PSC welcomes initial ministerial reply to Hughes report recommendations
The PSC has welcomed the initial response from the minister for patient safety to the Hughes report on redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh.
Dr Hughes said: ‘This letter shows that my report is not gathering dust on the shelf and that officials are working across government to produce a detailed response which we will receive in the summer.
‘I would encourage officials to continue conversations with patients who have all the detail about how difficult their lives are as a result of the harm they have suffered as it is only by working with patients that we can come up with effective solutions.
‘I look forward to seeing the full response before the summer. This has to lead to real change.’
Minister Caulfield writes that she is particularly keen to do what she can regarding the availability of information available to patients, as well as any improvements in access to the support patients are entitled to.
PSC urges patients and patient safety experts to respond to the NHS Constitution consultation
The PSC is encouraging patients and patient safety experts to respond to the consultation on the NHS Constitution out now.
Dr Henrietta Hughes also welcomed the inclusion of a commitment for patients and family members in acute and specialist settings to initiate a rapid review of care from outside their initial care team, where the patient’s condition is deteriorating. She said: ‘It is important that everybody respond to the consultation as this is a rare opportunity to enshrine patient safety and patient voice in the Constitution.’
The proposed updated Constitution also proposes that privacy, dignity, and safety of all patients is enshrined as central to NHS principles and values, with patients empowered to request same-sex wards and care, while reflecting the biological needs in the delivery of care.
The consultation will run for eight weeks at
New report highlights lack of equity in health devices
The PSC has welcomed the findings of the Whitehead review of equity in medical devices, in particular the recommendations to take a system-wide approach to make improvements. Potential bias can be introduced at every stage of the medical device lifecycle – from the original concept for the device, through design and development, to testing and eventual deployment in the NHS – all set in the real-world context in which these devices operate.
These recommendations for concerted action by stakeholders now need to be implemented as a matter of priority with full government support and dedicated funding.
Dame Margaret Whitehead’s review found extensive evidence of poorer performance of pulse oximeters for patients with darker skin tones. These devices over-estimate true oxygen levels in people with darker skin tones to a greater extent than with lighter skin. Evidence of harm stemming from this poorer performance has been found in the US healthcare system, where there is a strong association between racial bias in the performance of the pulse oximeters and delayed recognition of disease, denied or delayed treatment, worse organ function and death in Black compared with White patients. It did not find any evidence from studies in the NHS of this differential performance affecting care but said the potential for harm was clearly present.
It recommends immediate mitigation measures in the NHS to ensure existing pulse oximeters can perform to a high standard for all patient groups to avoid inequities in health outcomes.
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