NEWS WORLD IN BRIEF
Poor communication causing hundreds of unsafe discharges Concerns about dangerous failings in how patients are discharged from hospital have been raised by a healthcare watchdog. Since April, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman has investigated 224 complaints that involved dissatisfaction with patient discharge. In 2013/14, more than 400 cases were investigated on this issue, generally focusing on delays, inappropriate discharge and failure in the referral process. Not all these complaints were upheld.
‘UNPLANNED ADMISSIONS AND RE-ADMISSIONS ARE A MASSIVE COST TO THE NHS’ Ombudsman Julie Mellor said: ‘We are increasingly concerned about patients being discharged unsafely from hospital. Unplanned admissions and re-admissions are a massive cost to the NHS.’ Last week the ombudsman published summaries of 126 health investigations carried out between April and June this year, 13 which mention discharge.
Political notebook Our weekly round-up of news from the corridors of power
People in Wales who fund their own palliative care will be able to make complaints about services to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, under a change in the law that came into force on November 1. The change has been introduced under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Before the change, the ombudsman was only able to investigate complaints relating to health and social care
At Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS University Hospitals Trust in east London, a man who was wrongly discharged from A&E died following a liver biopsy. In another case, a man with a serious problem with his small bowel was inappropriately discharged from the emergency department at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust. Poor communication on arranging discharge and transport was identified in another case, and the ombudsman found that an 84-year-old vulnerable patient was wrongly sent home to an empty house. In September, NHS England issued a patient safety alert, warning of the dangers that can result from communication breakdown between professionals during handover from acute to community care. This followed a report that showed that one third of the 10,000 patient safety incidents reported to the National Reporting and Learning System in England relating to handover were caused by poor communication.
commissioned by health boards and local authorities. Health minister Mark Drakeford said: ‘This will contribute to our overall objective of improving care and support for all people.’ The Nursing and Midwifery Council has a backlog of more than 200 fitness to practise (FtP) cases that are more than two years old. In answer to a House of Lords question, Conservative peer Earl Howe said that by the end of September, 231 out of 4,271 FtP cases date back more than two years. This is down from 320 such cases at the same time in 2013.
Workplace violence Patients who assault health workers in the Australian state of Queensland will face up to 14 years in prison under a law introduced by the state government. Health minister Lawrence Springborg said thousands of nurses, doctors and paramedics are punched, stabbed, bitten and spat on every year. More than 4,000 workers have reported violence in the workplace during the past year alone, he added. Data shows many of the attacks were fuelled by drugs or alcohol. The state government has invested $44.5 million in its Safe Night Out strategy, which includes education and targeted policing. Ebola quarantine A nurse from Maine in the United States who was fighting a court quarantine order since returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa has won her legal battle. Kaci Hickox, who has tested negative for the deadly virus, became the first health worker to be quarantined when she arrived at Newark airport from Sierra Leone under new rules in the state of New Jersey. She argued that restriction of her movements was a violation of her civil rights and was allowed to go home to the state of Maine. After defying voluntary quarantine restrictions in Maine, officials went to court to seek restrictions until November 10 – when the 21-day incubation period for Ebola expired. However, Judge Charles LaVerdier ruled that Ms Hickox did not need to be isolated as she was not showing symptoms of the virus. Nurse migration The president of the Fiji Nursing Association said there are not enough experienced nurses working in the country. Kavekini Naidiri said the shortage had been caused by many nurses retiring or emigrating over the past few years. He said the migration of senior nurses had led to an erosion of knowledge and experience. ‘We need people with experience to mentor our young nurses,’ added Mr Naidiri.
12 november 5 ::from vol RCNi.com 29 no 10 ::by2014 STANDARD Downloaded ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 21, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Poor communication causing hundreds of unsafe discharges Concerns about dangerous failings in how patients are discharged from hospital have been raised by a healthcare watchdog. Since April, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman has investigated 224 complaints that involved dissatisfaction with patient discharge. In 2013/14, more than 400 cases were investigated on this issue, generally focusing on delays, inappropriate discharge and failure in the referral process. Not all these complaints were upheld.
‘UNPLANNED ADMISSIONS AND RE-ADMISSIONS ARE A MASSIVE COST TO THE NHS’ Ombudsman Julie Mellor said: ‘We are increasingly concerned about patients being discharged unsafely from hospital. Unplanned admissions and re-admissions are a massive cost to the NHS.’ Last week the ombudsman published summaries of 126 health investigations carried out between April and June this year, 13 which mention discharge.
Political notebook Our weekly round-up of news from the corridors of power
People in Wales who fund their own palliative care will be able to make complaints about services to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, under a change in the law that came into force on November 1. The change has been introduced under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Before the change, the ombudsman was only able to investigate complaints relating to health and social care
At Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS University Hospitals Trust in east London, a man who was wrongly discharged from A&E died following a liver biopsy. In another case, a man with a serious problem with his small bowel was inappropriately discharged from the emergency department at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust. Poor communication on arranging discharge and transport was identified in another case, and the ombudsman found that an 84-year-old vulnerable patient was wrongly sent home to an empty house. In September, NHS England issued a patient safety alert, warning of the dangers that can result from communication breakdown between professionals during handover from acute to community care. This followed a report that showed that one third of the 10,000 patient safety incidents reported to the National Reporting and Learning System in England relating to handover were caused by poor communication.
commissioned by health boards and local authorities. Health minister Mark Drakeford said: ‘This will contribute to our overall objective of improving care and support for all people.’ The Nursing and Midwifery Council has a backlog of more than 200 fitness to practise (FtP) cases that are more than two years old. In answer to a House of Lords question, Conservative peer Earl Howe said that by the end of September, 231 out of 4,271 FtP cases date back more than two years. This is down from 320 such cases at the same time in 2013.
Workplace violence Patients who assault health workers in the Australian state of Queensland will face up to 14 years in prison under a law introduced by the state government. Health minister Lawrence Springborg said thousands of nurses, doctors and paramedics are punched, stabbed, bitten and spat on every year. More than 4,000 workers have reported violence in the workplace during the past year alone, he added. Data shows many of the attacks were fuelled by drugs or alcohol. The state government has invested $44.5 million in its Safe Night Out strategy, which includes education and targeted policing. Ebola quarantine A nurse from Maine in the United States who was fighting a court quarantine order since returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa has won her legal battle. Kaci Hickox, who has tested negative for the deadly virus, became the first health worker to be quarantined when she arrived at Newark airport from Sierra Leone under new rules in the state of New Jersey. She argued that restriction of her movements was a violation of her civil rights and was allowed to go home to the state of Maine. After defying voluntary quarantine restrictions in Maine, officials went to court to seek restrictions until November 10 – when the 21-day incubation period for Ebola expired. However, Judge Charles LaVerdier ruled that Ms Hickox did not need to be isolated as she was not showing symptoms of the virus. Nurse migration The president of the Fiji Nursing Association said there are not enough experienced nurses working in the country. Kavekini Naidiri said the shortage had been caused by many nurses retiring or emigrating over the past few years. He said the migration of senior nurses had led to an erosion of knowledge and experience. ‘We need people with experience to mentor our young nurses,’ added Mr Naidiri.
12 november 5 ::from vol RCNi.com 29 no 10 ::by2014 STANDARD Downloaded ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 21, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
