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Content Article
Age UK: It’s a struggle to be seen (May 2024)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Older people
Results of Age UK’s research into the experience of people aged 50 and over accessing health and social care services. This research into older people’s experiences of health and care services has revealed the extent of the challenges they face in accessing and receiving them. These challenges are confronted at a time in their lives when people are likely to be most reliant on such services to keep them well, independent, connected and safe. People from across the age spectrum, from 50 to over 100 years old, told Age UK about difficulties in accessing primary care services, including GPs and dentists. Health problems that could have been quickly and easily resolved have worsened through long waits for appointments and treatment. In some cases, older people have given up seeking treatment and care as they had lost hope of being able to see a clinician at all. For those of working age the problems in accessing appointments, referrals and treatment have had an impact on their ability to maintain good health, to remain in work and to care for others. Lack of access to support for carers has led to deteriorations in their physical and mental health. -
News Article
Millions of over-50s in the UK fear they can't access healthcare
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Millions of people over the age of 50 in the UK have concerns about struggling to access healthcare, according to new analysis by Age UK. It comes as one elderly and disabled patient admitted he cannot afford to wait on hold to his GP practice for an appointment for long due to rising phone bill costs. A new report by Age UK – It’s a Struggle to be Seen – analysed the results of a representative poll, conducted for the charity by Kantar, of 2,621 UK adults over 50, as well as its own online survey which attracted more than 17,000 responses. The report claims less than half (48%) of people over 50 are confident their medical issue would be solved by NHS services. Some 49% – which Age UK equates to 12.6 million people – were concerned about their ability to access their GP, while 42% were worried about access to hospital appointments. The same proportion expressed concerns about access to emergency departments, the charity said. Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Sadly, for some older people, healthcare delayed means healthcare denied, because they do not have time on their side. “Our new analysis highlights just how many are being subjected to distress and, in some cases, enduring pain, because of their difficulties in accessing the GP services that they need.” Read full story Source: Medscape. 17 June 2024 -
Content Article
Cambridge Elements: Design creativity (4 June 2024)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Design for safety
Design creativity describes the process by which needs are explored and translated into requirements for change. This chapter examines the role of design creativity within the context of healthcare improvement. It begins by outlining the characteristics of design thinking, and the key status of the Double Diamond Model. It provides practical tools to support design creativity, including ethnographic/observational studies, personas and scenarios, and needs identification and requirements analysis. It also covers brainstorming, Disney, and six thinking hats techniques, the nine windows technique, morphological charts and product architecting, and concept evaluation. The tools, covering all stages of the Double Diamond model, are supported by examples of their use in healthcare improvement. The chapter concludes with a critique of design creativity and the evidence for its application in healthcare improvement. -
Content ArticleThis study in BMC Infectious Diseases aimed to estimate the contribution of individual interventions (together and in combination) to the effectiveness of the overall package of interventions implemented in English hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study simulated scenarios to explore how many nosocomial infections might have been seen in patients and healthcare workers if interventions had not been implemented. We simulated the time period from March 2020 to July 2022 encompassing different strains and multiple doses of vaccination.
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Content Article
NHS England: Annual report and accounts 2022-23
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in NHS England
NHS England's annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023. -
Content ArticleThis book introduces quality improvement for anyone studying or working in healthcare. Written in clear, straightforward language, it explores quality improvement from multiple perspectives and outlines a range models and toolkits you can use in practice. Encouraging you to reflect on your role as an improver, the book equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to work through each stage of the improvement process – from troubleshooting an issue, to working with others to make an improvement, through to its evaluation. Key features: Case studies and activities help you to apply theory and methodology to your everyday role. A comprehensive glossary introduces quality improvement terminology and concepts. A logical four-part structure moves from the basics up, building your knowledge and understanding as you go.
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Content ArticleThis standard, which complements existing health and safety legislation, has been developed by NHS England. NHS employers have a general duty of care to protect staff from threats and violence at work, and the standard delivers a risk-based framework that supports a safe and secure working environment for NHS staff, safeguarding them against abuse, aggression and violence. It employs the Plan, Do Check, Act (PDCA) approach, an iterative four-step management method to validate, control and achieve continuous improvement of processes. It was developed in partnership with the Social Partnership Forum and its subgroups, including trade unions and the Workforce Issues and Violence Reduction Groups.
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EventWHO/Europe, the Austrian National Public Health Institute—a WHO-Collaborating Center for Health Promotion in Hospitals and Healthcare— EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare, and the University of Iowa have joined forces to deliver a unique series of webinars that will examine the critical role of effective communication in building trust within healthcare settings and the challenges healthcare professionals face in effectively communicating with each other and patients. This series also aims to inform future WHO guidance and recommendations on establishing national communication skills training programs in hospitals, drawing on insights and lessons from such programs in various countries. The first webinar provides a comprehensive overview of WHO/Europe's focus on trust and the foundational role of effective communication in hospitals. Experts will delve into the importance of patient-centred communication and how this approach improves patient outcomes, strengthens the patient-healthcare provider relationship, and builds trust. Experts will also discuss the role of transparent and empathetic communication in fostering trust when navigating adverse situations. Participants will hear about the advantages of establishing large-scale structured communication training programs and a case study illustrating the successful implementation of a mandatory Provider Communication Program across a hospital system, demonstrating practical applications of effective communication strategies. Speakers: Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems at the WHO Regional Office for Europe Marlene Sator, a Senior Health Expert at the Austrian Public Health Institute and WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Promotion in Hospitals and Healthcare Joao Breda, Head of the WHO Office for Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens Marcy Rosenbaum, Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Iowa, past-president of EACH, and former Co-chair of EACH Theresa Brennan, Chief Medical Officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Professor of Internal Medicine Register
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Content ArticleThis White Paper sets out the Labour Government's proposals to reform and expand community health and social care services in order to meet local needs, especially in poorer deprived communities. Four key objectives are highlighted in the White Paper: better health prevention services with earlier intervention; increased patient choice; tackling inequalities and improving access to community services; and increased support for people with long-term needs to live independently. Specific measures include: expansion of local care settings outside hospitals; increased joint commissioning between PCTs and local authorities to improve service integration; the introduction of practice based commissioning, where GPs are given more responsibility for local health budgets; increased provision for new primary care providers to compete for PCT contracts; and the introduction of a new NHS ‘Life Check’ to promote healthier lifestyles with a pilot scheme in spearhead PCTs by 2007-08.
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Content Article
This blog by Pastest, a provider of medical exam preparation resources, explores how different organisations are developing transformative initiatives to diversify clinical practice. It highlights the results of a global survey that reveals a critical gap in dermatological diagnosis across skin tones and explores the need for a multifaceted approach to anti-racist medicine. -
Content ArticleThis article explores the ‘the moment of patient safety’—the period around 2000 when patient safety became a key policy concern of the UK NHS and other healthcare systems. While harm caused by medical care (iatrogenic injury) had long been acknowledged by clinicians and scientists, from 2000 a new systemic language of patient safety emerged in the NHS that promoted novel managerial and regulatory approaches to patient harm. This language reflected the state’s increasing role in regulating healthcare, as well as the erosion of medical autonomy and the rise of new forms of bureaucratic management. Acknowledging a transnational, intellectual context behind the rise of policy interest in patient safety—for example, the application of insights from the industrial safety sciences—this article examines the role played by domestic cultural factors, such as medical negligence litigation and healthcare scandals, in helping to define the new language in Britain.
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Content ArticleAround 1.3 million people in England have a learning disability and may need more support to stay in good health. But are they able to get access to the services they are entitled to in order to prevent illness? This Nuffield Trust report looks at a set of five key preventive healthcare services and functions to understand whether they are working as they should for people with a learning disability.
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Content ArticleMaking care safer for all - a manifesto for change 2024 outlines the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) recommendations to government to help tackle some of the big challenges within health and social care. It also outlines what professional regulation is doing to make care safer and calls for government to support regulators to allow them to do more to help. Key recommendations include for government to: Prioritise work to modernise the powers of the healthcare professionals regulators Ensure that public inquiries and reviews result in lessons learned and acted upon Develop a regulatory strategy to support delivery of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan and manage risks to safety and public confidence Take steps to enhance professional development and accountability of senior managers in the NHS Support robust action within health and care to address discrimination in the workplace.
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News Article
Private health insurance market grows by £385m in a year amid NHS crisis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Britain’s health cover market has grown by £385m in a year as the NHS crisis prompted more people to seek out private medical treatment and demand for dental insurance increased, according to a report. The total health cover market, including medical and dental insurance and cash plans, grew 6.1% to £6.7bn in 2022, the latest year for which figures are available, according to the health data provider LaingBuisson. About 4.2 million people were subscribed to medical cover schemes. Including dependants on the policies, 7.3 million people were covered – the highest number since 2008. The NHS waiting list in England continued to lengthen, to a peak of nearly 7.8m last September. In February, it was still 7.5m and half of the patients had been waiting for 18 weeks or longer. Private medical insurance, the largest part of the health cover market, grew by 6% year on year in 2022 to £5.3bn, more than triple the average annual growth rate of 1.8% between 2008 and 2019. After a decade of decline until 2018, more people signed up, particularly in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic which led to a backlog of major procedures such as hip and knee replacements. Tim Read, author of the report, said: “Demand began to increase in 2018, as the NHS waiting list began to rise out of control. A new Labour government is likely to aim to tackle it but will have limited fiscal headroom to make substantial progress. “With people still struggling to access NHS services and the waiting list remaining stubbornly high, there is little likelihood that demand for health insurance is going to fall any time soon.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 18 April 2024 -
Content ArticleThis Health Foundation report explores how patterns of diagnosed ill health vary by socioeconomic deprivation in England. This report is the second output from the REAL Centre’s programme of research with the University of Liverpool. Building on the projections in Health in 2040, this report is one of the first studies to unpack patterns of inequalities in diagnosed illness by socioeconomic deprivation across England and project them into the future. Stark inequalities are projected to stubbornly persist up to 2040, with profound implications not only for people’s quality of life, but also their ability to work and the wider economy. The report also finds that health inequality is largely due to a small group of long-term conditions, with chronic pain, type 2 diabetes and anxiety and depression projected to increase at a faster rate in the most deprived areas.
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Content ArticleDownload this complimentary report and discover how the NHS is paving the way to becoming the world's first net zero health service by 2040. Learn about groundbreaking initiatives such as the first net zero surgery, sustainable tech adoption, and partnerships with energy experts like E.ON. This guide showcases the NHS's efforts in tackling climate change, enhancing healthcare, and overcoming economic hurdles through innovation and strategic energy management.
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Content ArticleWhile climate change is a big threat to health, implementing solutions to address climate change presents a huge opportunity to promote better health and protect people from climate-sensitive diseases. Communicating the health risks of climate change and the health benefits of climate solutions is both necessary and helpful. Health professionals are well-placed to play a unique role in helping their communities understand climate change, protect themselves, and realize the health benefits of climate solutions. This toolkit from the World Health Organization (WHO) aims to help health professionals effectively communicate about climate change and health.
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Content ArticleThe recently published results of the British Social Attitudes survey and the NHS Staff Survey, and recent performance data provide an in-depth backdrop to the health and care landscape in 2024 - a year that's likely to see a general election called. Ruth Robertson is joined by a panel of experts from The King's Fund to discuss the state of health and care. Throughout the conversation, the panel reflects on the prospect of a general election and the impact this might have on health and care services, both in the run up and after. They also discuss the tendency to rely on short-termism in policy-making, and why a long-term strategy might help build a stronger health and care system that will last.
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Content ArticleWhen Adam Luck’s mother, Ann, was admitted to hospital with a suspected stroke, it was the beginning of a distressing seven-week stay. The previously cheerful 82-year-old became stuck in a dysfunctional health system. Her story is presented here via her son Adam’s diary of her hospitalisation.
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Content ArticleOn 27 February 2024, NHS Resolution's Safety and Learning team delivered a virtual forum on delivering health in the prison and justice system. The aim of the session was to discuss the realities, best practice, challenges and recommendations around collaborating to support healthcare delivery in the justice system.
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Content Article
LitHealth podcasts
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Recommended video and audio resources
Lit Health will be lighting a fire underneath the status quo of healthcare through interviews with authors, healthcare leaders, and policymakers working to create a healthcare environment that is equitable, transparent, and that welcomes the needs of every patient – especially our vulnerable populations including the mentally ill, people of colour and women who feel they are at risk in our current system, the elderly, and anyone who feels bias or the isms affect their health and quality of life. -
Content ArticleThe NHS England 2024/25 priorities and operational planning guidance reconfirms the ongoing need to recover core services and improve productivity, making progress in delivering the key NHS Long Term Plan ambitions and continuing to transform the NHS for the future.
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Content ArticleThis article analyses the phenomenon of epistemic injustice within contemporary healthcare. It begins by detailing the persistent complaints patients make about their testimonial frustration and hermeneutical marginalisation, and the negative impact this has on their care. The authors offer an epistemic analysis of this problem using Miranda Fricker's account of epistemic injustice. They detail two types of epistemic injustice, testimonial and hermeneutical, and identify the negative stereotypes and structural features of modern healthcare practices that generate them. They claim that these stereotypes and structural features render ill persons especially vulnerable to these two types of epistemic injustice. The authors end by proposing five avenues for further work on epistemic injustice in healthcare. "Without the narrative acts of telling and being heard, the patient cannot convey to anyone else – or to self – what he or she is going through. More radically and perhaps equally true, without these narrative acts, the patient cannot himself or herself grasp what the events of illness mean."
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News Article
Public satisfaction with NHS at lowest ever level, survey shows
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Public satisfaction with the NHS has dropped again, setting a new low recorded by the long-running British Social Attitudes survey. Just 24% said they were satisfied with the NHS in 2023, with waiting times and staff shortages the biggest concerns. That is five percentage points down on last year and a drop from the 2010 high of 70% satisfaction. The findings on the NHS, published by the Nuffield Trust and King's Fund think tanks, show once again that performance has deteriorated after a new record low was seen last year. In total, since 2020, satisfaction has fallen by 29 percentage points. Of the core services, the public was least satisfied with A&E and dentistry. The survey also showed satisfaction with social care had fallen to 13% - again the lowest since the survey began. The major reasons for dissatisfaction were long waiting times, staffing shortages and lack of funding. Read full story Source: BBC News, 27 March 2024 -
Content ArticlePublic satisfaction with the NHS has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded, according to analysis of the latest British Social Attitudes survey (BSA) published by The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust. Just 24% of people are satisfied with the way the NHS is running, a fall of 5 percentage points from 2022 and a 29 percentage point drop since 2020. Despite these record lows, the overwhelming majority of survey respondents expressed high levels of support for the principles the NHS was founded upon, in particular that it should be free of charge when needed. Nearly half of those surveyed also support the government increasing taxes and spending more on the NHS.
