UK health leaders warn of severe NHS medicine shortages, including painkillers and HRT, impacting patient safety and forcing some to skip meals. Supply chain issues, manufacturing disruptions, and budget constraints are cited as causes.
Healthcare campaigner Merope Mills has been made a CBE for her work on patient safety, particularly her advocacy for Martha's Rule. The initiative, inspired by her daughter Martha's death, allows patients and families to seek a second opinion, potentially saving hundreds of lives.
A 13-year-old's tragic death from a treatable injury, after her parents' concerns were ignored, has spurred a vital patient safety change in the UK. Martha's Rule, now in effect at 143 NHS sites, empowers patients and families to demand rapid senior clinician reviews if they feel care is inadequate, ensuring no one's pleas go unheard.
More than 500 patients have received life-saving care after Martha's Rule was implemented across NHS England in 2024. The patient safety mechanism, which allows patients, relatives and staff to request a rapid review of care, led to 524 adults and children being moved to intensive care or specialist units between September 2024 and February 2026. Of 12,301 calls made to helplines, about one in three identified patients whose health was deteriorating. The rule is named after Martha Mills, who died aged 13 in 2021 after her family's concerns went unheeded at King's College Hospital.
Drug industry’s self-regulatory body criticises Theramex, producer of Evorel and Intrarosa, for ‘alarming’ breachesOne of the biggest producers of hormone replacement therapy has been censured by regulators for “systemic failures” that jeopardised patient safety.Theramex, the UK producer of HRT drugs Evorel and Intrarosa, was found to have breached fundamental compliance standards including not updating crucial prescribing information – in some cases for several years – and not making it clear that a drug must not be used during pregnancy. Continue reading...
