Karen Davies

It is clear that @elonmusk needs to stay out of British politics. RT if you agree.

@Heccles94 ❤️

Been getting a lot of hate on twitter for standing up against the right wing fascists currently terrorising innocent citizens across the UK. I will never stop fighting against fascism! Who's with me? To counteract the hate, post a ❤️ if you agree love is stronger than hate!

This single paragraph explanation of the financial crisis by Prof Mark Blyth cannot be shared enough. Please RT

@drphilhammond @wesstreeting @bmj_latest Do everything it can to retain staff. Fully fund nurse training as a start

Interesting from @wesstreeting “From today, the policy of this department is that the NHS is broken" Ties in with @bmj_latest commission on NHS recommending the incoming government declare “a state of emergency in health and social care.” It really is that bad. And it lowers expectations and sets us up for slow progress. But what should @UKLabour do first? gov.uk/government/spe…

We need staffing levels that protect nursing staff and patient safety. Governments should be responsible for ensuring patient care is provided in safe conditions by the appropriate number of nursing staff. Ask prospective politicians to support the nursing profession.

@drphilhammond As a nurse of 40 years I have long held the view that we can learn a lot from safety first cultures such as in the airline business. As you say this becomes the framework for culture, staffing levels 😱 and political response! Thanks for your piece keep writing…🙌🏻

Thank you for asking me this question I generally refrain from comparing medical scandals because they are all tragedies in their own way. The Bristol heart scandal arose because the unit had demonstrably worse results for paediatric cardiac surgery than other units, but was telling parents the UK average mortality rates rather than the unit’s actual rates. To compound matters, the problems in Bristol were widely known amongst the profession, the Royal College of Surgeons, the Society of Cardio Thoracic surgeons, the Department of Health specialist commissioning group etc. Everyone knew apart from the parents, until a very brave whistleblower called Steve Bolsin spoke up. The public inquiry, which finished nine years after I broke the story in Private Eye, concluded that around three dozen babies might have survived if they’ve been operated on elsewhere over a set period. Over a longer period, Professor Bolsin puts the number at around 170. The real tragedy of Bristol is that it made 198 recommendations, many of which have been subsequently repeated in all the other health scandal since, most notably the Mid Staffs inquiry and more recently the infected blood inquiry. The UK is a world leader in public inquiries, and then we ignore the findings so we can have another public inquiry. The physician associate scandal may not progress to a public inquiry because so many people have raised concerns early, both here and elsewhere. Various Royal Colleges and the GMC have egg on their face and are reversing, or may shortly be reversing, their positions. Far more NHS staff are speaking up for patient safety and, with a new government in charge, constructive changes are more likely to happen and people will continue to speak up if they don’t. There have been some well publicised disasters where PAs have either voluntarily or forcibly been put in positions that were beyond their competence, and serious harm and death has resulted. However, this clearly doesn’t just apply to PAs. In the Bristol Inquiry report, it was estimated that around 25,000 people die every year in the NHS from either substandard care, or failure to access care. More recently we seem to have settled on a number of 11,000 avoidable deaths a year. Only a tiny fraction of these will have anything to do with PAs. I guess what I’m saying is that we need to look at patient safety in the round, and speak up forcibly about every aspect of it. My big lesson from Bristol was that how you raise concerns matters as much as the concerns you raise. I did it in a very aggressive way, that made people pull up the drawbridge and probably delayed constructive change and adversely affected the mental health of surgeons trying to do the hardest operations on some of the sickest children. There are plenty of competent PAs out there doing their best in very difficult circumstances, and suicide rates are high enough amongst NHS workers without making things worse. If we see everything through the prism of patient safety, safe staffing and skill mix levels, it gives us something to unite around as healthcare workers. As Steve Bolsin famously said about the Bristol case, “if you want to prevent future scandals, never lose sight of the patient.” And the lesson from Bristol for PAs out there is that you have to be very explicit and honest with patients about who you are and what your levels of expertise are. If you give misinformed consent, there is no defence. And hospitals and professional bodies that misrepresent the expertise of PAs are equally culpable. Does that answer your question?

@drphilhammond 👏🏻

There’s too much incompetence, division and anger in politics. What we need is intelligence and kindness. It’s time for the Intelligent Kindness Party (IKIP). Who’s in?

Investing in nursing is a political choice. Tax cuts won't bring down waiting lists or solve our workforce crisis. This was the wrong Budget for the wrong moment. Nursing deserved better. #Budget2024 #FairPayForNursing

Average Nursing salaries: Start- Average: USA £45,000 - £65,000 Australia £40,000 - £45,000 Switzerland £57,600 - £73,730 Denmark: £45,000 - £60,00 England: £28,407 - £35,000 Northern Ireland: £27,055 - £33,000 Why is there a Staffing Crisis? #SOSNHS #FairPayForNursing

@doctorcaldwell @DocEd @j59dd @RCPEdin 🤷‍♀️

BBC News - Martha's rule may be introduced in NHS hospitals from April bbc.co.uk/news/health-68… With so many patients finding it difficult to get timely First Opinions, how can #NHS meet a requirement for Second Opinions? @DocEd @j59dd @RCPEdin

@Theholisticpsyc IMHO it starts with self awareness

Name one skill that will change every area of your life: Emotional regulation.

I asked Gillian Keegan on @LBC re the NAO report & Panorama 🔹"700,000 children are having to learn in Crumbling Schools. Aren't you ashamed of that?" 🔹She dodged. Claimed I was talking about RAAC. I wasn't. RAAC is only a part of the problem. 🔹She smirked. 🔹She didn't apologise for children having to wear gloves & coats in class. 🔹and she blocked me on Twitter @GillianKeegan 🤷🏼‍♀️ There you go. Another Tory Story What a shambles BTW Michael Gove stopped the schools building programme in 2010 and Tories have been running schools down ever since

I have just finished another set of incredibly difficult weekend nights as the A&E consultant incharge. Some thoughts: The NHS no longer provides unscheduled care - we provide treatment. Care is with dignity - that's impossible for our patients in corridors. The model of acute care is not working or sustainable. We need a completely different approach - with long term investment in prevention and community care 111 need to change risk thresholds as far too many come to a&e when they don't need to. There needs to be alternative pathways to get care overnight for those who don't have accidents or emergencies. A&E shouldn't be anything and everything Staff are broke - supporting staff is just as vital as looking after patients This government have totally decimated our the NHS. They are the ones who should be apologising to our patients not our staff. Hundreds are dying each week because of lack of hospital capacity and corridor care in a&e, yet it's not on the news and no public uproar. As staff and patients we have accepted the unacceptable. Everyone needs to know the reality of what is happening - so that politicians offer a different solution and patients get the care they deserve. Sadly most of the public have no idea of what is genuinely going on. And finally, a post night fry up is the best antidote for the stresses of the weekend. Goodnight!

On Christmas Day, NHS staff will dispatch around 20,000 ambulances, serve 100,000 Christmas dinners in hospitals, and deliver 1,500 babies, as they do every year. Thank you to the incredible NHS staff working really hard over the Christmas and New Year period.

The Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme is available for referral from all GP practices in England. Since 2016, over 1.3 million people have been referred to the nine-month evidence-based programme for people at high risk of type 2 diabetes. #DPC23

@NHSDiabetesProg @NHSEngland Great update thanks Kath

Kath Taylor, Obesity Policy Lead at @NHSEngland is presenting to a full house the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, a targeted weight management offer to patients living with obesity, with a diagnosis of diabetes and/or hypertension. #NHSPark🌳 #DPC23

@DeanEggitt Sorry you felt way. But understandable It’s tragic how NHS HCP s are under such pressure and stress. Take care

Today almost beat me. That was one of the hardest days in my career to date due to the sheer volume and complexity of patients. To top it off, a patient complained about not being able to see me for an appointment whilst I was busy with a defib on someone else's chest.

@SteveBarclay @DHSCgovuk Really??? rcn.org.uk/news-and-event…

We're making progress towards reaching our target of 50,000 more nurses and delivering on our promise. We now have 46,000 more nurses working in our NHS than in September 2019. Their work is helping us cut waiting lists and improve care for patients.

A defining moment for nursing rcn.org.uk/news-and-event… weekly update 29.09.23

When the harsh reality of the NHS bites this rate sharply rises. Bad pay Bad conditions Bad regulation An aggressive agenda to deskill and devalue some of the most ambitious and brightest people will of course drive them away. theguardian.com/society/2023/s…