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Content ArticleWhen healthcare worker infections at The Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia seemed to be spiralling out of control despite strict protocols being adhered to by expertly trained staff, Professor Kirsty Buising and her colleagues took action. To inform future responses in the Australian setting, Kirsty and her colleagues present in this paper a description of healthcare worker infections at their institution and the suite of interventions they used to control the outbreak.
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Content ArticleThis study looks at the case of a patient who had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and despite past infection and receiving booster shots, was found to have been re-infected with the Delta Variant and then the Alpha Variant from a fully vaccinated family member.
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Content ArticleThis opinion piece from The Guardian highlights the vaccine inequalities currently faced by low-income countries. The article discusses the percentage of people who have received the first dose in comparison to those living in richer countries such as the U.K. and U.S.A. and how a more strategic and equitable approach is needed to help ensure the world emerges sustainably from the crisis.
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News Article
Major spikes in hospital-acquired covid infections at two trusts
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
A spike in hospital acquired Covid-19 has been observed in two acute trusts, The Royal Wolverhampton Trust and Yeovil District Hospital Foundation Trust. According to NHS England, it is can be considered hospital acquired if covid infections are diagnosed eight days or more after admission. Data suggests The Royal Wolverhampton Trust had a weekly average of 25 probable hospital-acquired covid infections in mid-August and a spike at the start of August for Yeovil District Hospital Foundation Trust. Infection Prevention Society president Jennie Wilson said "Infection prevention and control teams are totally aware it’s a problem and they strive to do their best to keep it under control. It’s hugely challenging but [staff] are doing their best." Read full story. Source: HSJ, 25 August 2021 -
Content ArticleThis article by Lauren Nicolle discusses the measures that can be taken by both healthcare professionals and the patient to reduce the impact of Covid-19 on the thousands of cancer patients that have had their treatment disrupted.
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News Article
Covid returns to top 10 causes of death
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
According to reports, Covid-19 was the 9th biggest cause of death in England in July, and the 26th most common in June, with data showing it was the 22nd leading cause of death in Wales. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of deaths was 7.6% higher than average in England and 10.4% higher in Wales. However, when there isn't a pandemic, the top causes of death are usually heart disease and dementia, but in the months when Covid-19 has been dominant, it has been the leading cause by a long way. Read full story. Source: BBC News, 23 August 2021 -
Content ArticleThis research was conducted to explore the relationship between the various types of events that occur in an isolation environment and the associated factors, which may have implications for the likelihood of the event and severity of patient harm. After performing an analysis of event reports submitted by acute care hospitals between January 1 and September 30, 2020, 484 relevant event reports from 94 hospitals for inclusion in our descriptive study (excluding near-miss events) were identified.
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News ArticleA new antibody testing programme has been launched where participants will be sent two finger-prick tests to complete at home and then inform the UK Health Security Agency of the antibody response to different coronavirus variants. The new programme was created in order to generate new data on antibody protections for people following infection by different coronavirus variants, and from Tuesday, anyone over the age of 18 in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, will be able to opt into the programme. Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said "Our new national antibody testing will be quick and easy to take part in [and by] doing so you'll be helping strengthen our understanding of COVID-19 as we cautiously return to a more normal life. I'm proud to see all parts of the UK uniting around this new initiative and working together to arm ourselves with even more valuable insights into how COVID-19 vaccines are protecting people up and down the UK." Read full story. Source: Sky News, 22 August 2021
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News Article
Jabbed adults infected with Delta ‘can match virus levels of unvaccinated’
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
According to new data, those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, can still harbour virus levels as high as unvaccinated people if infected with the Delta variant. This new data suggests that hitting the threshold for herd immunity remains unlikely. However, it evidence does show vaccination still offers protection against hospitals and infection. “We don’t yet know how much transmission can happen from people who get Covid-19 after being vaccinated – for example, they may have high levels of virus for shorter periods of time, but the fact that they can have high levels of virus suggests that people who aren’t yet vaccinated may not be as protected from the Delta variant as we hoped.” said Sarah Walker, a professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Oxford. Read full story. Source: The Guardian, 19 August 2021 -
News Article
NHS Wales: Waiting times hit record levels
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
According to recent reports, the number of patients on waiting lists for non-urgent hospital treatment in Wales has again hit record levels. Data has revealed there were 624,909 people waiting in June, and those waiting the longest, more than nine months, rose again to 233,210. A Welsh government spokesperson said: "Waiting times for treatment continue to grow. However, it is encouraging to see progress being made with the number of patients waiting over 52 weeks falling for the third month in a row. We also saw the largest number of specialist consultations completed and treatments started in any month since the start of the pandemic." A&E time performance has been at its worst on record, with 94,176 attendances to emergency units over the month. Health spokesman Russell George said: "To record the worst ever A&E waiting times and the longest NHS treatment waiting list in the same month shows a complete lack of leadership." Read full story. Source: BBC News, 19 August 2021 Related Reading Patient Safety Learning blog: Tackling the care and treatment backlog safely (19 August 2021) -
Content Article
This is the first of two blogs by Patient Safety Learning looking at the key patient safety issues faced by the healthcare system in the UK in tackling the care and treatment backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic. This blog outlines the scale of the challenge and sets out the key patient safety considerations associated with this. It stresses the need for national and local plans to address the backlog, with an emphasis on patient engagement and placing patient safety at their core. -
Content ArticleDuring the rapid rise in COVID-19 illnesses and deaths globally, and notwithstanding recommended precautions, questions are voiced about routes of transmission for this pandemic disease. Inhaling small airborne droplets is probable as a third route of infection, in addition to more widely recognised transmission via larger respiratory droplets and direct contact with infected people or contaminated surfaces. While uncertainties remain regarding the relative contributions of the different transmission pathways, Morawska et al. argue that existing evidence is sufficiently strong to warrant engineering controls targeting airborne transmission as part of an overall strategy to limit infection risk indoors. Appropriate building engineering controls include sufficient and effective ventilation, possibly enhanced by particle filtration and air disinfection, avoiding air recirculation and avoiding overcrowding. Often, such measures can be easily implemented and without much cost, but if only they are recognised as significant in contributing to infection control goals. The authors believe that the use of engineering controls in public buildings, including hospitals, shops, offices, schools, kindergartens, libraries, restaurants, cruise ships, elevators, conference rooms or public transport, in parallel with effective application of other controls (including isolation and quarantine, social distancing and hand hygiene), would be an additional important measure globally to reduce the likelihood of transmission and thereby protect healthcare workers, patients and the general public.
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Content ArticleResearchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool for rapidly detecting COVID-19 in people arriving at a hospital’s emergency department. The tool can accurately rule out infection within an hour of a patient arriving at hospital, significantly faster than the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test that has a turnaround time of typically 24 hours.
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News Article
Huge gulf in hospitals' ability to contain Covid
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
New analysis looking at the spread of Covid-19 in hospitals has revealed a massive gulf in ability to contain the virus during the first wave. According to the published data, overall only 1 in 10 people actually caught the virus whilst in the hospital, however 314 UK hospitals showed that ranged from just one in 100 cases caught in hospital, to more than 1 in 4, with an estimate of between 5,700 and 11,900 people who were infected in hospital. Professor Calum Semple, one of the researchers from the University of Liverpool has said, "There will be tragedy behind this story, people that came into hospital with one problem, caught Covid and sadly died." Read full story. Source: BBC News, 13 August 2021 -
News ArticleAccording to the state's health watchdog Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), six out of 10 hospitals inspected last year were non-compliant with aspects of infection-control procedures against Covid-19. Recurring issues such as poor physical infrastructure, capacity issues and workforce challenges were found to hinder efforts to cope with the pandemic, and despite investments, issues around infrastructure and capacity have been worsened by the pandemic. “In most instances, we found an effective approach to adapt to this unprecedented crisis in hospitals. However, hospitals’ efforts were made more difficult due to underlying historic problems with infrastructure, limited bed capacity and unequal or limited access to specialist workforce input and advice – problems that Hiqa’s prior monitoring work against national standards has consistently highlighted.” said Hiqa’s director of regulation, Mary Dunnion. Read full story. Source: Irish Times, 10 August 2021
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News ArticleAccording to new data, those sick with Covid-19 are a decade younger than previous waves, with analysis showing the average age of among 2,889 patients admitted to ICU since May was 49, compared to 59 in the previous surges. However, this has been put down to the effects of vaccine programme as older adults were prioritised. Reports have also found hundreds of critically ill patients are having to be moved between hospitals due to the need to remove pressure on beds. The chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said: “Trusts’ experience of Covid-19 has strongly confirmed what we already knew: that the NHS is significantly short of intensive care capacity, both beds and staff. The level of ICU transfers over the last few months, to alleviate pressures in a number of different hospitals, further confirms that." Read full story. Source: The Independent, 10 August 2021
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Content Article
The Untold Heartbreak
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Heart conditions
Covid-19 has had a lasting impact on cardiovascular care since the outbreak began. The British Heart Foundation has predicted that the number of people in England waiting for care and diagnosis could more than double within two years, peaking at around 550, 385 in January 2024 if the NHS doesn't get the funding it needs. In order to provide a stronger and more resilient health system that supports healthcare staff, a cardiovascular strategy for England to support recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic is needed. -
News Article
PPE: Gateshead NHS Trust first to make its own masks
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Gateshead Health NHS Trust in the north-east of England are the first NHS body in the UK to manufacture its own protective face masks. This move comes after Filtering Face Piece 3 masks (FFP3), which are used widely in hospitals, were in short supply early in the pandemic. "It's taken us a lot of hard work and investment to get to this stage. Every part and stage has had to be precision-engineered to make sure that these masks meet the standard and are effective at filtration." Said Managing director Anthony Robson. Read full story. Source: BBC News, 6 August 2021 -
Content Article
University of Plymouth: Telerehab Toolkit
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Telemedicine
The Telerehab Toolkit is a patient and practitioner guide to remote appointments for people with movement impairment and disability. -
News ArticleAn open letter has been published calling for the end of Covid-related abuse against healthcare staff, with leading health organisations coming together to unite against the rising tide of violence against nurses and other NHS staff. The letter was signed by nine representatives including the Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Midwives and warned of the “unacceptable behaviours”, a move that comes after he chief executive and general secretary of the RCM, Gill Walton, received online threats after she supported a national appeal for pregnant women to get the Covid-19 vaccine. “To those who issue death threats or incite violence against us, we say enough is enough”, Ms Walton has said. Read full story. Source: The Nursing Times, 4 August 2021
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News Article
Covid: Pressured oxygen reduces ventilator need
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
New research has found oxygen therapy may help reduce the number of patients needing a ventilator. The research trial, conducted across 48 hospitals in the UK, found that out of the three methods of oxygen delivery, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) could be the most beneficial in reducing the need for a patient to go on a ventilator. "The routine use of high-flow nasal oxygenation, which can consume large amounts of oxygen, should be reconsidered, as it did not improve outcomes. By giving patients the most effective treatment to begin with, we can help prevent resource shortages in our NHS and make sure the right type of ventilation is available to patients when it is required." Says Prof Gavin Perkins, from the Warwick Medical School. Read full story. Source: BBC News, 05 August 2021 -
News Article
Shielding staff say they were forced back to work without a risk assessment
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
According to a UK-wide survey conducted in April 2021, significant numbers of "extremely vulnerable" clinicians have said they were forced to go back to work without having an appropriate risk assessment in line with official guidance. The survey, recording 124 respondents, found 38% had yet to receive a risk assessment despite returning to work with the comments section entries including complaints around “bullying from peers” and “difficult” working relationships. “NHS organisations have been working hard to look after all their staff during these challenging times, and will be aware that the right support is especially important to meet the various needs of staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable." Paul Deemer, head of diversity and inclusion at NHS Employers has said. Read full story (paywalled). Source: HSJ, 4 August 2021 -
News Article
Long-lasting Covid-19 symptoms rare in children
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
According to research by King's College scientists, children who become ill with Covid-19 rarely experience long-term symptoms. The study was conducted using data provided by the Zoe Covid Study App and looked at 1,734 children, aged between five and 17 who had been reported to have tested positive for the virus between September 2020 and February 2021, with the most common long-term symptoms being found to be headaches and tiredness. "This study is reassuring for the majority of children and young people who develop Sars-CoV-2 infection, and reflects what paediatricians are seeing in clinical practice." Says Dr Liz Whittaker, infectious disease lead at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health who was not involved in the research Read full story. Source: BBC News, 4 August 2021 -
Content ArticleThis article focuses on the importance of integrating "the workplace, the workforce and the individual" in risk assessments during a pandemic and how it warrants highlighting health and safety laws that require "suitable and sufficient" risk assessment, particularly when workers are involved. The authors also discuss aerosol generating procedures and the risk of exposure to workers from main sources of viral aerosols and the need for appropriate workplace risk assessments to help protect staff.
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News Article
‘Why should we die?’ Covid surgery delay leaves cancer patient in limbo
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Some cancer patients have been left in limbo with their surgeries after the unlocking of the nation on the 19th July. Ms DePastino, who was scheduled to have surgery on Monday to remove cancer from her womb was told it had to be rearranged due to the number of Covid patients being admitted into the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow. So far, Ms DePastino has not been given a new date or allowed to speak to her consultant. “People have got this idea they want to get back to normal but what about people like me whose normal has been ripped away from them? Our only chance at normal is now being delayed or taken away so that people that are completely healthy can go about their business. If we’re going to get back to normal that means people who need care should be able to get care; it can’t be one or the other, that’s not right.” Said Ms DePastino, who also says her pleas to be referred to somewhere else have been ignored. Read full story. Source: The Independent, 1 August 2021
