2024

PFD Reports
Reports: 689 Areas: 67

98% response rate (above 63% average).

689 results
Henry Willems
All Responded
2024-0569 21 Oct 2024 Worcestershire
Department of Health and Social Care
Concerns summary (AI summary) Ambulance service failed to meet Category 2 response times by over two hours due to extreme surge levels and significant vehicle delays at hospitals, likely leading to the deceased's preventable death.
Action Taken (AI summary) WMAS is increasing operational staff and ambulances, increasing paramedics and nurses in control rooms to improve 'Hear and Treat' rates, and using dynamic conveyancing to direct patients to hospitals with lower pressure. NHS England has commissioned an independent investigation of NHS performance with findings feeding into government's 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS.
Brian Beer
All Responded
2024-0564 21 Oct 2024 Suffolk
National Institute of Health and Care E…
Concerns summary (AI summary) NICE guidelines on post-hip fracture anti-coagulation may be outdated, potentially increasing the risk of arterial clots due to hypercoagulability after stopping VTE prophylaxis in elderly, immobile patients.
Noted (AI summary) NICE acknowledges the coroner's concerns regarding arterial thrombus but clarifies that existing guidance focuses on venous thromboembolism and does not cover arterial prophylaxis. NICE will continue to monitor new evidence in this area.
Geoffrey Cheney
All Responded
2024-0561 18 Oct 2024 West Yorkshire Western
Radis Community Care
Concerns summary (AI summary) An unsubstantiated assumption that something could not be removed led to a failure to even attempt its removal, which could have been crucial.
Noted (AI summary) Kirklees Council amended its Housing Assistance Policy to reflect that they may remove adaptations should they pose any risk to any persons in the household. The council will raise a Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) referral to help identify any learning for future purposes. Radis Community Care states that they generally do not remove minor aids and adaptations once fitted, as it is the responsibility of the homeowner, landlord or tenant to remove them. Exceptions are made for re-usable items or safeguarding concerns.
Wilfred Fitchett, Jevon Hirst, Hugo Morris and Harvey Owen
All Responded
2024-0560 17 Oct 2024 North West Wales
Clough Williams-Ellis Trust Cyngor Gwynedd Council Landowner Department for Transport
Concerns summary (AI summary) The absence of legal restrictions on newly qualified and young drivers carrying multiple young passengers significantly increases collision risk, leading to concerns about future deaths.
Disputed (AI summary) The Department of Transport acknowledges the concerns and is developing a road safety strategy, incorporating findings from the 'Driver 2020' project to improve road safety for young drivers. Cyngor Gwynedd Council acknowledges the report but argues against installing a Road Restraint System at the collision site, citing costs, engineering constraints, and potential hazards. It emphasizes the role of motorists in road safety. The Trust disputes responsibility for the fence, stating it was likely erected by Cyngor Gwynedd and that stock fencing is not intended for highway safety. They assert that highway safety is the responsibility of the relevant Authority, not the landowner.
Leslie Swindells
All Responded
2024-0559 17 Oct 2024 Manchester South
Department of Health and Social Care GTD Healthcare
Concerns summary (AI summary) Critical failures included mental health assistant practitioners having limited training and supervision, inadequate call screening by agency staff, and reliance on telephone assessments, compromising patient risk assessment.
Noted (AI summary) GTD Healthcare has implemented changes to the standard templates used by Assistant Practitioners and provided hard copies to clinicians for use during IT issues. They have also implemented safeguards to ensure appointments with Assistant Practitioners are booked after a triage by a registered clinician and have audited and reviewed their prescribing practices. The DHSC acknowledges the concerns, states they fall under the provider's remit, and notes that NHS England and the CQC have been contacted to address them. It provides context on supervision guidance for PCNs but offers no concrete actions.
Phyllis Hart
All Responded
2024-0563 16 Oct 2024 Staffordshire
County Hospital Stafford
Concerns summary (AI summary) The County Hospital in Stafford lacked an essential vascular team, meaning urgent vascular opinions could not be obtained, posing a risk to patient care.
Action Taken (AI summary) University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust clarified that it provides a 24/7 vascular on-call service based at the Royal Stoke Hospital site and that vascular surgeons are present at County Hospital every weekday. The trust will further convey this information to the wards and clinicians at County Hospital.
Paul Clark
All Responded
2024-0558 16 Oct 2024 Manchester South
Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board Royal College of General Practitioners
Concerns summary (AI summary) Opioid painkillers were prescribed to a patient with a well-documented history of opioid addiction, without sufficient consideration or monitoring of the significant relapse risks.
Action Taken (AI summary) NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care reports that Archwood Medical Practice has audited patient records to identify patients with a history of drug addiction and is adding a 'pop up' alert to each record. They also highlight existing opioid prescribing guidance available to GPs. The Royal College of General Practitioners highlights its educational resources on managing addictions, including online courses and modules. It also released a Repeat Prescribing Toolkit in October 2024 designed to improve the safety and efficiency of repeat prescribing, specifically addressing opioid prescribing.
Christiana Dawson
All Responded
2024-0557 16 Oct 2024 South Yorkshire (West)
Darnell Grange Nursing Home
Concerns summary (AI summary) Agency nurses were not provided with essential care home-specific training or policies, leading to an unsafe presumption they would know not to move a resident after a fall.
Action Taken (AI summary) Darnell Grange Nursing Home has updated its agency nurse induction to include istumble and post fall protocol, reinforced the policy of not moving a service user post fall until clinical assessments have been done, informed the agency of the breach of company policy regarding moving a service user after a fall, and checked that there are no changes in medication.
Stephen Stringer
All Responded
2024-0555 15 Oct 2024 Manchester South
Department of Health and Social Care Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Bo…
Concerns summary (AI summary) A GP practice's electronic enquiry system critically failed to log patient information for GP review. Additionally, a persistent hoarse voice was not widely recognized as a laryngeal cancer red flag by healthcare professionals or the public.
Action Planned (AI summary) The DHSC highlights NHS initiatives to improve patient access and awareness of head and neck cancer symptoms. The NHS England Safety Team have contacted Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board to understand the clinical safety assurance processes in place and have offered to support future safety training within the ICB and GP community if required. The ICB outlines planned actions, including verbally updating PCN Cancer Leads about a webinar, inviting a consultant for an educational slot, including educational information in the Primary Care Bulletin and LMC newsletter, developing public-facing communications, and working with HUB+ to include record-keeping support.
Tamara Davis
All Responded
2024-0553 15 Oct 2024 West Sussex, Brighton and Hove
Department of Health and Social Care NHS England & NHS Improvement University Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Concerns summary (AI summary) The emergency department regularly uses corridors for patient care due to insufficient space, leading to inadequate privacy, lack of staffing, and safety concerns, especially during major incidents.
Action Planned (AI summary) NHS England states that delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces is not acceptable. Regional colleagues are visiting Emergency Departments to understand how and why patients are selected to reside in non-designated areas and provide feedback for improvement. All reports are discussed by the Regulation 28 Working Group. The DHSC acknowledges concerns about emergency department capacity and corridor care, referencing NHS England's planned actions and the government's commitment to improving urgent and emergency care performance, including increasing bed capacity and ambulance hours. The Trust has implemented several initiatives including employing an Operational Flow Improvement Manager, commencing a Continuous Flow model, and opening a Surgical Assessment Unit to improve patient flow and reduce overcrowding in the Emergency Department.
Sally Mills
All Responded
2024-0556 14 Oct 2024 Berkshire
Caremark (Chiltern & Tree Rivers)
Concerns summary (AI summary) There's a lack of understanding in providing first aid for unresponsive patients and insufficient escalation of issues by care assistants, despite new policies not being fully embedded or known.
Action Taken (AI summary) Caremark has updated its basic life support training, medication policy and induction programme, emphasizing practical scenarios, communication, and clear recording of medication incidents.
Janet Seddon
All Responded
2024-0551 14 Oct 2024 North Yorkshire and York
York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals N…
Concerns summary (AI summary) A significant delay in investigating a missed abdominal pathology on a CT scan, which contributed to the patient's death, resulted in no proper harm assessment and a failure to disclose the error to the family.
Action Taken (AI summary) York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has implemented the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), updated the Incident Management Policy and Duty of Candour Policy, and changed the governance structure within the Surgery Care Group to review incidents daily and escalate weekly.
Stephen Sleaford
Partially Responded CC
2024-0550 14 Oct 2024 Leicester City and South Leicestershire
HM Prison and Probation Service Ministry of Justice
Concerns summary (AI summary) There's a severe lack of first aid and CPR training for prison officers, including new recruits, creating critical response gaps. Routinely obscured cell observation panels and unclear guidance on emergency cell entry further compromise prisoner safety.
Action Taken (AI summary) HMPPS re-issued the First Aid Policy Framework in August 2023, re-issued a notice to staff in October 2024 reminding them of the importance of challenging prisoners who block their observation panels, and issued a new film, ‘Responding to emergency situations’.
Stephen Dulling
All Responded
2024-0549 14 Oct 2024 North Yorkshire and York
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundati… York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals…
Concerns summary (AI summary) The Crisis Team offered insufficient practical advice during a mental health crisis call, failing to escalate risks. Concurrently, basic nursing care in hospital had multiple lapses, including inadequate nutritional assessments and delayed responses to critical incidents.
Noted (AI summary) The Trust defends its advice to contact the police due to concerns about violence and aggression. Learning from this incident will be shared at various Trust meetings. The Trust updated its Food, Nutrition and Hydration Policy in November 2024 and is consolidating nutritional assessments into one section of the electronic nursing record. They have also revised incident management processes and implemented a new policy for post-incident debriefs.
Caroline Staite
All Responded
2024-0548 14 Oct 2024 Herefordshire
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health…
Concerns summary (AI summary) Procedures for referring clients between the Neighbourhood Mental Health Team and Mind, and for patients returning to NHS care from Mind, lack robustness and transparency.
Action Taken (AI summary) Herefordshire Worcestershire NHS states that the Community Service Manager has worked with Herefordshire MIND to co-produce a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Community Mental Health Link Worker Service in Herefordshire, which has been implemented in draft form. MIND Link workers now have established links with the Neighbourhood Mental Health teams and daily access to the ‘duty worker’.
John Follon
All Responded
2024-0547 14 Oct 2024 South Wales Central.
Cardiff & Vale University Health Board
Concerns summary (AI summary) The alarm system allows silencing without patient checks, especially during night shifts, and monitors are not continuously checked. This creates a significant risk of patients remaining unmonitored for extended periods.
Action Taken (AI summary) Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has made changes to the alarm system, such as making the alarm louder and ensuring a yellow ribbon appears at the top of the monitoring screen, and is implementing a workstream to replace bedside monitors and assess/evaluate configurations across all patient monitoring.
Paul Chase
All Responded
2024-0546 14 Oct 2024 Liverpool and Wirral
Ministry of Defence
Concerns summary (AI summary) There is a critical lack of mental health, alcoholism, and addiction support for veterans, both serving and after release. Resources are extremely limited, leading to extensive waiting times for essential treatment and therapy.
Noted (AI summary) The Ministry of Defence expresses sympathy and highlights existing mental health support for service personnel and veterans, stating that the deceased received treatment for addiction issues before discharge, but requests to be engaged earlier in inquests where service history is relevant.
Mia Gauci-Lamport
All Responded
2024-0545 14 Oct 2024 Surrey
Care Quality Commission Department of Health and Social Care NHS England +1 more
Concerns summary (AI summary) Inadequate night monitoring, including reliance on an insensitive video monitor, and poor medical record keeping compromised Mia's care. Lack of regular PEWS assessments and inconsistent specialist oversight were significant clinical governance concerns.
Noted (AI summary) NHS England acknowledges concerns and outlines existing oversight mechanisms, offering support to connect TCT's clinical team to specialists within the NHS and supporting TCT in connecting within the local integrated care system to improve flow to clinical appointments. CQC states that The Children's Trust (TCT) have strengthened their frequency of monitoring policy and increased their audits of the implementation of this policy; have a Frequency of Monitoring Policy in place since July 2022 which continues to be reviewed and updated. CQC have seen evidence of a strengthened learning culture at TCT through inspection and routine engagement conversations. The DHSC acknowledges the concerns raised in the report and states that they have sought assurances from the CQC and NHS England that responses are being prepared to address concerns respective to each organisation. They highlight ongoing monitoring by the CQC and clarify commissioning responsibilities. The Children's Trust has revised its Frequency of Monitoring Policy, enhanced clinical governance frameworks, and strengthened integration with NHS services following the death of Mia Gauci-Lamport.
Locket Williams
All Responded
2024-0543 14 Oct 2024 Surrey
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foun…
Concerns summary (AI summary) Insufficient in-county psychiatric inpatient beds for children persist, with new units inadequate for demand or specific needs. A new suicide risk assessment system lacks clear alerts on medical records, risking clinicians missing vital information.
Action Taken (AI summary) The Trust opened Emerald Place to meet demand for inpatient beds, although admissions are currently paused for quality improvements. They have also requested that Children’s Services copy each invite into their central Safeguarding team to have a greater oversight of these invitations and responses/attendance.
Jennifer Chalkley
All Responded
2024-0542 14 Oct 2024 Surrey
Department for Education Surrey County Council
Concerns summary (AI summary) A widespread misconception among schools that £6,000 must be spent on a child's SEN before an EHCP assessment application is delaying critical early support, increasing the risk of mental health issues and suicidality.
Noted (AI summary) Surrey County Council is preparing a communication to all Surrey education providers to clarify that there is no financial threshold for requesting an EHCNA, reinforcing the statutory position under the Children and Families Act 2014. The Department for Education acknowledges the concerns, highlights existing guidance on safeguarding and EHCPs, and notes ongoing monitoring of Surrey County Council's SEND arrangements, keeping the safeguarding guidance under review.
Kingsley Imafidon
All Responded
2024-0554 11 Oct 2024 North London
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust British Society of Gastroenterology Royal College of Pathology +1 more
Concerns summary (AI summary) Lack of inter-team liaison and specific protocols for liver biopsy on patients with Sickle Cell Disease (HbSS) led to inadequate consideration of their unique needs, including pre-biopsy assessment and post-operative monitoring.
Action Planned (AI summary) Homerton Hospital has reviewed and updated its Elective Liver Biopsy Standard Operating Procedure to include consideration of patients with pathologies such as HbSS, including additional post-operative monitoring and requirements. The BSG plans to publish advice in a peer-reviewed journal and BSG newsletter reminding healthcare professionals to take particular care with patients with blood disorders before any biopsy and to encourage discussion with a consultant haematologist. The Royal College of Radiologists acknowledges the concerns and will include the coroner's report in the material considered when the British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines are reviewed, to ensure expert radiological input. The Royal College of Pathologists has discussed the case with the senior author of the BSG guidelines, and the group responsible for updating the guidelines will consider including underlying conditions like sickle cell disease in future updates.
Oliver Davies
All Responded
2024-0541 11 Oct 2024 Worcestershire
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Tru…
Concerns summary (AI summary) Critical mental health referrals, including urgent self-harm concerns, were not recorded or considered by assessing clinicians. The care coordinator then improperly prioritized Oliver's case, failing to ensure timely support before going on leave.
Action Taken (AI summary) The Trust has implemented several changes, including disseminating SIM meeting outcomes to care coordinators, documenting patient concerns on SystmOne, emphasizing risk mitigation in clinical supervision, and embedding a process for continuity of care during staff absences. A standing agenda item was added to daily meetings to address patient care during staff absence, with documented handover of responsibilities.
Florence Stewart
All Responded
2024-0539 10 Oct 2024 Milton Keynes
Central North West London NHS Foundatio…
Concerns summary (AI summary) The system of high-level intermittent observations failed to prevent the suicide, indicating a need for fundamental review. Additionally, an oxygen bottle ran out during resuscitation efforts.
Action Taken (AI summary) The Trust has implemented new systems and processes to support staff in applying the Trust Policy on Observation and Therapeutic engagement, including meetings with staff, strengthened induction for temporary and new staff, and realigned the Nurse in Charge role. The Trust Resuscitation Group has also developed a visual aid for oxygen cylinders and distributed written communication to staff.
Sunnah Khan and Joseph Abbess
All Responded
2024-0538 10 Oct 2024 Dorset
Department for Education
Action Planned (AI summary) The Department for Education will consider how best to complement swimming and water safety lessons already delivered through the PE curriculum, to ensure that all pupils are taught about water safety, including the water safety code. The Department will also commit to supporting the 2025 RLSS UK's annual Drowning Prevention Week.
Chamali Bibi
All Responded
2024-0540 9 Oct 2024 Inner North London
NHS England
Concerns summary (AI summary) Concerns exist regarding the expertise and frequency of PAO surgeries, as many surgeons perform very few procedures annually without adequate oversight or recognition of the procedure's specialized nature.
Noted (AI summary) NHS England acknowledges the concerns about periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) procedures and states that it is a specialist procedure that should be undertaken only by clinicians with the requisite training and experience. They defer further comment on the specific concerns to Barts Health NHS Trust and suggest the coroner refer to the Royal College of Surgeons or the British Orthopaedic Association for further information.