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Mark Hughes

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Everything posted by Mark Hughes

  1. Content Article
    Although much of the national press coverage of healthcare in the UK often focuses on the impact of delayed discharges from hospitals, ineffective discharge from mental health settings can lead to higher levels of patient readmission. In this blog CJ Nwasike looks at how discharge without support exacerbates pressure on community mental health services and can risk readmission.
  2. Content Article
    The Thirlwall Inquiry is examining events at the Countess of Chester Hospital and their implications following the trial, and subsequent convictions, of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby of murder and attempted murder of babies at the hospital. As part of this Inquiry, its Terms of Reference asks: “Whether recommendations to address culture and governance issues made by previous inquiries into the NHS have been implemented into wider NHS practice? To what effect?”. To help inform its work in this area, the Inquiry Legal Team has produced this Table of Inquiries and reviews which have been conducted in England and Wales over the last thirty years. Recommendations from each Inquiry have been set out in a comprehensive table, alongside details of whether or not those recommendations have been implemented.
  3. Content Article
    More than 30,000 people were infected from 1970 to 1991 by contaminated blood products and transfusions provided by the NHS. It is estimated that more than 3,000 deaths are attributable to infected blood, products and tissue. This report sets out the findings of a five-year investigation by the Infected Blood Inquiry. The principal infections considered by the Inquiry are Hepatitis (B and C) and HIV. The transmission of vCJD is also considered.
  4. Content Article
    NHS bosses are destroying the careers of whistleblowers who stand up to protect patients’ lives, according to an exclusive investigation by The Telegraph. More than 50 doctors and nurses told us they have been targeted after raising concerns about upwards of 170 patient deaths and nearly 700 cases of poor care. In this episode of The Daily T podcast, Kamal Ahmed and Camilla Tominey are joined by the journalists behind the story, Janet Eastham and Gordon Rayner. This discussion takes in the video from 2 minutes 52 seconds to 16 minutes 40 seconds.
  5. Content Article
    In this interview, Patrick Christys from GB News speaks to former Consultant Urological Surgeon, Peter Duffy, about the treatment of whistleblowers in the NHS who raise patient safety concerns. You can find out more about Peter’s experiences in his books Whistle in the Wind and Smoke and Mirrors. To watch the interview, click on the link below.
  6. Content Article
    This report, commissioned by Alzheimer’s Society from Carnall Farrar, sets out estimates of current and future economic and healthcare costs of dementia in the UK. It breaks down this data by cost type, dementia severity and the regions of England and the devolved nations.
  7. Content Article
    In April 2024 the World Health Organization published the Patient Safety Rights charter, outlining patients’ rights in the context of safety in healthcare. In this blog, Assistant Professor John Tingle and Teaching Fellow Angela Eggleton from Birmingham Law School at the University of Birmingham, consider the rights included in the Charter and applying this to the NHS.
  8. Content Article
    Diagnostic errors are associated with patient harm and suboptimal outcomes. However, despite efforts to advance definition, measurement and interventions for diagnostic error, diagnosis in mental health is not well represented in this ongoing work. The authors of this article, published in BMJ Safety & Quality, summarise the current state of research on diagnostic errors in mental health and identify opportunities to align future research with the emerging science of diagnostic safety.
  9. Content Article
    In this opinion piece for BMJ, David Oliver, consultant in geriatrics and acute general medicine, looks at how the professional duty of candour operates in the NHS. In doing so he considers the effectiveness of actions taken in the last five years by the Care Quality Commissioner, General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council over failure to exercise the duty of candour.
  10. Content Article
    Patient Safety Specialists are individuals in NHS healthcare organisations who have been designated to provide dynamic senior patient safety leadership. This report shares the findings of an evaluation of this role conducted by THIS Institute, which took place between September 2022 and March 2024. As part of this they spoke to people involved in developing and supporting the role and examined the perspectives of role holders using a survey, focus groups and case-study interviews.
  11. Content Article
    This investigation by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) considers improvements that can be made to patient safety in relation to the use of continuous observation with adult patients in acute hospital wards who are at risk of self-harm. For its reference case, it looks at the case of a patient who self-harmed when receiving care at a high dependency unit while two members of staff were continuously observing her.
  12. Content Article
    In this opinion piece for the BMJ, Scarlett McNally looks at patient safety concerns relating to maternity care in the NHS. She considers the costs associated with additional spending in the sector intended to improve safety and emphases the need to train and retain more midwives.
  13. Content Article
    This report by the Maternity & Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) programme examines findings from 92 of their investigations where safety recommendations were made to midwife-led units in NHS hospital trusts in England. It highlights key learnings and prompts to help trusts to consider how safety risks can be mitigated and drive improvements in care.
  14. Content Article
    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, and other microorganisms, develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, making them less responsive or unresponsive to treatment. This National Action Plan sets out how the UK will reduce its use of antimicrobials in humans and animals, strengthen surveillance of drug resistant infections before they emerge and incentivise industry to develop the next generation of treatments.
  15. Content Article
    The risk of a patient being harmed in a hospital is high in low- and middle-income countries, with the risk of health care-associated infection being up to 20 times higher than in developed countries. This review seeks to assess the current patient safety culture in health facilities in African countries to provide insight into areas of strength and areas for improvement.
  16. Content Article
    Health inequities are systematic differences in the health status of different population groups. These inequities have significant social and economic costs both to individuals and societies. In this blog, Nichola Crust, Senior Safety Investigator at the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, shares how one primary care network in the north of England is tackling health inequity by building relationships beyond traditional healthcare boundaries, with patient-centred leadership.
  17. Content Article
    In March 2024, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) convened a roundtable discussion entitled ‘Accountability, fear and public safety’ to explore some of the recent NHS safety culture initiatives in England and their relationship with professional health regulation. In this blog, Anna van der Gaag, Visiting Professor in Ethics & Regulation at the University of Surrey, reflects on this discussion and how to bring the best of safety culture initiatives and the best of regulatory processes together to do more for patient safety.
  18. Content Article
    The NHS Constitution sets out the principles, values, rights and pledges underpinning the NHS as a comprehensive health service, free at the point of use for all who need it. The Department of Health and Social Care is seeking views on how best to change the NHS Constitution, as part of the process of completing its 10 year review. They are requesting feedback from patients, carers, NHS staff and the public on the proposals set out in this consultation document. This consultation closes at 11.59pm on 25 June 2024.
  19. Content Article
    The Lampard Inquiry will seek to understand the events that led to the tragic deaths of mental health inpatients under the care of NHS trusts in Essex between 2000 and 2023. This document outlines the terms of reference set following consultation with the chair of the inquiry, Baroness Lampard.
  20. Content Article
    In this episode, Dr Paul Grime, Chairman of the Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network, speaks to Jonathan Pearce, Chief Executive of Antibiotic Research UK. Jonathan has nearly 20 years’ experience as a CEO in the UK charity sector and has led a number of national organisations, including DKMS UK, Lymphoma Action and Adoption UK. Safety Talks is a podcast series as part of the Safety for All Campaign, launched to shine a light on the symbiotic relationship and benefits of integrating the approach to deliver healthcare worker safety and patient safety.
  21. Content Article
    This is the report of a review conducted by the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s Independent Expert Panel, examining progress the UK Government has made against accepted recommendations from public inquiries and reviews on patient safety. It focuses on five recommendations, giving the Government for each a rating in the style used by national bodies such as the Care Quality Commission. The overall rating across all recommendations is ‘requires improvement’.
  22. Content Article
    The National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs) 2 are intended to help share learning and best practice to support multidisciplinary teams and organisations to deliver safer care. This two-page summary document, published by the Centre for Perioperative Care, provides a concise overview of NatSSIPs for anyone who does interventional procedures and the teams who support them.
  23. Content Article
    In this episode Dr Paul Grime, Chairman of the Safer Healthcare Biosafety Network, speaks to Dr Shriti Pattani, an accredited specialist in Occupational Health working for London North West University Hospitals NHS Trust as their Clinical Director. She also works as a GP and was recently awarded an OBE for her outstanding work in occupational health. Her particular interests include the mental health of Doctors, education of GPs and other physicians on the importance of work on health and how best to use the ‘fit note’ and opportunities for fast tracking NHS staff to promote their health and wellbeing. Safety Talks is a podcast series as part of the Safety for All Campaign, launched to shine a light on the symbiotic relationship and benefits of integrating the approach to deliver healthcare worker safety and patient safety.
  24. Content Article
    In late 2023, the Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy, Maria Caulfield MP, asked the Patient Safety Commissioner for England to explore redress options for those who have been harmed by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate. This report sets out the outcome of this project and is designed to help the government understand the options available for providing redress to those patients harmed by pelvic mesh and valproate.
  25. Content Article
    On 26 January 2023, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust contacted the Royal College of Surgeons of England to request an invited service review of the Trust’s general surgery department, with a specific focus on upper gastrointestinal surgery, lower GI surgery and emergency general surgery. The request highlighted that the general surgery department was a service which had been under scrutiny for many years, with a history of internal reviews, and concerns being raised by consultant surgeons as well as other members of staff within the department. This report sets out the findings of this review.
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