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Sam

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  1. News Article
    More than 30 members of staff at a major NHS mental health hospital have been suspended over claims of serious misconduct including falsifying medical records and mistreating patients, The Independent has learned. The suspensions come after an internal investigation into serious conduct allegations at Highbury Hospital in Nottinghamshire, which employs hundreds of staff members. The suspended employees include registered professionals – such as doctors, nurses and nursing associates – and non-registered professionals, which would cover healthcare assistants and non-clinical staff. It comes just a week after the same trust – Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust – was issued with a warning by the safety watchdog over concerns about the safety of patients at Rampton Hospital, a high secure hospital which has housed patients such as Charles Bronson and Ian Huntley. In an email leaked to The Independent, the trust told staff: “We are saddened to report that over recent weeks it has been necessary to suspend over 30 colleagues due to very serious conduct allegations. “These allegations have included falsifying mental health observations, as well as maltreatment of patients in our care. “We hope we have your understanding in taking action when the conduct of colleagues falls so far outside of what patients deserve.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 23 January 2024
  2. News Article
    The Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk is calling for a criminal investigation into an apparent scandal that decisively surfaced over the summer, centred on the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS foundation trust (or NSFT), which sees to mental health provision across those two very large English counties. It is centred on the “unexpected” deaths of 8,440 people between April 2019 and October 2022, all of whom were either under the care of the trust, or had been up to six months before they died. The story of the failures that led to that statistic date back at least a decade; the campaign says it amounts to nothing less than “the largest deaths crisis in the history of the NHS”. The figure of 8,440 was the key finding of a report by the accounting and consultancy firm Grant Thornton – commissioned by the trust, ironically enough, to respond to anxious claims by campaigners, disputed by the trust, that there had been 1,000 unexpected deaths over nine years. There are no consistent national statistics for such deaths, and no universal definition of “unexpected”: in Norfolk and Suffolk, a death will be recorded as such if the person concerned was not identified by NHS staff as critically or terminally ill; the term includes deaths from natural causes as well as suicide, homicide, abuse and neglect. The period in question includes the worst of the pandemic, although the trust’s own annual deaths figures did not reach a peak until 2022-23. But the numbers still seem jaw-dropping: they represent an average of about 45 deaths a week. To put that in some kind of perspective, earlier reports about the trust’s deaths record had raised the alarm about a similar number of people dying every month. And the Grant Thornton report included another key revelation: the fact that the trust’s record-keeping was so chaotic that in about three-quarters of cases, it did not know the specifics of how or why the people concerned had died. After its publication, moreover, there were more revelations about the trust, and its culture and practices. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 21 January 2024
  3. News Article
    Sexual health services in England are at breaking point, according to local councils who are responsible for running the clinics. They say that soaring rates of infections are threatening to overwhelm services and the government needs to provide extra funding. Since 2017, more than two-thirds of council areas saw infection climb. The Department of Health said more than £3.5bn has been allocated to local public health services this year. The Local Government Association (LGA) - representing the councils that provide sexual health clinics - is warning that demand is soaring and services are struggling to keep up. It is calling on the government to provide extra funding, as well as to publish a long-term plan to help prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections. Nearly three-quarters of councils have seen a rise in rates of syphilis cases, and chlamydia infections are up in more than a third of areas. Many of the new cases are younger people, and involve gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, but rates have also increased in heterosexual people. Experts believe there has been a rebound effect after the restrictions connected to Covid, but infections were rising well before the pandemic hit. There has also been a greater effort to test more people and improve access to services which may have led to more cases being identified. Read full story Source: BBC News, 20 January 2024
  4. News Article
    One in 20 patients has to wait at least four weeks to see a GP at a time when funding for family doctor services is falling, NHS figures show. In November 2023, 1.5m appointments in England at a GP surgery took place four weeks or more after they were booked, 4.8% of the 31.9m held that month. In one in six appointments, 5.4m (17.3%), the patient was forced to wait at least two weeks after booking it to see a GP, practice nurse or other health professional. “Millions of people are being left anxious or waiting in pain because they can’t get an appointment with their GP,” said Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, who highlighted the latest evidence underlining the long delays that many patients face to see a GP. “Staggering” numbers of patients now have to wait a long time, he said. GP leaders blamed the situation on the widespread shortage of family doctors, which they said was making it impossible to keep up with the rising demand for appointments. Burnout due to intense workloads is prompting more GPs to work part time. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 January 2024
  5. News Article
    Healthcare workers are being told not to report women to the police if they believe their patients may have illegally ended their own pregnancy. The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (RCOG) says "deeply traumatised" women are being prosecuted following abortions. By law, patients' data must not be disclosed without their consent. The new guidance follows a recent rise in police investigations into abortions. NHS staff can breach confidentiality rules to give information to the police about possible crimes, but only if it is in the "public interest". The RCOG says it is "never" in the public interest to report women who have abortions, and that they must be safeguarded. In the first official guidance issued of its kind, a healthcare worker must "justify" any disclosure of patient data or "face potential fitness to practice proceedings". The organisation says it is "concerned" by the rising number of police investigations following abortions and pregnancy loss, and the effect this might have on "especially vulnerable" patients. Dr Jonathan Lord, RCOG's medical director, told the BBC: "A law that was originally designed to protect a woman is now being used against her. "We have witnessed life-changing harm to women and their wider families as a direct result of NHS staff reporting women suspected of crimes, and we just don't think that would happen in other areas of healthcare. "We deal with the most vulnerable groups who may be concerned about turning to regulated healthcare at all, and we need them to trust us". .Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 January 2024
  6. News Article
    Four carers who were convicted of abusing patients at a secure hospital have been given suspended sentences. An undercover BBC Panorama investigation showed patients being mocked by staff at Whorlton Hall in County Durham between 2018 and 2019. The four former staff, who are all men, were sentenced on Friday after being convicted by a jury last year. Judge Chris Smith said Whorlton Hall was an "unpredictable and inherently frightening place to live". The specialist hospital for people with complex needs was privately run by Cygnet, but funded by the NHS. It has since closed. Judge Smith said Whorlton Hall had a "malign culture" and was an "unpredictable and inherently frightening place to live." He added: "Each of you failed those patients and their families. It was a fundamental breach of trust." Read full story Source: BBC New, 20 January 2024
  7. News Article
    Theatre staff at a major hospital “deliberately slowed down” elective activity to limit the number of operations that could be done each day, an NHS England review has been told. The culture in theatres at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, run by East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, was a “significant issue” according to an education quality intervention review report into trauma and orthopaedic training at the hospital. The review, dated October and made public by NHSE in December 2023, was launched after concerns were raised by staff at the trust in the General Medical Council’s national training survey, published every July. Problems raised by junior doctors and their supervisors to the NHSE review included perceptions that juniors were made to feel uncomfortable by the trauma theatre team and that there was also “animosity” from the trauma theatre team towards surgeons. The review said trauma theatre staff were heard “bragging” about their behaviour towards surgeons and that they resisted the number of cases scheduled on a list, claiming it was “unrealistic". Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 19 January 2024
  8. Event
    NHS England have set out an ambitious three-year plan back in February 2022, aimed at tackling the surgical backlog that has reached a record high following the pandemic. With a major milestone on the horizon to reduce wait times over a year by March 2025, we take a look at the progress being made and how trusts around the country are collaborating in order to drive down waiting times. Join Salford Professional Development for their 9th annual conference where industry leading speakers from all corners of the healthcare sector will come together to dive into captivating discussions on the key issues operating theatres are currently facing, alongside how they are driving innovation and utilising technology to support their practices. Hear unravelling insights on how to enhance sustainability, boost surgery productivity, amplify effectiveness, and work together in order to drive down the surgical backlog, ensuring a person-centred approach. This isn't just theory – it's practical wisdom you can immediately apply to your own surgical team. Case study examples and our panel of experts will illustrate how teams have transformed their practice and brought innovative solutions into play such as the HVLC delivery, GIRFT, Robotics and Sustainability action plans, and how they are tackling challenges facing the trusts theatres and beyond. Register
  9. Event
    Learn from experts about Project PIVOT, a patient safety initiative led by Patients for Patient Safety (PFPS) US. According to a World Health Organization report, despite decades of patient safety improvement initiatives, approximately 134 million adverse safety events are still occurring each year. A recent report from the Office of the Inspector General revealed that 1 in in 4 Medicare patients experience avoidable adverse events - disproportionately impacting those communities who experience marginalization. A key emerging strategy to improve patient safety and equity is to incorporate patient-reported experiences and outcomes (PREs and PROs) into improvement efforts as illustrated by recent calls to action from the President’s Council of Advisors on Safety and Technology (PCAST), the WHO’s Global Patient Safety Action Plan, and in CMS’s proposed Patient Safety Structural Measure. Learn from Sue Sheridan, Martin Hatlie, and Suz Schrandt about Project PIVOT and other initiatives that are taking action to promote the implementation of patient-centered PROs and PREs to drive safer more equitable care. Register
  10. News Article
    Caroline remembers screaming. It was like an electric shock which went from her neck to her toes. It was like being tasered in her most intimate area. She could not move because she was scared. She called out to the doctor to stop. “I can’t believe what happened to me was done in an NHS hospital,” Caroline, 56, says. “I feel that if they were wearing black balaclavas it would have suited what I experienced more. I felt like I was subjected to a very violent assault. That is the trauma that I’m dealing with now.” Caroline is one of thousands of women who have faced excruciating pain when undergoing a hysteroscopy, a medical procedure used to examine inside the womb, where biopsies may be taken. It is used to detect cancer, pre-cancer and other benign abnormalities. One in three women face severe pain during a hysteroscopy – rating it at least seven out of 10 – according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. That means thousands of women in the UK could be left traumatised by this medical procedure each year. Campaigners believe the NHS is failing to properly inform patients of the pain they may endure. The NHS website describes it as a “simple” and “relatively quick” procedure which is “not usually carried out under anaesthetic”. But women who have spoken to The Big Issue describe feeling “violated” during a hysteroscopy. They believe they were unable to give “informed consent” and some have been left with long-term physical and psychological trauma. Read full story Source: The Big Issue, 18 January 2024 Related reading on the hub: Painful hysteroscopy Through the hysteroscope: Reflections of a gynaecologist The normalisation of women’s pain
  11. News Article
    Fewer Americans are dying of cancer, part of a decades-long trend that began in the 1990s as more people quit smoking and doctors screened earlier for certain cancers. However, the American Cancer Society warned that those gains are threatened by an increase in cancers among people younger than 55, in particular cervical and colorectal cancer, and by the continued disparities between white Americans and people of colour. “The continuous sharp increase in colorectal cancer in younger Americans is alarming,” said Dr Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice-president for surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society. “We need to halt and reverse this trend by increasing uptake of screening, including awareness of non-invasive stool tests with follow-up care, in people 45-49 years, [old]” said Jemal. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 January 2024
  12. News Article
    Half of surgeons in England have considered leaving the NHS amid frustration over a lack of access to operating rooms, a new survey shows. More than 3,000 surgeons contemplated quitting the health service in the last year, with two-thirds reporting burn out and work-related stress to be their main challenge, a new survey by the Royal College of Surgeons England has revealed. As the NHS tries to reduce the 7.61 million waiting list backlog, the survey, covering one quarter of all UK surgeons, found that 56% believe that access to operating theatres is a major challenge. RCS England president, Mr Tim Mitchell, said: “At a time when record waiting lists persist across the UK, it is deeply concerning that NHS productivity has decreased. “The reasons for this are multifactorial, but access to operating theatres and staff wellbeing certainly play a major part. If surgical teams cannot get into operating theatres, patients will continue to endure unacceptably long waits for surgery. “There is an urgent need to increase theatre capacity and ensure existing theatre spaces are used to maximum capacity. There is also a lot of work to be done to retain staff at all levels by reducing burnout and improving morale.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 18 January 2024
  13. Event
    This Hospital at Night Summit focuses on out of hours care in hospitals delivering high quality safe care at night and supporting the wellbeing of those working at night. Through national updates, networking opportunities and case studies this conference provides a practical guide to delivering a high-quality hospital at night service and transforming out of hours services and roles to improve patient safety. The 2024 conference will focus on developing an effective Hospital at Night service and focus on the practicalities of supporting staff at night, improving wellbeing, and fighting fatigue. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/hospital-at-night-summit or email aman@hc-uk.org.uk We have a limited number of free places for this event for members of the hub. Email content@pslhub.org if you are interested. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #HospitalAtNight
  14. Content Article
    The framework has been produced to guide organisations providing residential or supported living accommodation to adults with a learning disability who may have been impacted by a trauma history. Whilst it can be difficult to assess the impact of trauma for many people with a learning disability, particularly those with a more severe/profound learning disability, it is important to recognise the possibility of the impact of psychological trauma. Providing care practices that are trauma informed, person-centred and growth promoting are less likely to be re-traumatizing for those already exposed to trauma.
  15. News Article
    Thousands of lives could be saved if safe rooms were set up in UK cities where people could be supervised while they get high, the world’s largest review of the effectiveness of drug-consumption rooms and overdose-prevention centres (OPCs) has found. The part-government-funded study published on Thursday also found the facilities could slash the transmission of fatal diseases, as well as reduce drug litter, the pressure on ambulance callouts and the burden on hospitals. Similar facilities already operate in France, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Mexico, Iceland and Colombia. Each unit hosts from 20 to 400 users a day and is supposed to provide somewhere for people to take drugs in the presence of trained health workers who intervene if an overdose occurs. They also mean people don’t have to rush their drug taking, can access clean needles, and get help with other health issues, from testing for hepatitis B and HIV to accessing mental-health support. But none has yet been deployed officially in the UK, and the report warns the absence “costs lives”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 11 January 2023
  16. News Article
    Most key NHS targets have been missed for at least seven years across the UK, BBC News research shows. The review of records going back 20 years also reveals Northern Ireland and Wales have never met the four-hour accident-and-emergency (A&E) target. The analysis focused on the three key hospital targets, covering A&E, cancer and waiting times for planned care. In the past seven, the only one to have been met is the A&E target in Scotland - and that was during lockdown in 2020, when the number of visits to A&E plummeted. All four nations said improving waiting times was a priority and investment was being made. But King's Fund think tank chief analyst Siva Anandaciva said the findings should "act as a wake-up call". "These are the key totemic targets," he said. "The length of time they have been missed is incredible." Patients groups warned the delays were putting patients at risk. Patients Association chief executive Rachel Power said the analysis showed the NHS was in "permacrisis". Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 January 2024
  17. News Article
    Mylissa Farmer’s pregnancy was doomed. But no one would help her end it. Over the course of a few days in August 2022, Farmer visited two hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, where doctors agreed that because the 41-year-old’s water had broken just 18 weeks into her pregnancy, there was no chance that she would give birth to a healthy baby. Continuing the pregnancy could risk Farmer’s health and life – yet the doctors could not act. Weeks earlier, the US supreme court had overturned Roe v Wade and abolished the national right to abortion. It was, legal counsel at one hospital determined, “too risky in this heated political environment to intervene”, according to legal filings. In immense pain and anguish, Farmer ultimately traveled several hours to Illinois, where abortion is legal. There, doctors were able to end her pregnancy. Farmer’s account is detailed in a legal complaint she filed against the hospitals, arguing that they broke a federal law that requires hospitals to treat patients in medical emergencies. In a first-of-its-kind investigation, the US government sided with Farmer and declared that the two hospitals had broken the law. The future of the government’s ability to invoke that law to protect women seeking emergency abortions is now in question. The law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (Emtala), is at the heart of the US supreme court’s latest blockbuster abortion case, which comes out of Idaho. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 January 2024
  18. News Article
    In 2016, Kettering General Hospital (KGH) became the focus of a major criminal inquiry. Documents seen by the BBC reveal detectives looked for evidence of gross negligence manslaughter over the treatment of Jorgie Stanton-Watts, a vulnerable toddler. Seven years of investigations followed, by the hospital, regulators and a coroner. The family has struggled to hold people to account. Since Jorgie's death, a BBC investigation has heard from more than 50 parents with serious concerns about the treatment of their children, many of whom died or suffered injury. The Northamptonshire hospital has also been inspected regularly. In April the Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded the hospital's children's services to inadequate, the lowest possible rating. Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 January 2024
  19. Event
    This conference focuses on improving practice and patient safety to reduce extravasation Injury, ensuring front line clinicians are aware of the risk of extravasation and how to recognise, treat and escalate extravasation injuries when they do occur. This conference will enable you to: Network with colleagues who are working to reduce extravasation injury. Learn from outstanding practice in recognizing, treating and escalating extravasation injury. Reflect on national developments and learning. Ensure vesicants are administered in the safest way. Develop your skills in training frontline staff to recognise evolving injuries. Understand how you can implement preventative measures. Identify key strategies for improvement. Educate patients to raise alarm and improve consent procedures. Develop protocols to support practice. Understand the role and competencies of the NHS trust lead for extravasation. Ensure effective treatment, and early intervention in severe wounds. Learn from case studies in cancer, maternity, radiology and paediatrics. Ensure you are up to date with the latest legal cases. Self assess and reflect on your own practice. Supports CPD professional development and acts as revalidation evidence. This course provides 5 Hrs training for CPD subject to peer group approval for revalidation purposes. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/iv-therapy-summit-2023 or email kerry@hc-uk.org.uk Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #IVTherapy hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.
  20. Event
    This conference brings together leading experts at the forefront of Martha’s Rule implementation and offers a comprehensive and practical guide for clinical staff to seamlessly integrate Martha’s Rule into their daily practice. The conference delves into the caregiver’s perspective, principles and implications of Martha’s Rule, legal and patient safety considerations, effective communication strategies, and the use of technology in the adoption of Martha’s Rule. Throughout the day, there will be interactive sessions, small breakout groups, and collaborative exercises, fostering a dynamic learning experience. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/marthas-rule-patient-safety or email aman@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code.
  21. Event
    Aimed at Clinicians and Managers, this national virtual conference will provide a practical guide to human factors in healthcare, and how a human factors approach can improve patient care, quality, process, and safety. The conference delves into integrating human factors into healthcare systems and processes, clinical decision making, healthcare system design, quality of patient experience, medication safety, and workload, fatigue, and stress management. Throughout the day, there will be interactive sessions, small breakout groups, and collaborative exercises, fostering a dynamic learning experience. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/virtual-online-courses/a-practical-guide-to-human-factors-in-healthcare or email kate@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for discount code. Follow on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #HumanFactors
  22. News Article
    The Royal College of Nursing has warned of an increase risk of Covid among hospital staff and patients due to the NHS’s failure to follow World Health Organization advice about infection control during a current spike in cases. The most recent figures showed one in 24 people in England and Scotland had Covid on 13 December, up from one in 55 two weeks before. Last week WHO expressed concern about a new subvariant of Omicron, labelled JN.1, after its rapid spread in the Americas, western Pacific and European regions. To tackle the increase, the WHO advised that all health facilities “implement universal masking” and give health workers “respirators and other PPE”. Now the RCN has written to the four chief nursing officers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland asking why this guidance has not been introduced across the NHS. The letter, seen by the Guardian, points out that existing guidance in the national infection prevention and control manual (NIPCM) does not mandate hospital staff to use masks. It also leaves decisions about respirators to local risk assessors. The RCN says this guidance to UK hospitals is “inconsistent” with WHO advice. The letter by Patricia Marquis, the RCN’s director for England, calls for urgent revision to the NIPCM guidance to ensure the “universal implementation” of masks and respirators for health workers. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 December 2023
  23. Event
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    Themed Together to Regenerate Health and Care, the programme will showcase inspirational improvement work from all sectors and explore how we can create a system of health and care that truly meets the needs of our communities. You can now explore six new topic streams - Safety, People, Population, Change, Leadership and Science, and find sessions that address the challenges that you and your organisation face. Register
  24. News Article
    A mother who endured a botched surgery at the hands of a disgraced neurosurgeon claims NHS Tayside tried to silence her against making complaints. Professor Sam Eljamel removed Jules Rose's tear duct during a failed attempt to operate on a brain tumour - setting the 55-year-old on a path to becoming a prolific campaigner for patients' rights. Ms Rose, however, has received sight of documents that show NHS Tayside writing to the then-health minister Humza Yousaf to say she had been "aggressive" and "vulgar" and they would no longer communicate with her. In a letter in response, Mr Yousaf says he sees no evidence of any such conduct by the mother-of-two and tells the health board to enter into mediation with her. Ms Rose said: "In the letter I have been given, Humza Yousaf writes back and say, 'She's quite right to feel aggrieved at the treatment she's received. "'Therefore, I suggest that you continue liaising with Miss Rose and enter into mediation.' "This was last November but I've only just had copies of the letters sent to me and when I saw them I thought, 'They've tried to shut me down, they're tried to silence me'." The ongoing dispute with NHS Tayside is as a result of Ms Rose's long-running campaign for justice for patients - thought to be as many as 270 - harmed by Eljamel while he was in the health board's employ. Read full story Source: The Herald, 16 December 2023
  25. Content Article
    The Cultural Awareness Hub is a national service which provides interactive, expert experience and sustainable workshops which offer unique insights into culture and history for all organisations working with and supporting the public. It helps organisations to understand and identify barriers to services, while providing realistic and achievable solutions to ensure effective and efficient collaborative engagement is embedded with all communities. The training is developed to transform knowledge and empower both participants and the communities they are supporting. Understanding and respecting different cultures and communities is essential to ensure all services provide personalised care. Training provided through The Cultural Awareness Hub is subject to a fee, please contact us for more information. To find out more and to discuss creating your own training package, please contact TheCulturalAwarenessHub@EELGA.gov.uk.
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