To reduce patient harm we need to make changes across cultural, technological and procedural boundaries, argues Lord Darzi, plus the rest of today’s news and comment
13.31pm The Daily Mail reports warnings that tens of thousands of heart patients are wrongly taking aspirin. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued new guidance to GPs and hospital specialists telling them not to prescribe the drug for the life-threatening condition atrial fibrillation. This affects up to 900,000 patients in England and causes their hearts to beat very fast and irregularly, greatly increasing the risk of stroke and early death.
13.29pm The Daily Telegraph has followed up HSJ’s story about the suspension of all negotiations over the running of NHS 111 contracts. It says the move comes after the paper exposed serious safety risks to patients.
13.24pm Our papers arrived very late today, but here’s a belated roundup of today’s health stories in the national press. The Financial Times reports concerns from care home owners about the chancellor’s plan to increase the minimum wage. The sector, which employs about 40 per cent of their staff on the minimum wage, warns the rise to £7.20 an hour from next April could force homes to close. Salaries are typically the biggest cost for care home operators, accounting for about 60 per cent of turnover.
12.06pm In a comment piece, Health Foundation chief economist Anita Charlesworth warns that achieving the £22bn in efficiency savings looks “really tough”, if publicsector pay restraint does not hold.
10.04am The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will publish recommended nurse staffing levels for accident and emergency departments despite being asked by NHS England to drop the work, HSJ has revealed.
9.54am Celebrations in Paul Street this morning, after we scooped three national awards last night. HSJ was named Business Media Brand of the Year award at the Professional Publishers Association awards, while HSJ Intelligence won Digital Innovation of the Year (Business Media). Meanwhile, at the Medical Journalists Association awards, correspondent Will Hazell was named young journalist of the year. Fellow correspondents Sophie Barnes and Shaun Lintern were also shortlisted for awards.
7.00am Good morning and welcome to HSJ Live.
For too long we have tended to focus on problems in isolation. To reduce patient harm we need to make changes across cultural, technological and procedural boundaries. It is time we learn from other health systems, argues Lord Darzi, former health minister and director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London.
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