2021

PFD Reports
Reports: 419 Areas: 62

83% response rate (above 63% average).

Clear 304 results
Dyllon Milburn
All Responded
2021-0167 21 May 2021 Manchester City
EMIS Health National Institute for Health and Care … Royal College of GPs
Concerns summary (AI summary) The current repeat prescription system lacks automated alerts to remind patients to request and collect medication, contributing to non-compliance for those with mental illness.
Noted (AI summary) NICE acknowledges the concerns but states it cannot influence changes to the EMIS system. They highlight existing guidelines on medicines adherence (CG76) and depression management (CG90) that contain relevant recommendations. The RCGP will open a dialogue with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to consider in more detail the issue of patients not collecting prescriptions, and recommends that much greater integration of pharmacy and GP IT systems will likely be needed. EMIS confirmed that their software was working as designed and complies with NHS Digital requirements and are presently considering a number of potential digital tools to aid further patient compliance; they welcome a discussion with stakeholders to create best practice for managing this risk. The practice uses EMIS Web software and outlines the three methods by which patients can request repeat prescriptions, also noting that there is no system to alert them if a patient is not requesting their repeat medications on a month-by-month basis and expressing concerns about the resources needed to respond to such alerts.
Martin Gibbons
All Responded
2021-0166 21 May 2021 Manchester South
Department of Health and Social Care Greater Manchester Health and Social Ca…
Concerns summary (AI summary) A lack of shared "high risk" patient definitions and national guidance for shared care plans between trusts led to inconsistent risk assessments. Prolonged mental health bed waits were also exacerbated by fragmented commissioning.
Action Planned (AI summary) Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (TGICFT) and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust (PCFT) conducted a joint investigation and will present the learning to the Greater Manchester Quality Board and to commissioners of services to consider within the context of the services they commission. NHS England has asked all parts of the country to ensure that they have in place clear written protocols for escalation and actions to be taken when patients are waiting long periods, or a bed cannot be identified.
Wilfred Breakell
All Responded
2021-0165 20 May 2021 County of Dorset
BCP Council
Concerns summary (AI summary) A lack of safety barriers between the highway and a storm drain at a road exit poses a significant risk of cyclists and vehicles falling into it.
Disputed (AI summary) BCP Council investigated the incident and concluded that it is not appropriate to introduce additional fencing to the inside of the bend on the slip road, but will continue to monitor the site in conjunction with the police.
Neil Challinor-Mooney
All Responded
2021-0164 20 May 2021 East London
North East London Foundation Trust
Concerns summary (AI summary) The Trust's risk assessment policy was not consistently followed by nursing staff. Electronic medical records showed significant validation delays and unapparent post-death amendments, compromising their integrity.
Action Planned (AI summary) NELFT has agreed to take a number of actions in addition to actions already taken and provided an action plan detailing the Trust’s efforts to prevent future deaths and to improve the safety and quality of care provided by the Trust.
Richard Burgess
All Responded
2021-0163 19 May 2021 Sunderland
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear … Department of Health and Social Care
Concerns summary (AI summary) Dementia care was undermined by insufficient multidisciplinary skills, a lack of proactive prevention, inadequate comprehensive assessments, poor family engagement, and a failure to implement person-centred policies effectively.
Noted (AI summary) The Trust states that all staff working with dementia patients have received appropriate training, and policies and guidelines are put into practice with staff receiving information and/or training on their implementation, and audits in place to monitor compliance. The Minister acknowledges the concerns, describes existing training frameworks and personalized care approaches, and mentions the Health and Care Bill's aim to improve integration of health and social care services.
Todd Salter
All Responded
2021-0281 18 May 2021 South Yorkshire East
National Probation Service
Concerns summary (AI summary) A probation officer's inadequate knowledge of mental health services and poor inter-agency collaboration forced the deceased to seek treatment by committing criminal acts.
Action Taken (AI summary) The identified lack of knowledge and training gaps have been and continue to be dealt with at an individual level, briefing sessions on suicide prevention and processes have been updated in EQUIP. The Probation Service developed a new Target Operating Model (published in February 2021) which includes the implementation of the commitments set out in the Health & Social Care Strategy.
Bruce Houghton
All Responded
2021-0160 18 May 2021 Manchester North
Department of Health and Social Care Manchester Health and Social Care Partn… Uplands Medical Practice
Concerns summary (AI summary) The deceased missed an annual medication review, and such reviews fail to inquire about patients' over-the-counter medication use, risking adverse drug interactions.
Noted (AI summary) The GMCA will share learning from the case with the Greater Manchester Quality Board, communicate advice and guidance to relevant providers to increase staff awareness, cascade shared learning to professionals through relevant governance and learning forums, and subject potential safeguarding issues/care concerns to further review. The practice participates in monthly multidisciplinary team meetings. Standardised medication review template will be introduced that includes a prompt to routinely trigger an enquiry as to whether the patient is taking any over-the-counter medicine. High risk mental health patients will be invited for a health check and medication review, all patients with known mental health conditions will complete by March 2022. The response acknowledges the concerns raised and mentions existing guidance and requirements for medication reviews within GP practices and Primary Care Networks, and notes that the Uplands Medical Practice has introduced a standardised medication review template.
Callum Evans
All Responded
2021-0159 18 May 2021 Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton
Network Rail
Concerns summary (AI summary) A lack of visible and prominent signage regarding the live electrified third rail at the railway station meant individuals were unaware of its presence and life-threatening danger.
Action Taken (AI summary) Network Rail has installed additional safety measures at stations, including Hinton Admiral, such as platform end gates, yellow hatching warning lines and anti-trespass matting and conducts campaigns to warn of the dangers and target people at risk and high-risk areas.
Juliet Saunders
All Responded
2021-0157 18 May 2021 East London
Queen’s Hospital
Concerns summary (AI summary) Multiple failures included poor weekend ED support for learning disability patients, inadequate record-keeping, lack of junior doctor supervision, and repeated diagnostic overshadowing leading to missed acute conditions.
Action Taken (AI summary) The Learning Disability Team provides an advisory service to support clinical teams during the hours of 09:00 - 17:00, Monday to Friday and Safeguarding Oncall Manual has been created. The Trust commissioned an external thematic review in March 2021, into Serious Incidents {Sis) from the period of January 2019 to December 2020.
Lynne Lawrence
All Responded
2021-0158 17 May 2021 Gwent
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
Concerns summary (AI summary) An uneven pedestrian pavement creates a future fall risk, particularly for elderly individuals with reduced mobility.
Noted (AI summary) The council investigated the footway condition outside Alma Street and concluded that it does not meet the standard for intervention based on their inspection regime, which exceeds national minimum standards for safety and maintenance defects intervention.
Stephen Thurm
All Responded
2021-0155 17 May 2021 Manchester South
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Fo… NHS England
Concerns summary (AI summary) Family information regarding self-harm risk was disregarded when denied by the patient, and care coordinators lacked dedicated time for contemporaneous note-taking. Carers' mental health needs were also not integrated into long-term plans.
Action Planned (AI summary) NHS England and Improvement has set out clear expectations for systems to provide support for carers of people with severe mental health problems and to better involve carers in care and support planning from April 2021. Long Term Plan funding will be used to develop and implement plans to improve the lives of carers of people with severe mental health problems and to also look at specific inequalities’ carers may face. The trust will ensure families/carers are identified and involved in care planning where possible, and offered carers' assessments. They are also undertaking a quality improvement project regarding staff supervision.
Steven Oscroft
All Responded
2021-0162 12 May 2021 Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Paul Wainwright Construction Services L…
Concerns summary (AI summary) Unsafe industry practice of 'mounding' tipper lorry loads above side height, combined with inadequate sheeting systems that fail to cover the load, increases the risk of materials falling from vehicles.
Action Planned (AI summary) DVSA will work with HSE to amend load security guidance on GOV.UK to include specific narrative on bulk loads, aiming to have it ready by September 2021. They will arrange special road checks focused on bulk trailer skip lorries, starting in September, and produce dedicated communications highlighting the revised guidance. The company has upgraded its sheeting and restraint systems for all vehicles to increase load cover and security, and is having its Health and Safety Consultants design ongoing training criteria and schedules for drivers.
Mary Mellor
All Responded
2021-0153 12 May 2021 Manchester South
Medica Reporting Ltd and Liverpool Hear…
Concerns summary (AI summary) Critical aortic stent leaks were missed on CT scans due to the lack of 3D reconstruction. An external reporting service, Medica, has not committed to implementing this essential practice, leaving patients at risk.
Action Planned (AI summary) Medica will share the learning from this case with their radiologists, highlight the importance of good MPR technique, and remind case reviewers of the importance of using MPRs. The hospital has reviewed relevant patient scans and established no further incidents occurred, written a formal policy requiring multi-planar view reporting for this type of image, and set up a Liverpool Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic. They will also perform and report in-house for this type of image, no longer outsourcing to Medica.
Charlotte Swift
All Responded
2021-0150 11 May 2021 West Sussex
NHS England
Concerns summary (AI summary) A national shortage of inpatient beds at specialist eating disorder units meant a patient could not receive urgent treatment, highlighting a systemic risk of serious harm and death to vulnerable individuals.
Noted (AI summary) NHS England and Improvement acknowledges the concerns about waiting times for specialist eating disorder inpatient beds. They describe the optimal service model and ongoing transformation work, including investment in community services and early intervention models.
Parys Lapper
All Responded
2021-0148 10 May 2021 West Sussex
NHS England
Concerns summary (AI summary) A fragmented prescription system, lacking central records, allowed a patient to obtain excessive medication from multiple providers, enabling abuse and increasing the risk of fatal overdose.
Noted (AI summary) NHS England and NHS Improvement acknowledge concerns about individuals obtaining excess medications and checking prescriptions across providers. They cite GMC guidance on prescribing practices and describe ongoing programs to improve information sharing and mental health services.
Eva Hayden
All Responded
2021-0147 9 May 2021 Liverpool and Wirral
Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Tru…
Concerns summary (AI summary) No specific concerns were detailed in the provided text.
Action Taken (AI summary) The trust has reported the incident as a Serious Incident to the Strategic Executive Information System (StEIS) and is undertaking a full Serious Incident investigation, reviewing ongoing processes. They are amending the local induction for staff in paediatrics to ensure that staff are provided with important information about communication with families and other organizations, and what to do when children aren't brought to their appointments.
Owen Hinds
All Responded
2021-0391 7 May 2021 Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical…
Concerns summary (AI summary) A significant service gap exists for Autistic Spectrum Disorder patients needing long-term dietetic support for ARFID, as no specialist service is commissioned, causing patients to fall between existing care criteria.
Action Planned (AI summary) The CCG plans to develop an all-age pathway for ARFID patients, including those with ASD, through a working group, patient engagement, and service transformation. They outline a timeline of activities including needs assessment, literature review, pathway development, and workforce training.
Macaulay Wilson
All Responded
2021-0146 7 May 2021 Inner North London
Lower Clapton Group Practice
Concerns summary (AI summary) A GP practice used imprecise language when referring a patient, failing to specify a catheter *change* as instructed by the hospital, which led to incorrect care being provided by district nurses.
Action Taken (AI summary) The practice has implemented a system to highlight correspondence with instructions to wider clinical team members, included a copy of the original letter with onward referrals, and is undertaking an audit of patients with catheter products on prescriptions. They have also created an electronic template for patients with new indwelling catheters and an electronic alert to prompt checks when a patient is prescribed catheter products.
John Slope
All Responded
2021-0144 7 May 2021 Norfolk
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital…
Concerns summary (AI summary) Critical medical device information was missing from patient records, consent forms, and anaesthetic checklists, alongside generally poor documentation quality and specialist nurses failing to act on patient concerns.
Action Planned (AI summary) The Trust has revised its SI action plan to include checking the bypass tube at dressing changes, making the reasons for using such tubes prominent on the patient record, and informing nursing staff of the risks associated with such tubes. Longer term, a single patient record system is planned for the region, with interim measures to scan patient records onto an electronic document management system.
Corin Bonaparte
All Responded
2021-0143 7 May 2021 Exeter and Greater Devon
HMP Dartmoor
Concerns summary (AI summary) An ACCT was not opened despite the patient seeking help from the mental health department at HMP Dartmoor and revealing recent self-harm, suggesting inadequate training; the ambulance was kept waiting 8 minutes at the main gate, suggesting inadequate arrangements for swift ambulance departure in emergencies.
Action Taken (AI summary) HMPPS has briefed staff and issued a Governor's order reinforcing the Local Security Strategy requirements for ambulance escorts. They also plan to work with the ambulance service on a contingency plan exercise and improve monitoring of ambulance departure times.
Glenn Macmartin
All Responded
2021-0142 7 May 2021 Plymouth Torbay and South Devon
Care Quality Commission, Devon Partners…
Concerns summary (AI summary) No specific concerns were detailed in the provided text.
Noted (AI summary) The Trust has strengthened links between community and forensic social work teams, secured funding for a Local Authority assigned social worker to join the community forensic team, and developed a protocol to address placing people outside of the Trust’s geographical area. CQC describes enforcement action taken culminating in the closure of Annette's Care. It states that an internal review found no gaps or areas for improvement in CQC's processes and that the CQC will participate in a 'learning event' with the local authority and Devon Partnership Trust. The PSAP will commission a multi-agency learning review, independently facilitated, to identify multi-agency learning in terms of strengths and weaknesses related to the case. This review will involve the engagement and participation of the family.
Alex Shaw
All Responded
2021-0141 7 May 2021 Stoke-on-Trent & North Staffordshire Coroner’s Court
Royal Stoke University Hospital and Bir…
Concerns summary (AI summary) Critical patient information was poorly communicated and documented between hospital clinicians during telephone consultations, leading to potentially inappropriate advice and highlighting a lack of clear standards for inter-hospital information exchange.
Action Planned (AI summary) The paediatric team is developing a 'Paediatric Advice Proforma' on the Trust's electronic Iportal system to aid documentation of conversations between hospitals and an associated Standard Operating Procedure. Royal Stoke has appointed a named Consultant to manage children with metabolic disease. The Trust is working to transition to the most recent version of the Norse system, which will include features to document patient observations and communication between clinicians. They will also remind clinicians to keep contemporaneous notes about advice given to district general hospitals.
Helen Spicer
All Responded
2021-0127 7 May 2021 Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Chair of the Advisory Council on the Mi…
Concerns summary (AI summary) Oral morphine lacks sufficient controls, including import/export restrictions and safe custody requirements, making it easy to obtain without accountability.
Noted (AI summary) The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledges concerns about opioid overuse and misuse. They outline actions taken, including a PHE evidence review, front-of-pack warnings on opioid medications, and structured medication reviews in primary care. The ACMD acknowledges the concerns and will gather more information on the scale of the issue of morphine sulfate solution misuse, being mindful of its legitimate use. They will request information from DHSC and NHS-E&I regarding patient safety incidents.
Sarah Brady
All Responded
2021-0224 5 May 2021 Black Country
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital T…
Concerns summary (AI summary) A hospital issued an excessive prescription to a high-risk patient with an overdose history, overriding GP-imposed limits and duplicating medication, which potentially enabled stockpiling and increased the risk of overdose.
Disputed (AI summary) The hospital disputes that Mrs. Brady was oversupplied with medication, stating that medications were generally supplied for short durations and the dispensed Aspirin was within agreed limits.
Richard Ormond
All Responded
2021-0139 5 May 2021 Worcestershire
HMP Long Lartin
Concerns summary (AI summary) A 9-minute delay in upgrading an ambulance response occurred because prison staff initially failed to provide critical information about the patient's condition to emergency services, highlighting a gap in following emergency protocols.
Action Taken (AI summary) Practice Plus Group has implemented measures to improve ambulance response times, including updating training materials to emphasize upgrading calls to category one when CPR is in progress. They have also initiated discussions with ambulance trusts to improve communication and response arrangements across their sites. HMP Long Lartin updated local policies and issued Governor's notices regarding emergency incident reporting to the Emergency Control Room (ECR) and ambulance services. They created a checklist for ECR staff and amended the Prison Service Instruction to clarify information requirements for emergency calls.