15 minute read
NHS Digital and PHIN collaborate for data changes
from HealthInvestor
Acute care
Another Spire doctor accused of unnecessary procedures
A doctor who worked at the same private hospital as rogue breast surgeon, Ian Paterson, has been accused of carrying out unnecessary operations on a significant number of patients.
Michael Walsh, a shoulder surgeon, was sacked by Spire Healthcare after numerous patients and colleagues reported him to the General Medical Council (GMC) with concerns about his work.
Many patients have since filed lawsuits against Walsh, claiming he performed surgery on them between 2012 and 2018 without any medical justification, leaving many in pain, traumatised and unable to work. The GMC has identified almost 50 patients it believes Walsh might have harmed.
Walsh carried out shoulder operations, shoulder replacements and also administered injections. He has retired and is no longer licensed to practise as a doctor.
The news comes just weeks after an official inquiry found multiple blunders by Spire Healthcare and the NHS enabled Paterson to carry out unnecessary and damaging surgery on hundreds of patients. He was jailed in April 2017 after carrying out “extensive, life-changing operations for no medically justifiable reason”, after being found guilty of 17 counts of wounding with intent. His initial jail term of 15 years was increased to 20.
When Paterson operated on women who did have breast cancer, he put them at increased risk of relapsing by using a technique which left lots of the breast tissue behind. Spire, which runs 39 private hospitals in the UK and employs 7,000 doctors and surgeons, has shelled out £27.2 million in compensation to Paterson’s victims.
A spokesperson for Spire said: “After concerns were raised about Mr Walsh, an investigation was started in April 2018, and he was suspended immediately. We have asked the Royal College of Surgeons to assist with this investigation and have shared the findings with the Care Quality Commission and the GMC.
“Where we have identified concerns about the care a patient received, we have invited the patient to an appointment with an independent surgeon to review their treatment. This is a complex case and the review is ongoing. Spire reiterates its sincere apologies to those patients who have been affected by the treatment they received from Mr Walsh.”
NHS Digital and PHIN collaborate for data changes
NHS Digital and the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) have launched a consultation to align private healthcare data with NHS recorded activity.
The consultation sets out a series of changes to how data is recorded and managed across private and NHS care, along with a series of pilot projects, based upon feedback from various stakeholders.
It aims to seek the views of private and NHS providers, clinicians, the public and other organisations with an interest in private healthcare and will be used to help shape the future changes.
The consultation, which has been launched following the publication of the Paterson Inquiry, will be hosted on the NHS Digital Consultation Hub. Under the changes proposed in the Acute Data Alignment Programme (ADAPt), PHIN will share the national dataset of private admitted patient care in England with NHS Digital, creating a single source of healthcare data in England. This follows the Paterson Inquiry’s recommendation to create a single repository for information about consultants’ performance in private and public healthcare across England. The repository will have common standards for recording and reporting activity, quality and risk in a consistent way across both public and private healthcare. It will allow providers, care planners, regulators and researchers to understand better how private and public healthcare data sits alongside each other and how it can be used to deliver better care.
NHS Digital will also pilot collecting data directly from independent providers on privately funded care within its Secondary Uses Service, consolidating the data reporting processes and reducing the administrative burden on hospitals. This data will be shared with PHIN so it can assess whether it would be suitable to use for the publication of hospital and consultant performance information as mandated by the Competition and Markets Authority. Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “Regardless of where you’re treated or how your care is funded, everybody deserves safe, compassionate care. The recent Paterson Inquiry highlighted the shocking failures that can occur when information is not shared and acted upon in both the NHS and independent sector.”
Tom Denwood, executive director of data, insights and statistics at NHS Digital, said: “In light of the conclusion of the Paterson Inquiry the ability to provide greater transparency in quality and safety and to improve patient care is more important than ever. We would like to encourage feedback on this consultation, especially from patient groups, professional bodies, and providers of care, to help it draw its important conclusions on if and how to create this alignment.”
Matt James, chief executive of PHIN, said: “The Paterson Inquiry showed that joined-up information is essential, and patients considering private healthcare can already use PHIN’s website to search information on more than 2,500 consultants covering both their NHS and private practice. The ADAPt programme will make PHIN’s data on private healthcare more easily available to the NHS to improve governance. We encourage everyone to voice their support for this important initiative to improve patient safety.”
David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, commented: “The recent Paterson inquiry report rightly called for much more of a ‘whole systems’ approach to patient safety and data transparency. In seeking to better align NHS and independent sector data, the ADAPt programme represents a key step towards the seamless flow of data along the patient journey – helping to ensure full visibility of the safety and effectiveness of care delivered by all providers, and enabling patients to make the most informed choices about their treatment.”
Social care
Hft forced to close down services
Care charity Hft is closing its residential and day service at Milton Heights, Oxfordshire by the end of May, because of funding problems which leave it with a significant weekly shortfall.
Hft’s residential services will cease on 13 April and its day services, used by around 60 people, will stop on 31 May.
Last month, Hft released a report which surveyed the impact of changes to the social care sector last year. In association with Cebr it asked 77 large and small care home providers for their reflections on 2019 and their predictions and requests for 2020. The main consensus Hft found was that government intervention is desperately required in the social care sector to “end a prolonged period of mounting cost pressures and staff recruitment difficulties”. Hft notes that these two factors led to 45% of providers shutting down some services last year.
Commenting on the Milton Heights closure, Hft’s chief executive Steve White said: “The financial pressures on social care providers are acute and Hft is not alone in having to make difficult decisions. A lack of alternatives has left providers with no choice but to make decisions culturally at odds with the way they want to run their organisations.”
“The fees we are paid for the services we provide do not cover the direct costs of care. Without sufficient local authority funding, there is no long-term way for us to fund the service. It is with huge regret that Hft has been compelled to make this sadly unavoidable decision. We recognise that it will be both unwelcome and emotionally difficult for all those involved, which is why we are working constructively with the local authority and all the families involved to minimise the distress and anxiety around the decision.” Martin Green of Care England, commented: “The closure of these services is a consequence of years of serious underfunding and will be replicated across the country unless we get a long-term and sustainable funding settlement for social care.” He added: “The crisis in care could well be exacerbated if the High Court rules that sleep in staff must be paid back pay. The crisis in social care is a self-inflicted wound by the government and we need urgent and immediate action to secure the future of vital services.”
Care England launches market intelligence database for members
Care England, the representative body for independent providers of adult social care, has launched a market intelligence information database for members, called MINT.
MINT holds a variety of data and links to information from freedom of information requests, and private and publicly available data sources. It is searchable by local authority and clinical commissioning group, by parliamentary constituency, care home provider, post code and group name, and will produce reports by authority, search or advanced search criteria.
Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: “MINT will be extremely helpful enabling our members to have crucial data at their fingertips all in one single repository when discussing fees or quality with local authorities and CCGs. MINT is tailor-made for our members allowing them to be forewarned and thus forearmed.” He added: “MINT will help providers prepare for conversations and negotiations as they need to be au fait with their local markets in order to provide a basis for informed decisions. MINT is part of a raft of membership benefits that help providers operate to their optimum ability.”
Oakland Care opens new home in Essex
Oakland Care has officially opened Lambwood Heights, a new care home in Essex.
Located within an area of protected woodland in Chigwell, the purposebuilt, luxury care home provides residential, nursing, memory and respite care for up to 73 residents. Facilities at the home include a café bistro, cinema room, hair and beauty salon, air-conditioned lounges, a private dining room, garden room and a library.
The home was officially opened by the lord-lieutenant of Essex, Jennifer Tolhurst on 7 February. Oakland Care also invited local councillors and businesses and the home’s first residents and their family members to the Great Gatsby themed opening.
Welcome speeches were given by Sonia Kasese, Lambwood Heights’ registered manager and Joanne Balmer, chief executive of Oakland Care.
Commenting on opening the home, Tolhurst said: “It was a huge honour to be invited to come and open Lambwood Heights. A lot of work has gone into the design of the building and the rooms and there are many things here that encourage residents to be stimulated and happy. Those are the things that really stand out to me and I can see that Oakland Care has addressed these in a big way.”
Social care
The need to provide age appropriate housing to over 65s is only set to grow, according to Lauren Harwood, head of senior living research at global property advisor Knight Frank.
Harwood made the comments in response to an Office for National Statistics survey which found almost three-quarters (74%) of people aged 65 years and over in England owned their homes outright, while the number of people aged 65-plus living in the UK is forecast to increase by 20% to 12 million by 2027.
The ONS survey also found that the cohort of nonagenarians in the UK is expected to rise at an even faster rate – to more than 750,000 people over the next eight years.
Harwood said that it is “evident that senior living operators are responding to these demographic shifts by providing seniors with a choice of tenure options”.
In addition, over the past couple of years, financial investment in the sector has grown, and Knight Frank forecasts this will continue with the total value of the private senior living market reaching £55.2 billion by 2023, from £39.6 billion in 2019.
As well as increased investment – from both the UK and overseas – advances in senior living design, scale, tenure options and healthcare choices are helping to move the sector forward, though challenges remain. Knight Frank adds that a uniform plan for meeting these housing needs is required, and should include clarity on affordable housing, local authority financial savings through provision of care within seniors housing, and the release of local family housing back to the market via downsizers moving into seniors housing.
The ONS also found that only 6% of people aged 65 years and over rent privately today, though the ONS notes that this is likely to increase in the future if younger generations – currently in their 30s, 40s and 50s – in the private rental sector remain so into older ages.
Tom Scaife, head of senior living at Knight Frank, said: “Changing demographics and trends in housing tenure are having profound implications on the property market. The UK’s population is ageing at a faster rate than ever before and the ‘grey pound’ is becoming increasingly influential. In response, the need for age appropriate housing has grown significantly.”
He added: “Ranging from standard housing through to aged care facilities, the offering of senior’s accommodation has evolved markedly over the past decade, but when considering how to deliver this housing, the preferences and requirements of potential residents must be paramount, so the most attractive forms of age-appropriate housing can be delivered.”
Call for ‘social care visa’ to ease recruitment crisis
Small business owners are calling on the government to introduce a ‘social care visa’ in a bid to ease the recruitment crisis in the sector. Under the new points-based immigration system proposed by home secretary Priti Patel, all workers must earn at least £26,500 if they are to be allowed entry to the UK for employment purposes. But the Federation of Small Businesses says that many of their members in the social care sector will struggle to find staff under the new rules. With near full employment and many UK citizens unwilling to work in social care, the FSB says specific arrangements should be put in place to allow firms to hire lower-paid staff from overseas.
“While it’s encouraging to see the government acknowledging the need to address skills shortages in certain industries, its policy statement includes no mention of the social care sector,” said FSB national chairman Mike Cherry.
“That’s why we’re proposing a dedicated social care visa, enabling those struggling with mounting overheads and personnel shortages to recruit the overseas talent they, and our society, need to thrive.”
26 June is Care Home Open Day
Care Home Open Day, in partnership with Care England, National Activity Providers Association and National Care Forum (NCF), will take place on 26 June for the eighth year in a row.
The theme this year is music which encompasses music, arts, innovation and technology.
Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: “Now wellestablished, Care Home Open Day, is a real marker in the calendar. Care homes really are the hub of their communities; let’s keep it that way and continue to connect. The immense innovation throughout the sector needs to be showcased and enjoyed.”
He added: “There is a link between music therapy and dementia and this needs to be made more widely known; Care Home Open Day is the perfect vehicle to do so.” Vic Rayner, chief executive of NCF, commented: “I’m really excited about Care Home Open Day. There are so many creative ways in which music has become centre stage within homes. Get planning now – and get your care home firmly on the map this June.”
Social care
CQC calls for industry collaboration to create culture of openness
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has called for leaders across adult social care to work together to create a culture of openness concerning sexuality and relationships – while ensuring service users are protected from sexual harm.
The CQC’s call for collaboration comes after the release of its report Promoting Sexual Safety Through Empowerment which looks at what can be done to support people in adult social care to have safe sexual relationships.
The report discusses the importance of an environment which allows people the basic human right to express their sexuality, and an open culture where people feel able to raise concerns around safety where necessary.
Following engagement with people who use adult social care – including those who have been involved in sexual safety incidents, the CQC has called for staff to be empowered to discuss issues around people’s relationships and their sexuality.
The commission has also called for the production of co-produced guidance for care managers and staff that focuses on how to protect people using adult social care from sexual abuse and how to support them to develop and maintain relationships, expressing their sexuality.
The CQC has said it will continue to improve the system of provider notifications and how its deals with reported incidents, ensuring staff are enabled to deal with these difficult and sensitive issues in a timely way. The report also includes more than 650 notifications of sexual incidents or alleged sexual abuse that took place in adult social care services and were reported by providers to CQC.
The 661 statutory notifications of sexual incidents or alleged sexual incidents that were reported to CQC between 1 March and 31 May 2018, details 899 sexual incidents or incidents of alleged sexual abuse that took place in adult social care services such as residential and nursing homes.
Almost half of the incidents (48%) have been categorised as allegations of sexual assault. The second most common type of incident (11%) was that of indecent exposure and nudity.
Commenting on the report, Kate Terroni, chief inspector of adult social care at the CQC, said: “Supporting people as individuals means considering all aspects of a person’s needs, including sexuality and relationships.
“We know that an open culture, where staff feel they can share concerns without fear of reprisal, where people and families are empowered to speak about their wants and needs in a sensitive way, and where managers and providers proactively enable conversations about sexuality to take place are the conditions that lead to people being empowered to stay safe and supported.”
She added: “We are clear that abuse in any form can never be accepted and we must act on the findings of this report to help providers and care staff protect people from sexual harm, while enabling people to continue or develop intimate relationships. We are confident that with the right commitments across the sector we can achieve both.”
Cabinet reshuffle appoints Whately as minister of care
Helen Whately has replaced Caroline Dinenage as minister of care after a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Whately was previously secretary of state for arts, heritage and tourism.
Whately was first elected in 2015 as the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent and increased her majority at the 2017 and 2019 general elections.
During her political career, Whately has served on the House of Commons Health Select Committee and as deputy chair of the Conservative Party.
