Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Leadership'.
Found 1,356 results
-
News Article
Medical leaders back rise in number of physician associates
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Medical leaders support a planned increase in the number of physician associates (PA) in the NHS. But the British Medical Association (BMA) is concerned about a new law allowing the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate PAs, who must be supervised by a fully qualified doctor. The doctors' union says it blurs the lines between doctors and PAs and could risk patient safety. Two families whose relatives were seen by PAs want the roles defined. The NHS has 3,286 PAs, who assist healthcare teams and are not authorised to prescribe or request scans. PAs and anaesthetic associates (AA) qualify after a funded two-year master's degree. They often have a science undergraduate degree, but that is not a prerequisite. Their role includes taking medical histories, conducting physical examinations and developing treatment plans. Like PAs, AAs are healthcare professionals who work as part of a multidisciplinary team with supervision from a named senior doctor. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said on Tuesday that it welcomes a push to increase the number of PAs in the NHS, but that it is "vital" that there are clear guidelines on how they are deployed. Read full story Source: BBC News, 5 March 2024 -
News Article
CEO admits ‘risk aversion’ clogging up hospitals
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Medics and managers must overcome a system-wide “aversion” to risk after their integrated care system was identified as a national outlier for low numbers of patients discharged home, according to the ICS’s chief executive. Kate Shields, CEO of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICS, has highlighted a discrepancy between the ICS and the rest of England, with a lower proportion of patients discharged with no new social care requirements, or discharged directly to their own home, with only intermediate additional care (known as ”pathways” 0 and 1 in national discharge guidance). Problems with delayed patient discharges – known as “no criteria to reside” patients – are a major contributor to overcrowding and long waits in the emergency department at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, as well as severe delays for ambulances to handover patients. Discharge on pathways 2 and 3 – to a care home or intermediate care bed, with substantial additional care requirements – typically take a lot longer, and require more resources. Ms Shields’ comments come 18 months after an external report warned of an “over-reliance on bedded care” in Cornwall. Speaking at a meeting of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board last month, Ms Shields said the health economy needed to “look at how we get people out of hospital faster”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 4 March 2024 -
Content ArticleIn this interview for inews, Professor Ted Baker, Chair of the new Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), talks about the role of HSSIB in identifying system-wide safety issues in the NHS. He discusses why we need new approaches to tackling patient safety problems and outlines the importance of considering how the wider system leads to human error. He also talks about the impact of bullying on NHS staff, describing his own experiences as a junior doctor, which nearly led him to give up his career. He also describes the vital role of whistleblowers in making changes that genuinely improve patient safety, highlighting the problems currently facing staff who speak up for patient safety.
- Posted
- 1 comment
-
- (and 4 more)
-
News ArticleScrapping the new Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will leave thousands of New Zealanders exposed to ongoing harm from dodgy medical devices, warn patient safety advocates and legal experts. The act, which was due to come into force in 2026, would have modernised the regulation of medicines and natural health products, and made medical devices, as well as cell, gene and tissue therapies, subject to a similar regulatory regime as drugs. The industry has backed the move, saying the new law was heavy-handed and would stop people getting access to the latest lifesaving technological advances. However, Auckland woman Carmel Berry — who was left in constant knife-like pain from plastic mesh implanted during surgery — said she was “living proof” of the old system’s failures. It took more than 10 years of lobbying by her and the other founders of Mesh Down Under to get authorities to take action — a decade in which hundreds of other people were injured. She is horrified that the TPA, signed into law in only July, is on the chopping block. Beginning work to repeal it was No 47 out of 49 points on the Government’s to-do list for its first 100 days. “I’m horrified. After so many years of developing and rewriting the act and getting it through ... shame on them.” Read full story Source: New Zealand Herald, 18 February 2024
-
Content ArticleA framework for boards and an example of what has worked in practice.
-
Content Article
Audit committee handbook (29 May 2013)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in National/Governmental
The audit committee handbook reflects developing best practice in governance. -
News Article
New director ‘competency’ requirements unveiled by NHSE
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS board members must speak up against discrimination, challenge others constructively and help foster a safe culture, under a new NHS England assessment framework. The new leadership competency framework, published today, sets out six domains which board members are required to assess themselves against as part of an annual “fitness” appraisal. Each domain (see below) contains competencies directors must exhibit, such as: Speak up against any form of racism, discrimination, bullying, aggression, sexual misconduct or violence, even when [they] might be the only voice; Challenge constructively, speaking up when [they] see actions and behaviours which are inappropriate and lead to staff or people using services feeling unsafe, or staff or people being excluded in any way or treated unfairly; and Ensure there is a safe culture of speaking up for [their] workforce. Each competency statement gives board members a multiple choice to assess themselves against, ranging from “almost always” to “no chance to demonstrate”. Organisations have been told to incorporate the six competency domains into role descriptions from 1 April, and use them as part of board member appraisals. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 28 February 2024 -
Content ArticleThis framework is for chairs, chief executives and all board members in NHS systems and providers, as well as serving as a guide for aspiring leaders of the future. It is designed to: support the appointment of diverse, skilled and proficient leaders support the delivery of high-quality, equitable care and the best outcomes for patients, service users, communities and our workforce help organisations to develop and appraise all board members support individual board members to self-assess against the six competency domains and identify development needs.
-
Content Article
That’s the way to do it! (19 February 2024)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Regulatory issues
On 8 February 2024, Ombudsman, Rob Behrens and Patient Safety Commissioner, Henrietta Hughes, wrote a joint letter to government. Both have regulatory roles to play in improving patient safety and both are struggling to gain headway with the recalcitrant NHS. Supposedly independent of government, this correspondence shows they are in fact totally dependent on government, due to their limited powers writes Della Reynolds in this blog. -
Content ArticleLeadership in a safety culture environment is essential in avoiding patient harm. However, leadership in surgery is not routinely taught or assessed. This study aimed to identify a framework, metrics and tools to improve surgical leadership and safety outcomes. It identified three areas of leadership needed to build a culture of safety in surgery: Control risk (risk management) Drive progress (opportunity management) Rally support for the mission (people management) A leadership assessment tool (SLAM) was developed to provide objective metrics of surgical leadership behaviours based on nine key performance indicators.
-
Content ArticleOmbudsman, Rob Behrens and Patient Safety Commissioner, Henrietta Hughes, have written a letter to the Government sharing their joint concerns regarding what they see as the confrontational culture created by the complaints process in some areas of the NHS that undermines patient safety.
-
Content Article
To coach or not to coach? Part 3 – by Dawn Stott
Dawn Stott posted an article in Good practice
In a new series of blogs, Dawn Stott, Business Consultant and former CEO of the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP), discusses how coaching and developing teams can support patient safety and its outcomes. In part one and part two, Dawn looked at the strategies and coaching methodologies that can be used to develop individuals and to support patient safety, and discusses the indicators of improvement, prosocial behaviours and the importance of good communication to improve culture and, ultimately, patient safety. In the final blog of the series, Dawn discusses the importance of reflective practice and how it encourages learning and growth, and helps us to identify and address challenges. -
News ArticleAn NHS trust has concluded that its former chief executive is not a “fit and proper person” to be on an NHS board, after investigating allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour, HSJ has learned. HSJ understands The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation Trust commissioned a specialist external workplace investigation into Mark Brandreth, which considered serious allegations made about his behaviour during his time as trust chief executive between April 2016 and August 2021. Mr Brandreth is understood to dispute the allegations as well as the investigation’s findings, and is seeking to challenge RJAH’s handling of the complaints and its process for deciding he did not meet the Fit and Proper Person Test. Sources with knowledge of the situation said almost 30 female RJAH staff members came forward to give information to the investigation, but it focused on 12 employees who were willing to give evidence. HSJ has been told that as a result of the investigation, which concluded at the end of last year, the trust’s chair has informed NHSE in writing that it believes Mr Brandreth does not meet the “Fit and Proper Person Test”, implying he should be ruled out of board roles – or roles with equivalent responsibility – at English NHS organisations and adult social care providers. However, the trust, in Shropshire, is not planning to publish its ruling and – with no professional regulation in place for health and care managers and/or board members – it is unclear how effective the conclusion will be if it is not made public. A female staff member told HSJ of her concerns that “nothing is being done”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 21 February 2024
-
Content ArticleExtracts of a letter from David Osborn to the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry Legal Team regarding misleading evidence by Professor Yvonne Doyle, which: Highlights errors in Prof Yvonne Doyle’s evidence to the Inquiry relating to the declassification of Covid‑19 as a high consequence infectious disease. Calls into question Professor Sir Jonathan Van Tam’s evidence to the Inquiry in which he sought to attribute responsibility for the downgrade from FFP3 to FRSM to Public Health England. The letter sets out his involvement in the issue of the 4-Nations IPC guidance version 1.0 which implemented that downgrade. Further reading on the hub: Healthcare workers with Long Covid: Group litigation – a blog from David Osborn
-
Content Article
In December 2022, a newly formed group called 'Long Covid Doctors for Action' (LCD4A) conducted a survey to establish the impact of Long Covid on doctors. When the British Medical Association published the results of the survey, the findings were both astonishing and saddening in equal measure.[1] The LCD4A have now decided that enough is enough and that it is now time to stand up and take positive action. They have initiated a group litigation against those who failed to exercise the ‘duty of care’ that they owed to healthcare workers across the UK during the pandemic. In this blog, I summarise how and why I feel our healthcare workers have been let down by our government and why, if you are one of these healthcare workers whose life has been effected by Long Covid, I urge you to join the group litigation initiative. -
Content Article
To coach or not to coach? Part 2 – by Dawn Stott
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Good practice
In a new series of blogs, Dawn Stott, Business Consultant and former CEO of the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP), discusses how coaching and developing teams can support patient safety and its outcomes. In part one, Dawn looked at the strategies and coaching methodologies that can be used to develop individuals and to support patient safety. In part two, Dawn looks at how coaching can improve individuals, and discusses the indicators of improvement, prosocial behaviours and the importance of good communication to improve culture and, ultimately, patient safety. -
Content ArticleDr Phil Hammond dissects the medical lives of professionals at all levels of the health service in his podcast, Doctor, Doctor. In this episode, he speaks to Dr Rosie Benneyworth, interim Chief Executive Officer of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).
-
Content ArticleThere are many unheard and under-acknowledged voices and perspectives in the health and social care workforce, and they usually belong to those in the most junior, poorest-paid and precarious roles. All these voices deserve more attention than they get, but those of newly qualified and registered nurses and midwives are especially important given the current retention crisis in both professions. Since spring 2023, the King's Fund have been working with 22 newly qualified - newly registered if they trained internationally – nurses and midwives on a project called Follow Your Compassion. A documentary record of the everyday working lives of these nurses and midwives across a variety of settings across the UK health and care system, the project is a companion piece to The Courage of Compassion (2020), a report by The King’s Fund and RCN Foundation which described the core workplace needs of nurses and midwives, and what must be done to meet them.
-
Content Article
Patient Advocacy Leadership Collective
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in International patient safety
The Patient Advocacy Leadership Collective (PALC) is an innovative hub that provides connectivity, community resources, and tools focused on sustainable capacity building for patient advocates globally. The PALC is an excellent platform with a focus on supporting the growth, development, and leadership of patient advocacy organizations and offers a NextGen Leadership, Mentorship, and Global Health Fellows programme. -
News Article
‘Get on with it’: patient champion demands epilepsy drug redress
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Ministers must begin paying compensation to the families of children disabled by the epilepsy drug sodium valproate by next year, a report will say this week. The report’s author, Dr Henrietta Hughes, England’s patient safety commissioner, says valproate is “a bigger scandal than thalidomide, in terms of the numbers of people affected”. She will back calls for financial redress for the thousands of children left physically and mentally disabled. Every month, three babies are still being born who have been exposed to the drug. Speaking before the report’s launch, Hughes, 54, a GP, said the state had failed pregnant women by not telling them about key information regarding the drug’s risks. “These families have already been betrayed, because they weren’t given the right information to be able to make decisions to keep themselves and their family safe,” she said. “There are senior politicians of every stripe who have expressed their sincere sympathy and support for patients who have been harmed. I take the view that people who seek high office need to also accept the responsibility that comes with that high office. “The time for redress is now. The government is responsible. I’ve been asked to give them options for redress and I’ve done that. They have the recommendations, they have the advice, they have everything they need. Get on with it.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, February 2024 -
News Article
Rishi Sunak admits he has failed to cut NHS waiting lists
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Rishi Sunak has admitted the government has failed on a pledge to cut NHS waiting lists in England. The prime minister said the government had "not made enough progress" but that industrial action in the health service "has had an impact". Mr Sunak made the comments in an interview with TalkTV. Cutting NHS waiting lists is one of five priorities Mr Sunak set out in January 2023, along with measures on the economy and illegal immigration. At the time he said "NHS waiting lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly" but did not set a timeframe for achieving that. Asked if his government has failed to achieve that pledge, Mr Sunak said: "Yes, we have." The prime minister continued: "What I would say to people is that we've invested record amounts in the NHS - more doctors, more nurses, more scanners. "All these things mean the NHS is doing more than it ever has but industrial action has had an impact." Read full story Source: BBC News, 5 February 2024 -
Content ArticleIt’s long been recognised that cross-functional collaboration is essential. Still, stubborn silos that bog down execution, hamper innovation, and slow decision-making are still a common and persistent challenge. This article highlights three traits that high-performing leaders have in common and strategies for leaders to increase their own lateral agility.
-
News Article
Next government should declare NHS a national emergency, experts warn
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS is in such a dire state the next government should declare it a national emergency, experts are warning, as it emerged that record numbers of patients are being denied timely cancer treatment. It is facing an “existential threat” because of years of underinvestment, serious staff shortages and the demands of the ageing population, according to a group of leading doctors and NHS leaders. Whoever wins power after the general election will have to “relaunch” the health service and ask the public to do what they can to help save it and preserve its founding principles, they say. The call, by a commission of experts assembled by the BMJ medical journal, comes as new figures show that since 2020 more than 200,000 people in England have not received potentially life-saving surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy within the NHS’s supposed maximum 62-day wait. Professor Pat Price, a leading NHS oncologist who helped analyse NHS cancer care data, said that the UK was facing “the deepest cancer crisis” of her 30-year career treating cancer patients. The acute concern about the NHS’s ability to cope with the rising tide of illness deepened last night when A&E doctors claimed that a government plan launched a year ago to relieve the strain on overcrowded emergency departments had made no difference. A&E remains in “permacrisis” while care in units is “as unsafe, or more unsafe, than at this time last year”, despite Rishi Sunak hailing his “ambitious and credible plan to fix it”. Although 5,000 more hospital beds have been created, the “half-baked” plan has “made little real difference to the experience of patients and the working conditions of health care professionals”, said Dr Ian Higginson, the vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Read full story Source: Guardian, 31 January 2024 -
Content Article
To coach or not to coach? Part 1 – by Dawn Stott
Dawn Stott posted an article in Good practice
In a new series of blogs for the hub, Dawn Stott, Business Consultant and former CEO of the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP), discusses how coaching and developing teams can support patient safety and its outcomes. In part one, Dawn looks at strategies and coaching methodologies that can be used to develop individuals to be the best they can be. We all develop at different rates; having an external view point that supports your progress is something to grab with both hands. It is not about about how good you are right now; it is about how good you can be. -
Content Article
Top picks: Nurses championing patient safety
Patient_Safety_Learning posted an article in Nurses
.png.e66dbfe72cc4581f7a890b86403cad89.png)
Nurses are at the forefront of health and social care delivery. Often they are also leading, championing and driving change for patient safety. In this edition of our ‘Top picks’ series we celebrate some of the amazing work nurses are doing to prevent avoidable harm and improve patient and staff experience. The examples below include blogs, interviews and practical improvement projects. They have been shared with us by members of the hub, a global community of people passionate about patient safety. You can sign up to the hub here, it’s free and easy to do.
.png.e66dbfe72cc4581f7a890b86403cad89.png)