Latest news with #patientsafety
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Man considered dangerous had escaped from Hillmorton Hospital
Hillmorton Hospital. Photo: Canterbury DHB Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has reiterated to Health New Zealand that patient and public safety are of "paramount importance", after a man absconded from a mental health facility. Canterbury police released a statement about 9pm on Thursday appealing for information about the 35-year-old who had absconded from the care of another agency. Police had been notified about 6pm that the man was missing. They said he was dangerous and shouldn't be approached. The man was found about 10pm. Do you know more? Email RNZ understands the man absconded from Hillmorton Hospital. He was found about 6km away from the mental health facility. Health New Zealand has been approached for comment. A spokesperson for Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey told RNZ his office was advised on Thursday night about a patient leaving Hillmorton. "The Minister was advised by Health New Zealand that safety of the individual and community was at the forefront in how they responded with police." HNZ staff "responded immediately" and worked with Police to safely locate the person and return them to Hillmorton last night. "Health New Zealand is taking the incident seriously and there will be a rapid review and will take appropriate action as required. "The Minister reiterated to HNZ that patient and public safety are of paramount importance, and Health New Zealand have assured the Minister that they are taking all the necessary steps to ensure both." The incident comes three years after Hillmorton forensic mental health patient Zakariye Mohamed Hussein murdered Laisa Waka Tunidau as she walked home from work. Hussein was on community leave at the time of the killing. Two reviews were ordered, one into Hussein's care, and another looking at Canterbury District Mental Health Services. In June another Hillmorton mental health patient, Elliot Cameron was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years for murdering 83-year-old Frances Anne Phelps, known as Faye in October last year. Following his sentencing a suppression order was lifted allowing RNZ to report Cameron killed his brother Jeffrey Cameron in 1975. A jury found him not guilty of murder by reason of insanity and he was detained as a special patient. Cameron was made a voluntary patient at Hillmorton Hospital in 2016, and then in October last year murdered Phelps, striking her with an axe. RNZ exclusively obtained emails from Cameron to his cousin Alan Cameron sent over more than a decade, detailing his concerns that he might kill again . In response to the revelations, Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money said it was hard to see Phelps' death as "anything other than preventable". RNZ earlier revealed another case involving a man who was made a special patient under the Mental Health Act after his first killing was recently found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity for a second time, after killing someone he believed was possessed. After that article, Money called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into forensic mental health facilities. After Cameron's first killing was revealed, Money said she stood by her recommendation. "The public deserves an inquiry that can give actionable expert recommendations, as opposed to multiple Coroners inquests and recommendations that do not have the same binding influence. The patients themselves, and the public will be best served by an independent inquiry, not another internal review that changes nothing." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
Twelve 'harmed' in Durham NHS hospital's breast cancer error
A serious failure in breast cancer care at a hospital trust has led to 12 patients being harmed and triggered investigations into 60 more cases, a health board has County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust previously apologised for distress caused to patients and their families after it said some women received "more extensive surgery than was clinically necessary at the time".Following the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) review, 12 patients have been contacted to discuss failings of care which has led them to harm. Dr Neil O'Brien, Chief Medical Officer for the region, said "immediate mitigations" were put in place as soon as alerts were raised. "As soon as we knew, as soon as alerts were raised we put in immediate mitigations to keep people safe. "We are committed to going back and looking at every single woman who may well have been affected by this and ensuring that any treatment inefficiencies are corrected," he told the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) annual meeting. The 12 patients met a threshold of "duty of candour" which is where failings of care have led to harm, the RCS report revealed cancers that were missed, mastectomies that may not have been necessary, incidents of chemotherapy not being offered and surgery undertaken to remove lymph nodes when not clinically necessary. More than 200 cases have been been identified so far, but the trust said it could include thousands of cases dating back to 2019, mainly at the University Hospital of North Durham - with a number of patient deaths also being investigated.A national clinical investigation team has been set up with experts from across the country, with the issue also being investigated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and NHS England. Health bosses said it was a "significant failure of patient care" while the trust said it was taking every concern raised "extremely seriously".Sir Liam Donaldson, chair of the North East and North Cumbria ICB, said at a board meeting: "I think we shouldn't be in any doubt that this is a very serious failure in standards of care in a crucial area of service that has survival, life and death matters involved, so it does need to be looked at extremely carefully."A further 95 patients have also come forward after a helpline was set up, the trust said. 'Sorry for distress' The trust, which also operates Darlington Memorial Hospital, has contacted and apologised to the patients it has previously said it had appointed two new consultant breast surgeons, invested in modern equipment and strengthened both its multidisciplinary team processes and clinical governance arrangements, following the review.A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said: "We recognise this may be a worrying time for many of our patients and their families and we would like to reassure our communities that we are taking the review and every concern raised extremely seriously."The trust also said some of the actions put in place to support the review had impacted service capacity and as a result, some patients were being offered the option to have their appointment at a neighbouring trust. "We are sorry for any distress or inconvenience this is causing," it added."We are working very closely with local GPs and neighbouring NHS trusts, whose mutual support is both essential and very gratefully received during this time."The helpline set up can be reached on 0191 333 2126 and patients can also email: Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Independent
24-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
IT failure leaves staff at two hospitals relying on paper days before doctors strike
Staff at two major hospitals in the South West have been forced to resort to paper after a major incident brought IT systems down on the eve of the doctors' strikes. Cheltenham and Gloucester NHS Foundation Trust suffered an IT outage on Wednesday, which it said was the result of a server issue, rather than a cyber incident. The outage comes ahead of a five-day resident doctor strike, which NHS leaders have warned could risk patient safety as hospitals struggle to maintain both emergency and routine care. In a statement on the IT failure, the trust said: 'Some services have been restored, others remain intermittently affected, and this is expected to continue throughout the day.' 'Our teams are working hard to fully restore systems and minimise any impact on patient care. We are prioritising safety and have well-established contingency plans in place to support our services.' The Independent understands Cheltenham and Gloucester NHS Foundation Trust was considering reducing A&E services during the day at Cheltenham Hospital due to the strike. An announcement is due to be made on the decision on Thursday.
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Wes Streeting orders his officials to turn their focus to keeping patients safe during doctors strikes after peace talks with the British Medical Association broke down
Wes Streeting has ordered his officials to turn their focus to keeping patients safe during doctors strikes after union peace talks broke down. The health secretary has told the British Medical Association that 'all areas of engagement' with its leaders will now 'cease' so mandarins can 'prioritise minimising the impact of the strike action'. He said it is clear they have 'chosen a path of full dispute', showing 'scant regard for patients' and and accused them of failing to act in 'good faith'. Up to 50,000 resident doctors - formerly known as junior doctors - will walkout for five days from 7am on Friday in pursuit of a 29 per cent pay rise. They have already received above inflation pay rises for the past three years, worth an extra 28.9 per cent in total, following previous strikes. The BMA and Department of Health and Social Care held talks over the weekend with the aim of negotiating a settlement. But the BMA's resident doctors committee rejected the proposal on Tuesday and said it would plough ahead with industrial action. Mr Streeting responded to the leaders of the RDC today criticising them for turning their back on a deal in favour of a 'reckless and irresponsible' walkout. In a letter, seen by the Daily Mail, he wrote: 'The decision taken by your committee to commence strike action this week is reckless and irresponsible. 'Strike action should always be a last resort. 'Instead, it seems to be the BMA RDC's weapon of choice, with scant regard for patients or other NHS staff who will be left picking up the pieces of your actions.' He said he had been clear he could not offer higher pay rises but was willing to negotiate on other areas that would improve their finances and working conditions. 'There have been multiple discussions in which it is now clear that you have not engaged in the same good faith,' he added. 'Strike action costs the NHS in so many ways, and there are significant implications not only to patients but on the improvements that this government can deliver to the NHS for everyone. 'With strikes going ahead, I cannot in good conscience let patients, or other NHS staff pay the price for your decision. 'You have clearly chosen a path of full dispute, and this has consequences for the whole of the NHS system. 'I will therefore be asking my department to prioritise minimising the impact of the strike action and all areas of engagement with the BMA RDC will, by virtue of your decision, now cease.' Mr Streeting said he came into office with a 'genuine desire' to work with the resident doctors to improve their lives but they have 'squandered that opportunity and exhausted our good will'. He finished by urging them to reconsider their position and said resident doctors on the frontline would have a 'better path to a brighter future' if they had 'better leadership'. Membership groups representing NHS managers have warned the strikes will cause widespread disruption and put patients at risk of harm. Opinion polls show the public is opposed to the industrial action, which could see consultant members of the BMA cashing in by charging £6,000 to cover on-call rotas over the weekend. The union says the pay of resident doctors has been cut in real terms since 2008 and it wants to achieve full pay restoration.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Row over NHS doctor strike deepens as poll suggests public support is waning
The row between the British Medical Association (BMA) and health leaders over the upcoming doctor strike has deepened as research suggests public support for the action is waning. NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, hit back at BMA claims that health leaders were putting patients at risk, saying it was actually the 'costly' BMA strike that was risking patient care. It comes as Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the House of Commons he 'sincerely hopes the BMA will postpone' the 'unnecessary and irresponsible' strikes to continue talks with the Government, which he said had been 'constructive' in recent days. He said, however, the Government stands 'ready' and 'responsive' if the five-day strike by resident doctors, which is scheduled to start at 7am on Friday, does go ahead. Earlier, the BMA said NHS England plans for managing the strike could put patients at risk owing to the fact it has ordered hospitals to continue with as much pre-planned care as possible. We've written to NHS England with concerns about inadequate planning ahead of possible strike action later this week. Attempts to run non-urgent services with fewer doctors risk patient safety. It's imperative that Trusts postpone work to protect urgent and emergency care. — The BMA (@TheBMA) July 21, 2025 Previous strikes by health workers have seen hundreds of thousands of operations and appointments cancelled, but NHS England is taking a different approach this time to managing the strike. In a letter to hospital trust leaders, it urges the health system to focus on maintaining emergency care, maintaining the flow of patients and 'maintaining elective care to the fullest extent possible' as well as 'priority treatments' such as cancer care. 'It will be important for systems and trusts to try and maintain normal levels of booked activity…' it said, adding: 'Reducing volumes of bookings and rescheduling of appointments and other activity should only happen in exceptional circumstances to safeguard patient safety.' On Tuesday morning, BMA deputy chairwoman Dr Emma Runswick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this plan risked patient safety. She said: 'We've had proven systems over the last decade that have made sure that where we have to take strike action, senior doctors cover urgency and critical care. 'This time round, NHS England are pushing for the continuation of non-urgent and scheduled care in a way that we think at best is confusing and will create on-the-day cancellations – and at worst could be risky and lead to harm in emergency departments and on wards, because senior doctors cannot physically be in two places at once. 'We think that a notional guidance from NHS England which is saying that basically all scheduled work should continue to go ahead has potential to be seriously risky for patients… 'Senior doctors are needed to be freed up in order to provide urgency and critical care. 'We think the vast majority of planned and unscheduled care should be shifted.' NHS Providers hit back at the BMA's claims, saying it was the strike itself that posed a risk to patients. Its chief executive, Daniel Elkeles, said: 'The NHS, not the BMA, is putting patients' interests first. 'Given that some patients will be caused undoubted harm if the short-notice strike goes ahead, NHS trusts are doing the responsible thing by not cancelling people's care while talks to avert the strike are ongoing. 'Now is a time for cool heads in the BMA because it's not too late to avoid a damaging, costly strike. NHS trust leaders hope for a breakthrough from talks between Government and the union. 'If the strike goes ahead then NHS trusts will do everything they can to avoid any harm to patients and are planning for as many patients as possible to be cared for.' It comes as a new YouGov poll showed about half (52%) of people in the UK either 'somewhat oppose' (20%) or 'strongly oppose' (32%) the idea of resident doctors going on strike over pay. Meanwhile, a third (34%) of the 4,954 adults surveyed either 'somewhat support' (23%) or 'strongly support' (11%) doctor strikes. YouGov said the proportion supporting the strike over pay has dropped five points since it last asked the question in May. Then, 48% opposed resident doctors striking, while 39% supported them taking action. Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Streeting said that before he came into office, 'strikes were crippling the NHS'. He added: 'Costs ran to £1.7 billion in just one year, and patients saw 1.5 million appointments rescheduled. 'Strikes this week are not inevitable, and I sincerely hope the BMA will postpone this action to continue the constructive talks my team and I have had with them in recent days. 'Regardless, our priority is to keep patients safe, and we will do everything we can to mitigate the impacts of strikes on patients and the disruption that will follow should these totally unnecessary and avoidable strikes go ahead.' Quizzed by MPs, he said the 'approach we're taking is different from that taken in previous periods of strike action'. He added: 'NHS leaders have been clear to me that previous rounds of strike action caused much wider levels of harm than previously realised, and there is no reason why planned care in issues like cancer, for example, cancer appointments, as well as other conditions should be treated as somehow less important or second fiddle to other NHS services. 'That is why the chief executive of NHS England has written to NHS leaders asking them to keep routine operations going to the fullest extent possible, as well as continuing priority treatments. 'It will be for local leaders to determine what's possible given staffing levels. 'That's why it's really important that resident doctors do engage with their employers about their determination or not to turn up at work this week, and why again, I just spell out the serious consequences for patients that means that these avoidable and unnecessary strikes should not go ahead.' Consultants and SAS doctors in England – look out for your indicative ballot email from @TheBMA today! Wes Streeting called pay restoration "a journey, not an event" – so why have we stopped? Are you prepared to stand up to demand your value is recognised by the government? — Tom Dolphin🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ (@thomasdolphin) July 21, 2025 Elsewhere, the BMA has also issued strike guidance for consultants regarding the extra pay they can seek for covering work that is not in their contracts. The BMA 'rate card' says consultants can ask for £188 per hour on weekdays from 7am-7pm and £250 an hour from 7pm to 11pm. At weekends, the pay claim can rise to £250 per hour from 7am to 11am and £313 per hour for overnight work from 11pm to 7am. Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, were awarded an average 5.4% pay increase this financial year, following a 22% rise over the previous two years. However, the BMA says real-terms pay has still fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP.
