patient is recovering well from his operation in December.

A human surgeon's wrist can turn 180 degrees, whereas the robot's four 'hands' can rotate four or five times.

This dexterity reduces the need for more invasive surgery – in some cases this might have involved breaking the jaw open – and patients can recover much more quickly.

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Source: BBC News, 14 February 2020

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East Kent baby deaths: Scale of deaths at trust 'not clear-cut'

The boss of an NHS trust at the centre of concerns about preventable baby deaths has claimed the scale of the failings is not clearly defined.

Susan Acott, Chief Executive of East Kent Hospitals Trust, said there had only been "six or seven" avoidable deaths at the trust since 2011. However, the BBC revealed on Monday that the trust previously accepted responsibility for at least 10.

Ms Acott said some of the baby deaths were "not as clear-cut".

A series of failings came to light during the inquest of Harry Richford who died seven days after his birth at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate in November 2017. A coroner ruled Harry's death was "wholly avoidable" and was contributed to by hospital neglect.

Ms Acott added she had not read a key report from 2015 drawing attention to maternity problems at the trust until December 2019.

Ms Acott claims that from 2011 to 2020 there were "about six or seven" baby deaths that were viewed as preventable. She says the other deaths were being investigated adding "these things aren't always black and white".

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Source: BBC News, 12 February 2020

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NHS trust withdraws ‘dangerous’ advice to women on how to achieve a ‘normal birth’

An NHS trust has been criticised for advising pregnant women to stay at home for as long as possible during labour to increase the chances of a “normal birth”. University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust also suggested mothers should avoid having epidurals or inductions and should try to have a home birth.

The advice has been described as “shocking” by experts, who said the guidance was contrary to evidence and could be “dangerous” for mothers and babies. Others criticised the language used by the trust which suggested women who needed medical help were somehow “abnormal”.

Earlier this month, the Bristol trust paid out £5.8m in compensation to the family of a six-year-old boy after he was left brain damaged at birth following complications during labour.

After being contacted by The Independent, the trust deleted the childbirth advice from its website and accepted it was “outdated”.

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Source: The Independent, 13 February 2020

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Pharmacists are trapped in a system that threatens patient safety

The current pharmacy system in the US needs to to change now, according to Thomas Menighan, APhA Executive Vice President and CEO in a recent blog. 

"The current system sets pharmacists up to fail, and in turn, pharmacists are burning out at high rates", says Thomas. "This is an issue that not only puts patients at risk but deprives pharmacists of the opportunity to provide the kind of patient care we all got into pharmacy to provide". 

"During my time as a community pharmacist, I cherished the relationships I established with patients and understood the great responsibility that came with the trust they placed in me. Pharmacists take an oath to, among other things, “assure optimal outcomes” for patients. I can attest to the emphasis our profession places on patient safety. When it comes to medication-related errors, even one is too many."

Thomas suggests the solution comes from taking a hard look at how pharmacies are reimbursed and who profits from inadequate patient care. Meanwhile, state and local pilot projects that compensate pharmacists for greater involvement in team-based care have proven that when pharmacists are allowed to provide a full range of services, costs go down and patient outcomes improve.

"It’s perverse that we pharmacists are begging for the opportunity to practice the kind of pharmacy we were extensively educated and trained to practice. And who benefits from this warped system? Here’s a hint: it’s not pharmacies or patients."

"We must regulate the pharmacy benefit managers who make obscene sums of money without doing a single thing to serve patients. They say they keep prices and premiums down but simultaneously fight attempts to force them to be transparent about how they supposedly achieve this. If it’s not greedy, let’s see how it works. If it really helps patients, tell us how. But they won’t. It’s indefensible."

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Source: APhA, 11 February 2020

 

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Children with arthritis 'facing delays to diagnosis'

Delays diagnosing and treating children with arthritis are leaving them in pain and at a higher risk of lifelong damage, a national charity has warned.

Arthritis is commonly thought to affect only older people, but 15,000 children have the condition in the UK. 

Versus Arthritis says many children are not getting help soon enough. 

The NHS said: "Arthritis in young people is rare and diagnosing it can be difficult because symptoms are often vague and no specific test exists."

Zoe Chivers, Head of Services at Versus Arthritis, said: "We know that young people often face significant delays getting to diagnosis simply because even their GPs don't recognise that it's a condition that can affect people as young as two. It's often considered that they're just going through growing pains or they've just got a bit of a viral infection and that's not the case."

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Source: BBC News, 12 February 2020

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Nurses to retrain as doctors ‘more quickly’ without EU red tape

Leaving the EU means the UK has greater control over the training of healthcare professionals. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that nurses and other allied healthcare professionals will be able to retrain as doctors ‘more quickly’ now the UK has left the EU.

Under training standards set by the EU, existing healthcare professionals wishing to move into another area would have to complete a set standard of training, regardless of any existing health background or qualifications. Under the potential new system, a nurse who has been in the job for 10 years could benefit from training standards based upon experience and qualifications, rather than strict time-frames.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Our incredible NHS is full of highly-qualified and dedicated professionals – and I want to do everything I can to help them fulfil their ambitions and provide the best possible care for patients. Without being bound by EU regulations, we can focus on ensuring our workforce has the necessary training which is best suited to them and their experience, without ever compromising on our high standards of care or on patient safety. The plans we are setting out today mean that we can retrain healthcare workers and get them back to the frontline faster. This is good for patients, and good for our NHS."

Nursing leaders warn that the move needs to come without compromising patient care. Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said: “Having enough health and care professionals with the right knowledge, skills and values is vital to meet the individual needs of people across all four countries of the UK now and in the future."

“The NMC supports the wish to explore how education and training for registered nurses and midwives may be achieved in more flexible ways while ensuring our high standards are maintained and not compromised. Every nursing and midwifery professional must be safe and competent to provide the best care and support possible."

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Source: Nursing Notes, 9 February 2020

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Coronavirus: Two healthcare workers in UK test positive for deadly virus as GP surgery closed

The number of British cases of coronavirus has doubled to eight – with two healthcare workers among those testing positive – while a GP surgery in Brighton was closed amid fears of the infection spreading.

Brighton’s County Oak medical centre closed on Monday with a warning notice on its door telling patients it was “closed due to operational difficulties”.

According to reports, one of those infected was a GP, who was at work for one day but did not see any patients. Workers wearing protective suits were pictured cleaning the surgery and pharmacy on Monday afternoon.

The government has since classified the virus, which has infected more than 40,000 people in China and led to the death of more than 1,000, as a “serious and imminent threat” to public health while activating emergency powers that can see it force people to remain in quarantine.

“I will do everything in my power to keep people in this country safe,” Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said in a statement. “We are taking every possible step to control the outbreak of coronavirus. NHS staff and others will now be supported with additional legal powers to keep people safe across the country.”

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Source: The Independent, 11 February 2020

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Fast response to terror attacks saves lives. UK medics should not be held back

The Streatham terrorist attack has again highlighted one of the most difficult decisions the emergency services face – deciding when it is safe to treat wounded people.

In the aftermath of the stabbings by Sudesh Amman, a passer-by who helped a man lying on the pavement bleeding claimed ambulance crews took 30 minutes to arrive. The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said the first medics arrived in four minutes, but waited at the assigned rendezvous point until the Metropolitan police confirmed it was safe to move in.

Last summer, the inquest into the London Bridge attack heard it took three hours for paramedics to reach some of the wounded. Prompt treatment might have saved the life of French chef Sebastian Belanger, who received CPR from members of the public and police officers for half an hour. A LAS debriefing revealed paramedics’ frustration at not being deployed sooner.

A group of UK and international experts in delivering medical care during terrorist attacks have highlighted alternative approaches in the BMJ. In Paris in 2015, the integration of doctors with specialist police teams enabled about 100 wounded people in the Bataclan concert hall to be triaged and evacuated 30 minutes before the terrorists were killed. The experts writing in the BMJ believe the UK approach would have delayed any medical care reaching these victims for three hours.

These are perilously hard judgment calls. Policymakers and commanders on the scene have to balance the likelihood that long delays in intervening will lead to more victims dying from their injuries against the increased risk to the lives of medical staff who are potentially putting themselves in the line of fire by entering the so-called 'hot zone'.

First responders themselves need to be at the forefront of this debate. As the people who have the experience, face the risks and want more than anyone to save as many lives as possible, their leadership and insights are vital.

In the wake of the Streatham attack the government is looking at everything from sentencing policy to deradicalisation. Deciding how best to save the wounded needs equal priority in the response to terrorism.

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Source: The Guardian, 7 February 2020

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East Kent baby deaths: Four more families come forward

A BBC News investigation has uncovered more preventable baby deaths at an NHS trust that has already been criticised for its maternity services.

Four families said their babies would have survived had East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust provided better care. The NHS's Healthcare Safety Branch is investigating 25 maternity cases at the hospitals in Margate and Ashford.

The trust has apologised for the care provided in two of the cases and said they were investigating a third. It has denied any wrongdoing in the fourth case.

The government is due to receive the Healthcare Safety Branch's report into the 25 cases later, as well as a Care Quality Commission report from an inspection carried out in January.

Last month, the BBC discovered at least seven preventable deaths may have occurred at the trust since 2016. Four further families have now spoken out, saying their babies would not have died if medics had provided better care. In two of the cases, the mothers said the actions of the trust left them feeling they were to blame for their babies' deaths.

In a statement, East Kent Hospitals Trust it had set up a board sub-committee "to ensure we are complying with national safety standards and ensure we are implementing the coroner's recommendations fully and swiftly".

"We are deeply saddened by the stories of families who have suffered the death of a much-loved baby, and we are extremely sorry for their loss," it added.

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Source: BBC News, 10 February 2020

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Woman with anorexia 'faced delays' before death

A woman described as a "high risk" anorexia patient faced delays in treatment after moving to university, an inquest has heard.

Madeline Wallace, 18, from Cambridgeshire, was told there could be a six-week delay in her seeing a specialist after moving to Edinburgh.

The student "struggled" while at university and a coroner said there appeared to be a "gap" in her care. Ms Wallace died on 9 January 2018 due to complications from sepsis.

A parliamentary health service ombudsman report into her death was being written at the time of Ms Wallace's treatment in 2017 and issues raised included moving from one provider to another and higher education.

Coroner Sean Horstead said Ms Wallace only had one dietician meeting in three months, despite meal preparation and planning being an area of anxiety she had raised.

Dr Hazel said she had tried to make arrangements with the Cullen Centre in Edinburgh in April 2017 but had been told to call back in August. The Cullen Centre said it could only accept her as a patient after she registered with a GP and that an appointment could take up to six weeks from that point.

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Source: BBC News, 10 February 2020

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The cost of patient safety inaction: Why doing more of the same is unsustainable

On January 2020, Patient Safety will be on the G20 agenda (among other five health key priorities), but Abdulelah M. Alhawsawi, Saudi Patient Safety Center, asks "what is patient safety doing on an economic forum like the G20?"

Patient harm is estimated to be the 14th leading cause of the global disease burden. This is comparable to medical conditions such as tuberculosis and malaria. In both US and Canada, patient safety adverse events represent the 3rd leading cause of death, preceded only by cancer and heart disease. In the US alone, 440,000 patients die annually from healthcare associated infections. In Canada, there are more than 28,000 deaths a year due to patient safety adverse events. In low-middle income countries,  134 million adverse events take place every year, resulting in 2.6 million deaths annually. 

In addition to lives lost and harm inflicted, unsafe medical practice results in money loss. Nearly, 15 % of the health expenditure across Organization of Economic Cooperative Development countries is attributed to patient safety failures each year, but if we add the indirect and opportunity cost (economic and social), the cost of harm could amount to trillions of dollars globally.

When a patient is harmed, the country loses twice. The individual will be lost as a revenue generating source for society and the individual will become a burden on the healthcare system because he or she will require more treatment. Unless we do something different about patient safety, we would risk the sustainability of healthcare systems and the overall economies. 

Alhawsaw proposed establishing a G20 Patient Safety Network (Group) that will combine Safety experts from healthcare and other leading industries (like aviation, nuclear, oil and gas, other), and economy and fFinancial experts

This will function as a platform to prioritise and come up with innovative patient safety solutions to solve global challenges while highlighting the return on investment (ROI) aspects. 

This multidisciplinary group of experts can work with each state that adopts the addressed global challenge to ensure correct implementation of proposed solution.

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Source: The G20 Health & Development Partnersip, 10 February 2020

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Culture of bullying, harassment and discrimination in medicine still widespread in Australia

One in three trainee doctors in Australia have experienced or witnessed bullying, harassment or discrimination in the past 12 months, but just a third have reported it.

That's according to a national survey of almost 10,000 trainee doctors released today by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

The results of the survey, co-developed by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA), send a "loud message" about bullying and harassment to those in the medical profession, said MBA chair Anne Tonkin.

"It is incumbent on all of us to heed it," Dr Tonkin said. "We must do this if we are serious about improving the culture of medicine."

"Bullying, harassment and discrimination are not good for patient safety, constructive learning or the culture of medicine," Dr Tonkin continued. "We must all redouble our efforts to strengthen professional behaviour and deal effectively with unacceptable behaviour."

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Source: ABC News, 10 February 2020

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Dying doctor warns of asbestos ‘hidden epidemic’ caused by NHS failures

A doctor and mother of two with just months left to live has warned of a “hidden epidemic” of asbestos-related cancers among NHS staff and patients because hospitals have failed to properly handle the toxic material.

Kate Richmond, 44, has spoken out to raise awareness after she won a legal case against the NHS for negligently exposing her to asbestos while she was working as a medical student and junior doctor.

An investigation by The Independent has learnt there have been 13 prosecutions linked to NHS breaches of regulations for the handling of asbestos since 2010, while 381 compensation claims have been made by NHS staff for work-related diseases, including exposure to asbestos, since 2013, costing the health service more than £26m.

According to data from the Health and Safety Executive, between 2011 and 2017, a total of 128 people working in health and social care roles died from mesothelioma, the same asbestos-related cancer which is killing Kate Richmond.

She described how maintenance staff removed asbestos ceiling tiles with no protective measures, allowing dust and debris to fall on to wards where patients were in their beds and staff were working. Managers at the Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry failed to heed warnings by workers that they were putting people at risk.

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Source: The Independent, 9 February 2020

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Teeth-whitening: Reports of illegal procedures up 26%

Reports of illegal teeth-whitening that could leave patients at risk of health problems including burns or lost teeth have increased, the BBC has found.

General Dental Council (GDC) figures showed a 26% rise in reports last year.

Teeth-whitening can only be performed legally in the UK by professionals registered with the GDC. One beauty school claimed to have provided "thousands" of candidates with illegitimate qualifications, an undercover investigation found. Failure to comply with the requirement to be registered can result in a criminal record and an unlimited fine.

Untrained beauticians using teeth-whitening kits have been known to cause tooth loss, burns and blisters.

Dr Ben Atkins, president of the Oral Health Foundation, said: "When things go wrong in dentistry, they can really go wrong. I've been that dentist with the full back up service when the patient's had that heart attack. It would be catastrophic for the patient and the person who's been trained and told it's legal to do it."

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Source: BBC News, 10 February 2020

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East of England Ambulance Service staff 'silenced' over bullying

Concerns have been raised that NHS ambulance staff are being "silenced" over bullying allegations.

Hundreds of East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) employees reported bullying in 2018, while 28 non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have been issued since 2016. The GMB union said the figures showed a "heavy-handed culture".

The service said it took bullying and harassment "extremely seriously" and had policies to prevent such behaviour.

EEAS faced scrutiny in November when it emerged three members of staff died in 11 days. One, Luke Wright, 24, is believed to have taken his own life. An independent investigation, which dealt in part with bullying claims, has been carried out with the results reported to the trust in January.

The 28 NDAs had been made in cases where bullying, harassment or abuse by colleagues had been reported, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. These involved an individual agreement, often with a payment, which prevented the person speaking about their case.

In the latest staff survey from 2018, 23% of staff reported bullying, up from 21% in the previous year.

The GMB said NDAs were seen as a "method of silencing rather than resolving" and called on the trust to discuss more meaningful ways of dealing with problems.

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Source: BBC News, 10 February 2020

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Hospital patients die from starvation and thirst because nurses are over-stretched

It has been revealed that three patients a day are dying from starvation or thirst or choking on NHS wards. 

In 2017, 936 hospital deaths were attributed to one of those factors, with starvation the primary cause of death in 74 cases.The Office for National Statistics data reveals malnutrition deaths are 34% higher than in 2013.

Over-stretched nurses are simply too busy to check if the sick and elderly are getting nourishment. 

However, Myer Glickman from the ONS says the data is not conclusive proof of poor NHS care. He said:“There has been an increase over time in the number of patients admitted to hospital while already malnourished. This may suggest that malnutrition is increasingly prevalent in the community, possibly associated with the ageing of the population and an increase in long-term chronic diseases.”

Yet campaigners say too many vulnerable people are being “forgotten to death” in NHS hospitals and urgent action is needed to identify and treat malnutrition.

In a recent pilot scheme the number of deaths among elderly patients with a fractured hip was halved by simply having someone to feed them. Six NHS trusts employed a junior staff member for each ward tasked with getting 500 extra calories a day into them. More survived and the patients spent an average five days less in hospital, unblocking beds and saving more than £1,400 each.

It wasn’t just the calories though – it helped keep their morale up.

Because, as one consultant said: “Food is a very, very cheap drug that’s extremely powerful.”

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Source: Mirror, 4 February 2020

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‘Dr. Checklist’ Peter Pronovost gets chance to transform University Hospitals

The ghosts of medical errors haunt Dr. Peter Pronovost. Two deaths, both caused by mistakes. First, his father’s, who died as the result of a cancer misdiagnosis. Then a little girl, a burn victim who succumbed to infection and diagnostic missteps at the hospital where Pronovost worked early in his career.

Those deaths led Pronovost to pursue a medical career dedicated to patient safety, and to create the medical checklist he has become known for worldwide.

Now, he’s implementing his second act, at University Hospitals in the USA, as its Chief Transformation Officer, a job he has held since late 2018. His goal: To transform a $4 billion health care system by reducing shortcomings in medical care and increasing the quality of treatment.

The challenge fits Pronovost, says one of his former Johns Hopkins University professors, Dr. Albert Wu. “He’s one of the few people for whom the title might be appropriate, because his work has led to significant changes and innovations in how we deliver health care in the United States.

“He’s a once-in-a-generation guy.”

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Source: Cleveland.com, 9 February 2020

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Police investigating video of NHS staff allegedly assaulting elderly patient with Alzheimer’s

A police investigation has been launched into an alleged assault against an elderly patient with Alzheimer’s by NHS staff at the troubled East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

The Independent can reveal nurses and carers at the William Harvey Hospital have been suspended after being filmed by hospital security staff for eight minutes allegedly holding down the man’s arms and legs as well as his face while they inserted a catheter.

The trust has confirmed it has launched an investigation and alerted police after the incident on 15 December on the Cambridge J ward at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. A spokesperson “apologised unreservedly” for the incident and said it was being treated with the “utmost seriousness”.

A whistleblower spoke out to The Independent about the incident, fearing it was being covered up by the trust after staff were told “don’t discuss it, don’t refer to it at all”.

The senior clinician said they had decided to go public after the “horrific” incident because of the trust’s toxic culture and concerns for the welfare of other patients on wards.

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Source: The Independent, 7 February 2020

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GP Manish Shah jailed for 90 sex assaults on patients

A GP has been given three life sentences for 90 sex assaults on female patients.

Manish Shah assaulted 23 women and a 15-year-old girl while working in London - carrying out invasive examinations for his own gratification. The Old Bailey heard he used Angelina Jolie and Jade Goody as examples to frighten patients about their health.

Judge Anne Molyneux described him as a "master of deception who abused his position of power". "You made up stories which got into heads and caused panic," she said.

Shah, from Romford, convinced his victims to have unnecessary checks between May 2009 and June 2013.

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Source: BBC News, 7 February 2020

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Patients harmed by delays at special measures trust

Patients were harmed at a Midlands trust because of delays in receiving outpatients and diagnostics appointments, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has warned.

Following the inspection at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust in September and October last year, the CQC has lowered the trust’s rating in its safety domain from “requires improvement” to “inadequate”. It warned there were insufficient numbers of staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience to “keep patients safe from avoidable harm”.

The report noted the trust had identified incidents in 2018 and 2019 where patients had come to harm due to delays in receiving appointments in outpatients, particularly in ophthalmology. Ten patients were found to have come to low harm, one patient moderate harm and two patients severe harm.

The CQC also issued a Section 31 letter of intent to seek further clarification in relation to incidents where patients had come to harm because of delays to receiving appointments in outpatients and diagnostic imaging, although it has confirmed the trust has provided details on how it is going to manage the issues raised. The watchdog said it would continue to monitor the issue.

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Source: HSJ, 7 February 2020

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Complete vaginal-mesh removals 'leaving material behind'

Dozens of women who thought they were having a "complete mesh removal" have discovered material has been left behind, the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme has been told.

Some women have been left unable to walk, work or have sex after having the initial vaginal-mesh implants.

Specialist surgeons say in some cases total or partial mesh removal can be beneficial. But some women said their symptoms had become worse. One was left suicidal.

Vaginal-mesh implants remain available on the NHS in England but only when certain conditions are met. In Scotland, the use of mesh was halted in 2018.

One paitent said her surgeon had promised her a "full mesh removal", but she has now been told more than 10cm (4in) could have been left behind. She had the mesh implanted several years ago to treat urinary incontinence and said she had woken after the surgery with "chronic pain in my legs, my groin and my hips". It is believed she suffered nerve damage.

A year later – after being told by one expert a mesh removal would be unlikely to resolve her pain – she found a surgeon who told her the implant could be completely removed. She had two operations, each taking her half a year to recover from, and was told there had been a full removal. But "within a few months" the pain began to return and her health deteriorated and she found out that only 5–8cm had been removed.

"My whole world turned upside down," she said, breaking into tears.

She has since been told by a separate specialist her form of mesh was one of the most difficult to remove and could cause significant nerve damage if not removed properly. She said she had never been told this by her surgeon.

The number of women affected is unknown but the Victoria Derbyshire programme understands there are at least dozens of such cases.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said in a statement that it took "each and every complication caused by mesh very seriously". It said: "Women must be informed of all options available and the benefits and risks of each so they can make the best decision about their care."

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Source: BBC News, 6 February 2020

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