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News Article
Thousands of Covid-19 cases missed due to late warning on smell loss, say experts
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Tens of thousands of cases of COCID-19 may have been missed because of delays in warning the public that loss of taste and smell is a key symptom that should lead to self-isolation or testing, experts say. The four chief medical officers of the UK have finally made official what many scientists had been saying for weeks: that anosmia, or loss of smell, should be added to the other two main warning symptoms, a continuous cough and high temperature. Those who experience any of the three symptoms should isolate for seven days and their families for 14 days. Prof Tim Spector from King’s College London and his team said data from 1.5 million people who downloaded their symptom-reporting app suggested 50,000 to 70,000 people in the UK had been missed. As early as 1 April, they warned that people with anosmia should self-isolate. They were joined by ear, nose and throat surgeons, who said loss of taste and smell could be one of the few markers for people who were otherwise asymptomatic and potentially able to infect other people without realising they were a risk. Their professional body, ENT-UK, said they had been calling for eight weeks for anosmia to be listed as a marker for asymptomatic carriers. It issued a joint statement with the British Rhinology Society (BRS) on 20 March, it said. “We estimate that many hundreds of thousands of patients in the UK have developed anosmia as a result of COVID-19,” said Prof Claire Hopkins, the BRS president. Read full story Source: Guardian, 18 May 2020 -
Content Article
Every Mind Matters: Coronavirus and wellbeing
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Mental health
Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. The Every Mind Matters website has expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing. -
Content ArticleThe British public have been offered alternating periods of lockdown and relaxation of restrictions as part of the COVID-19 lockdown exit strategy. Extended periods of lockdown will increase economic and social damage, and each relaxation will almost certainly trigger a further epidemic wave of deaths. These cycles will kill tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of people before a vaccine becomes available, with the most disadvantaged groups experiencing the greatest suffering. There is an alternative strategy: universal repeated testing. The authors of this article published in The Lancet recommend evaluation of weekly severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigen testing of the whole population in an entire city as a demonstration site (preferably several towns and cities, if possible), with strict household quarantine after a positive test. Quarantine would end when all residents of the household test negative at the same time; everyone else in the city can resume normal life, if they choose to.
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Content ArticleToo little, too late, says Scally, Jacobson and Abbasi in this BMJ Editorial on the government's response to COVID-19. The UK government and its advisers were confident that they were “well prepared” when COVID-19 swept East Asia. The four-pronged plan of 3 March to contain, delay, research, and mitigate was supported by all UK countries and backed, they claimed, by science. With over 30 000 hospital and community deaths by 12 May, where did the plan go wrong? What was the role of public health in the biggest public health crisis since the Spanish flu of 1918? And what now needs to be done?
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Content ArticleAsthma UK and British Lung Foundation have created a post-COVID hub. This part of their hub provides support for patients who have breathing difficulties after having COVID-19.
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News Article
Coronavirus: Half a million access suicide prevention course
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
More than half a million people have accessed online training that aims to prevent suicide in the last three weeks alone, a charity has said. The Zero Suicide Alliance said 503,000 users completed its online course during lockdown. It aims to help spot the signs that a person may need help. It comes as health leaders warned front-line workers tackling coronavirus could suffer from mental ill health. NHS England launched a mental health hotline to support staff last month. The alliance's Joe Rafferty said the true impact of the coronavirus on mental health will not be known until the pandemic ends, but he said "the stress and worry of the coronavirus is bound to have impacted people's mental health". Read full story Source: BBC News, 18 May 2020- Posted
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News Article
Spread of COVID-19 in hospitals causing national ‘concern’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The leader of the NHS’ pandemic testing programme has highlighted concerns about the rate of COVID-19 transmissions in hospitals, HSJ can reveal. NHS England’s patient safety director Dr Aidan Fowler told an industry webinar that he and his team “are concerned about the rates of nosocomial spread within our hospitals”. Dr Fowler leads the NHS and Public Heath England testing programme (know as “pillar one”). He said the concerns had led to a focus on discovering where transmissions of covid-19 are occurring in hospitals, and how the NHS can reduce the rate of staff and patients becoming infected while on the NHS estate. His comments come as the NHS attempts to restart the provision of routine elective care and prepares for a significant increase in emergency admissions. The NHS has been told to create separate areas for covid positive and negative patients where possible, regardless of what they are being treated for. Patients are being to self-isolate at home for two weeks before attending hospital for treatment. Read full story Source: HSJ, 18 March 2020 -
News ArticleHospitals have been refusing requests for caesarean sections during the COVID-19 outbreak despite official guidance and NHS England advice that they should go ahead. Multiple NHS trusts have told women preparing to give birth since March that requests for a caesarean section will not be granted due to the viral pandemic. It has led to accusations from the charity Birthrights that the coronavirus outbreak is being used as an excuse to promote an ideology that more women should have a natural birth. Maria Booker, from Birthrights, told The Independent: “We continue to be contacted by women being told they cannot have a maternal request caesarean and we are concerned that in some places coronavirus is being used as an excuse to dictate to women how they should give birth, which contravenes NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidance. Official guidance from NICE says women should be offered a caesarean section where they insist it is what they want. NHS England has warned hospitals they need to “make every effort” to avoid cancelling caesarean sections and work with neighbouring trusts to transfer women if necessary. It said surgery should only be suspended in “extreme circumstances” where there is a shortage of obstetricians or anaesthetists. Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 May 2020
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News Article
Coronavirus test results waits 'undermining confidence'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The government needs to make sure its coronavirus testing strategy is fit for purpose instead of focusing on hitting targets, says the Royal College of GPs (RCGP). In a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, chairman Prof Martin Marshall said long wait times were "undermining confidence" in the results. Health professionals were also concerned about the accuracy of some test results, he said. The government said "95% of tests" were processed "in less than 48 hours". Ensuring there are enough tests to meet demand is part of the government's five tests it says must be met before easing lockdown restrictions. However, the absence of a clear strategy had left patients vulnerable, according to Prof Marshall. He said the RCGP did not currently believe the testing strategy was capable of working to prevent a second wave of infections and "secure the overall health of the population". Read full story Source: BBC News, 16 May 2020 -
Content ArticleThis document from the British Thoracic Society is designed to provide brief guidance for the management of non-invasive ventilation in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, if the patient was suspected or confirmed as being COVID positive. They are not intended to be prescriptive, and close liaison with the hospital based long-term ventilation teams is still required.
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News ArticleUp to a fifth of patients with COVID-19 in several hospitals contracted the disease over the course of the pandemic while already being treated there for another illness, NHS bosses have told senior doctors and nurses. Some of the infections were passed on by hospital staff who were unaware they had the virus and were displaying no symptoms, while patients with coronavirus were responsible for the others. The figures represent NHS England’s first estimate of the size of the problem of hospital-acquired COVID-19, which Boris Johnson last week said was causing an “epidemic” of deaths. In a national briefing last month on infection control and COVID-19, NHS England told the medical directors and chief nurses of all acute hospitals in England that it had found that 10%-20% of people in hospital with the disease had got it while they were inpatients. Senior doctors and hospital managers say that doctors, nurses and other staff have inadvertently passed on the virus to patients because they did not have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) or could not get tested for the virus. Doctors say that hospital-acquired COVID-19 is a significant problem and that patients have died after becoming infected that way. One surgeon, who did not want to be named, said: “Multiple patients my department treated who were inpatients pre lockdown got the bug and died. Obviously the timeline supports that they acquired it from staff and other patients.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 May 2020
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Content ArticleAround 6.5 million carers in the UK are propping up the NHS by keeping loved ones safe at home. Where is their recognition? For the past eight years, Sheena and her brother have been caring for their mother, who has early onset dementia, diabetes and other health issues. In her blog to the Guardian, Sheena discusses why she wants to see affirmative action for carers, why government needs to take responsibility and why the carers themselves need to be involved in these discussions.
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Content ArticleAsthma UK and British Lung Foundation have created a post-COVID hub. This part of the hub provides healthcare professionals with the latest guidelines on supporting people with post-COVID breathlessness.
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Content ArticleContrary to popular belief, people rarely panic in dangerous situations. Withholding information is patronising and counter-productive says Stephen Reicher, a member of the Sage subcommittee advising the government on behavioural science. He suggests in his blog in the the Guardian that there needs to be a broader shift in the relationship between the state and its citizens. The government must abandon a psychology that infantilises people. It must recognise and respect the ability of the public to acknowledge and deal with harsh realities. It must engage us as full partners in every stage of the strategy against Covid-19: from formulating a response, to implementing and evaluating policy. And, as in any constructive relationship, none of this can happen without putting openness at the very heart of what government does.
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Content ArticleTips, advice and guidance on where you can get support for your mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. If you’re worried about the impact of coronavirus on your mental health, you are not alone. The COVID-19 pandemic is a new and uncertain time for all of us and will affect our mental health in different ways. However you are feeling right now is valid. With the right help and support, we can get through this. Here is you will find advice from Young Minds on things you can do to keep mentally healthy during this time.
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Content ArticleThe assessment of patients who are unwell with COVID-19 or other causes presents a significant challenge for GPs and clinicians working in primary care. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the AHSN Network held a joint webinar looking at the role of oximetry and other physiology in that assessment on Wednesday 29 April 2020. Watch the webinar here to find out more.
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Content ArticleIn this TEN podcast, Dr Aseem Malhotra talks about the UK obesity crisis, the definitions of metabolic syndrome and why, in a very clear way, it’s not too late for us all. He is now advising the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, about the links between obesity and metabolic syndrome and COVID-19 deaths. Dr Malhotra is an NHS Consultant Cardiologist, and world renowned expert in the prevention, diagnosis and management of heart disease. He is a founding member of Action on Sugar and was the lead campaigner highlighting the harm caused by excess sugar consumption in the United Kingdom, particularly its role in type 2 diabetes and obesity.
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Content Article
Coronavirus: 'I didn't want her dying on her own'
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
Siobhan Brammeld is a care worker at Massereene Manor care home in County Antrim and leads the social care team. She has sat with several residents as they passed away having contracted COVID-19. In this interview with BBC News NI she says she was convinced some residents had "died before their time". "I feel as though I am on autopilot - it never leaves my head. Sometimes I worry that I could have done more," she said. "These are sad times, scary times too," she added. Siobhan told BBC News that staff felt not enough was done to prepare them for the pandemic and that workers like her were left to the side. "I feel we were left on our own. We as workers were forgotten about as well as the wee residents," she said. "At the start of all this I just wanted to scream at somebody - could someone please come and help these wee residents? I just didn't want them to die before their time." "I watched what was happening in other countries and you knew it was coming, but there didn't seem to be an awful lot happening to prepare us." -
News Article
Five key areas identified ahead of restarting NHS services
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A joint letter from the Health Foundation, The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust has been delivered to the Health and Social Care Select Committee identifying five key aspects which need addressed ahead of their evidence session on delivering core NHS and care services during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons on 22 April 2020 that the pandemic had reached its peak and talked of his intention to ‘gradually reopen’ the NHS as soon as it was safe to do so. For the joint authors of the letter, before any services look to begin being restarted key areas need addressed including a reliable supply of PPE to protect staff and a clear understanding within the system of the full extent of unmet need – particularly important as at present, from a big picture view, it is not clear how many services have been suspended. The joint letter puts five key questions to the Select Committee to address: How and when will appropriate infection prevention and control measures be available for all settings delivering care, and what impact will these have on capacity to reopen? How will the system understand the full extent of unmet need? How will the public’s fear of using NHS and social care services be reduced? What is the strategy for looking after and growing the workforce? Can the system improve as it recovers? Read full story Source: National Health Executive, 14 May 2020 -
Content ArticleNHS Education for Scotland has developed a TURAS Learn page to support student pharmacists in Scotland.
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Content ArticleThis is a joint letter from The Health Foundation, The King's Fund and the Nuffield Trust to the Health and Social Care Select Committee for the evidence session on delivering core NHS and care services during the pandemic and beyond.
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Content ArticleThis document “Resumption of hospital services after lockdown” provides a comprehensive set of action plans and key guidelines to be followed in the context of continuous hospital preparedness. It specifically addresses the action plan in India for resuming of services, in the safest and most effective manner to safeguard both patients and healthcare worker.
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Content ArticleThe coronavirus pandemic has sparked reports of NHS workers being warned, threatened or disciplined for speaking up about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing for coronavirus and similar worries raised in the care sector. It underlines the need for a shift in attitudes in UK workplaces to whistleblowers, underpinned by an overhaul of the law to afford them greater protection, according to Elizabeth Gardiner, the new chief executive of the whistleblowing charity, Protect, in this blog in the Guardian. "We’ve heard direct from some care sector workers who have been threatened with disciplinary aciton if they persist in raising concerns," says Elizabeth. "Whistleblowers are a safety valve – it’s everyone’s business to reveal dangerous working practices." “What we would like to see is a proactive duty on employers to protect whistleblowers from being victimised,” she says. “That would be the sort of cultural shift that we’re looking for.”
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Content ArticleThe government needs to set out a contingent exit plan, involving carefully specified levels of lockdown, and the thresholds at which they would be triggered. This will allow businesses and people to plan, and begin to look to the future. This report from the Institute of Global Changes puts forward suggestions for a lockdown exit plan.
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News Article
'Make or break' moment to break PTSD
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS staff are at risk of high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if they don't get the right support as the coronavirus outbreak subsides, health service adviser Prof Neil Greenberg has said. For now there's a national focus on health and care workers. Public billboards praise them, millions turn out on the street for a weekly round of applause and volunteers have been rushing to help in any way they can. But the height of the crisis is when many staff will be in coping mode. It's when things slow down - and the clapping stops - that, psychologists believe, the real risk of difficulties will arise. People may need months or even years of "active monitoring" of their mental health after things return to some semblance of normality, according to Prof Greenberg, a world-leading expert in trauma at King's College London. The NHS in England is providing crisis support to its staff. But it hasn't produced a formal long-term plan to offer extra psychological services in the aftermath of the pandemic. It's what happens after the trauma that is "most predictive of what people will be like in terms of their mental health", according to Prof Greenberg. How well people are supported and how much stress they're put under as they try to recover can make or break whether someone manages well or develops far more serious difficulties including PTSD. "If we muck it up then that's going to make the trauma they've already had much more difficult to deal with," he says. Read full story Source: BBC News, 15 May 2020
