Latest news with #paediatrics
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Kettering hospital child patients 'at risk' due to 'dysfunctional' departments
Child patients faced a "very serious risk" of increased deaths and deterioration of their conditions due to failings at a hospital, according to an independent shortages, poor culture and 'inadequate' nursing skills were identified at Kettering General Hospital's (KGH) children's and young people's paediatric and urgent care consultants Ibex Gale, which conducted the investigation, also said a "them and us" culture had also developed between NHS trust which runs the hospital said it was "committed to creating the best service possible for our patients, families and colleagues". Ibex Gale was brought in to conduct what is known as a patient safety culture review following "serious concerns" from staff, patients, and parents. Inquest findings and patient safety incidents also prompted the trust board to take action. The consultant's report highlighted workforce shortages and inexperienced staff who told the investigators they were overwhelmed by demand. Staff described an "unhealthy culture that creates an environment where stress, negativity, and dysfunction become the norm"."The perceived staff shortages, and the concerns raised regarding the inadequacy of agency/trust adult nurses' paediatric skills and experience, create a very serious risk of increased mortality and morbidity for patients," the report continued. Ibex Gale described a disjointed culture with low psychological safety, where staff felt reluctant to put forward ideas, offer suggestions or have challenging environment with psychological safety is one where people feel comfortable expressing themselves without worrying about negative consequences, according to the Royal College of report also highlighted a lack of collaboration between staff at the Skylark children's ward and the paediatric emergency affected safety, it said, and contributed to "a lack of collective responsibility for patients". The BBC had previously exposed failings at Skylark shared concerns about care at the unit and said staff had ignored symptoms of serious illnesses, sometimes with fatal Care Quality Commission (CQC) is also considering a criminal prosecution following the death of Chloe 13-year-old from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, died from pneumonia and sepsis in November 2022, one day after being admitted to the death was contributed to by neglect, according to a coroner, and the hospital admitted it had failed to deliver the care Chloe deserved. The report authors said only 36% of the relevant staff members had engaged with the review, despite the period for them to do so being equates to just 77 out of a possible a survey conducted as part of the review, just 55% of staff said they were confident the trust was delivering safe paediatric was outstripping the skilled paediatric workforce and estate resources, the report added. The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Kettering General, said it had instituted a series of measures to improve safety and performance. These included:A twice-daily "safety huddle" where senior nurses, medical teams and operational staff meet to discuss safetyMultidisciplinary monthly simulation training for medical and nursing staff, strengthening team collaboration and clinical capability and practising dealing with difficult clinical scenariosListening Events to improve staff and patient experienceSenior nurse away days "to support improved working between the children's ward and paediatric emergency department"Making the leadership more visibleMore patient engagement, "ensuring their voices shape care delivery, safety improvements, and service design" The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire chief nurse, Julie Hogg, said: "As part of our improvement work, we commissioned a review to look into how we could improve our culture within the service, to have a positive impact on patient safety".She added: "The report identified a number of areas that we need to improve, and our new Children and Young Person's leadership team is focusing on working with colleagues, and listening to our patients, to make and embed the changes swiftly and effectively."Ms Hogg said they had accepted all of the recommendations, which "will inform a comprehensive improvement plan"."This plan will be tracked through governance structures and reported publicly to ensure transparency and accountability. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Medscape
26-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Nirsevimab Cuts RSV Hospitalizations in Spanish Study
The introduction of universal passive immunisation with nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody, led to significant reductions in hospitalizations and paediatric intensive care admissions for respiratory syncytial virus–associated lower respiratory tract infections (RSV-LRTIs), particularly benefiting infants younger than 6 months. METHODOLOGY: Researchers carried out a prospective observational study at a tertiary hospital in Spain to examine if universally administering nirsevimab could reduce hospitalizations and paediatric intensive care admissions due to RSV-LRTIs in children younger than 5 years. They analysed 311 patients (median age, 4.9 months; 57.5% boys), comparing hospitalization rates during the October 2023-March 2024 RSV season — when nirsevimab was administered — with those during two pre-pandemic seasons (2018-2019 and 2019-2020) and one post-pandemic season (2022-2023). Nirsevimab immunoprophylaxis was given to all newborns with a gestational age of at least 35 weeks, to infants younger than 6 months, and to high-risk children younger than 2 years. TAKEAWAY: RSV-LRTI hospitalizations in infants younger than 6 months declined by 83.3% (95% CI, 70.9-95.8) during the period when nirsevimab was administered compared with those in the pre-pandemic periods and declined by 90.8% (95% CI, 83.6-98.0) compared with those in the post-pandemic period. Additionally, paediatric intensive care admissions declined by 73.3% during the period when nirsevimab was administered compared with those in the pre-pandemic periods and by 87.9% compared with those in the post-pandemic period. The median age of hospitalized patients significantly increased during the nirsevimab period, rising to 15.6 months, whereas it was 4 months and 3.4 months in the pre- and post-pandemic periods, respectively ( P < .001). < .001). Additionally, hospital stays were shorter during the nirsevimab period, with a median of 4 days, whereas they lasted a median of 6 days and 5 days in the pre- and post-pandemic periods, respectively ( P = .003). IN PRACTICE: "These findings are encouraging, and it is anticipated that in the coming years, nirsevimab prophylaxis will mitigate the significant burden on healthcare services during the winter season," the authors wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Lorena Bermúdez-Barrezueta, Faculty of Medicine, Valladolid University, Valladolid, Spain. It was published online on May 16, 2025, in the European Journal of Pediatrics . LIMITATIONS: This was a single-centre study with a limited sample size. DISCLOSURES: The study was supported by FEDER European Funds and the Junta de Castilla y León under the Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization and partially funded by the Ernesto Sanchez Villares Foundation.
The National
23-05-2025
- Health
- The National
Burjeel aims to carry out more clinical trials in the UAE and boost cancer care
Abu Dhabi healthcare company Burjeel Holdings is aiming to do more clinical trials in the UAE, as it seeks to boost its oncology and paediatric services, its chairman has said. A total of 25 clinical trials have been either completed or are under way by the company. These include a multicentre study of the efficacy and safety of the drug Mitapivat for patients with thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder, as well as trials in oncology. In April, the Department of Health Abu Dhabi also said it had successfully completed a clinical trial in collaboration with Swedish company Cellcolabs and Burjeel Holdings to evaluate cell-based therapies for degenerative joint diseases. 'Clinical trials are coming up – it's about seeing the opportunity, inviting pharma here, because clinical trials have never happened outside [the traditional hubs]. So we are opening up a new horizon,' Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, founder and chairman of Burjeel Holdings, told The National at the Make it in the Emirates event in Abu Dhabi. 'But for that, you need the clinical strength … We have it now, and we are adding on to it. It's a constantly evolving process, but we have made a lot of progress,' Dr Vayalil added. There is already 'huge' global interest in the region, he said. Earlier in May, it was announced that the UAE will host the first clinical trials outside the US of a wireless brain chip made by tech billionaire Elon Musk's Neuralink company. The chip is designed to improve the lives of paralysed people. The Department of Health Abu Dhabi said it had teamed up with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Neuralink to launch the trial programme, known as UAE-PRIME. 'Health care should become a way of enabling the economy,' Dr Vayalil said. 'We want to improve the GDP. We want to bring clinical trials. We want to bring in research. We want to train doctors. We want this to become a mode of enabling an economy. 'We have interest in trials, we have interest in pharma, we have interest in innovation. So that's how we look at health care. I think health care should move more into solutions.' Burjeel Holdings this week also revealed more details of its healthcare logistics joint venture with AD Ports Group, called Docktour. The platform is focused on addressing Africa's healthcare challenges and will facilitate the deployment of modular healthcare units, including container-based hospitals and clinics. It will also help to set up full-service medical infrastructure, including field hospitals and permanent facilities. Docktour will also provide emergency response capabilities and support local capacity-building through clinical training. The joint venture will partner with national health ministries, international NGOs, and UAE-led humanitarian initiatives to provide services. 'I think this is going to be something that will disrupt [the market] … it's a local solution for a global problem,' Dr Vayalil said. 'What is the problem today? It is the reach, logistics, manpower. We work in remote sites. For us, the growth should come from deserving places as well, meaningful growth.' However, he also stressed that the company focuses on 'bankable projects' and that their plan with Docktour was long-term. 'I'm not too worried about where the bill will come. We are talking to various organisations. We are making a model which is very compulsive. We are going to show governments how they can save on the cost,' he said. Abu Dhabi-listed Burjeel Holding this month reported a 64 per cent drop in first quarter net profit attributable to shareholders to reach Dh36.37 million ($9.9 million), although revenue rose by 5.7 per cent to Dh1.27 billion. Revenue growth was driven by a 5.3 per cent annual increase in patient footfall. The company said it was hit by a 'number of operational challenges, with group performance impacted by a sharper-than-anticipated slowdown in March and delays in the conversion of complex care programmes'. The hiring of niche specialists is one reason that quarterly earnings were affected, Dr Vayalil said. 'You hire a hemato-oncologist, who is not a regular physician … he takes a while to settle down, the referral system needs to fall in place. So, we are deliberately taking certain decisions which are time-consuming, because if I only look at the balance sheet and [quarter to quarter], we're not going to be meaningful. We always say that it's the net result versus the Q-to-Q,' he said. The company is focusing heavily on cancer care and building the practice. In April, it partnered with US non-profit Caring Cross to locally manufacture CAR T-cell therapies at up to 90 per cent less than current international costs, estimated to range from $350,000 to more than $1 million. CAR-T therapies reprogramme a patient's immune cells to attack cancer cells and are being used to treat blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma. Caring Cross will support with the technology, materials and specialised training to establish a local system. 'We don't want to be a supermarket of health care, we want to be a boutique. Ultimately, we want to be known for certain things. Cancer is top of our stuff, as well as paediatrics,' Dr Vayalil said. The company is considering further expansion in Africa and other emerging markets, he said, but did not provide any specifics. Dr Vayalil also said Burjeel is focused on using technology to support physicians. 'We don't want to take a position of replacing the doctor,' he said. 'If you ask me about five-year growth, I would not be able to even define and tell you precisely, but if our execution ability would prevail, I think we will make lot of noise in the right direction.'
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Doctor tells inquest he learned ‘to be more compassionate' since baby's death
A doctor who cared for a one-year-old baby on the night he died of a rare heart condition treated his parents like they 'did not exist', an inquest heard. Archie Squire died from heart failure in the early hours of November 23 2023 after successive cardiac arrests just days after his first birthday. His parents made repeated visits to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, Kent, with concerns about Archie's breathing and constipation, which did not lead to a long-term diagnosis. On Wednesday, Doctor Ravindra Kumar, a paediatric registrar at QEQM responsible for Archie on the night he died, broke down in tears in court describing how his work has changed since Archie's death. Asked what he would do differently, Dr Kumar said: 'I regret talking about Archie's condition in front of the family to others, to my colleagues, I learned a big lesson to be more compassionate.' Wiping tears from his eyes, he told the court: 'We discussed the child's condition in a manner as if parents did not exist in the room.' Medical records and Dr Kumar's witness statement suggest he did not see Archie between 9.30pm and 1am on the night he died, the inquest heard. On Wednesday at Kent and Medway Coroners Court in Maidstone, the doctor said that this was incorrect. 'I do not recall that I only saw this very sick child only at 9pm to 1am, this is wrong,' said Dr Kumar. He told Emily Raynor, counsel on behalf of the family, that he could not recall why he had not recorded visits to Archie between those hours. 'It isn't in your witness statement and it isn't in your medical records,' said Ms Raynor. Dr Kumar replied: 'I have clear recollection that I examined the child.' Photos and videos of Archie taken by his family from the night in hospital leading up to his death were shown in court to demonstrate his condition. Dr Kumar told the court that these 'snapshots' did not show whether his condition was deteriorating. He said: 'Giving a snapshot of a child does not give justice to clinical management, what we are seeing are snapshots. 'I can't decide on that snapshot of video whether he was sleepy or unwell. It's not fair to comment on the clinical picture.' He admitted that his case writing could have been more methodical, but said that he had followed proper procedure for Archie's care. 'You cannot judge a child's condition by looking at photographs, you have to look at the whole picture.' said Dr Kumar. The inquest continues.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Doctor at Margate hospital learnt 'big lesson' after baby death
A doctor has said he learnt a "big lesson to be more compassionate" after a baby's death at a Kent hospital. Archie Squire died of a rare heart condition just days after his first birthday following repeated visits to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Ravi Kumar, a paediatric registrar who works at the hospital, said at an inquest into the one-year-old's death it had been an "extraordinary case". "This has been difficult for all of us," he said. "I am sorry." A report by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust found that during Archie's treatment opportunities to diagnose him appropriately, which could have prevented his death, were "missed".The trust said it offered its "heartfelt condolences to Archie's family.""We will work with the coroner to give the family answers," it added. 'Cold and pale' Archie died in the early hours of 23 November 2023 following two cardiac parents had made repeated visits to hospital over his life, concerned about Archie's breathing, constipation and vomiting. Dr Kumar, who saw Archie at the start of his night shift on 22 November, said his first impression was the toddler was "not well". "He was irritable," he said. "He was cold and pale." The inquest, held at North East Kent Coroner's Court in Maidstone, heard Archie's condition had deteriorated in the early hours of the morning. "He was not responding," Dr Kumar said, adding he had conveyed his concerns to the consultant and brought Archie from the ward for court heard that hospital staff were treating Archie with a "working diagnosis" of bronchiolitis – an infection of the respiratory asked by the barrister acting for Archie's family, Emily Raynor, if he should have considered alternative causes for the baby's illness and multiple hospital visits, Dr Kumar said he "did not consider it that night". Archie's mother Lauren Parrish, from Dover, recalled her son being labelled a "mystery child" because doctors were not sure what was wrong with family has previously said in a joint statement that "fundamental failings" remained at the hospital that were putting children and babies at risk. "Parents are being ignored and opportunities are still being missed," they added. The inquest started on 19 May and is set to last six days.
