Patient Safety – Lancashire & South Cumbria Library Blog

The single patient record explained: what could it mean for patients and the health and care system.

The King’s Fund; 2026.

This explainer outlines what is currently known about the SPR as set out in the Bill and provides clarity on the distinction between the Single Patient Record and the NHS Federated Data Platform.

The Single Patient Record Explained: What Could It Mean For Patients And The Health And Care System | The King’s Fund

Freely available online

April’s Education Bulletin

Dear all,

Please find attached April’s edition of the Education Bulletin. I hope you find it interesting!

Education Bulletin April 2026.pdf

Education Bulletin April 2026.docx

Latest Suicide Prevention and Self Harm bulletin

Dear all,

The latest Suicide Prevention and Self Harm bulletin from Mersey Care Evidence and Library Service can now be viewed at https://www.evidentlybetter.org/bulletins/suicide-prevention/

This webpage features key links and emerging reports about suicide prevention.

In this issue:

Characteristics of Adolescents With Elevated Suicide Risk Presenting to the ED With Physical Health Complaints
Effects of Digital Interventions Implemented in Schools to Improve Youth Emotion Regulation: A Systematic Review
Emotion Reactivity Moderates the Association Between Momentary Negative Affect and Suicidal Thinking
Ketamine addiction following a single sub-anaesthetic ketamine treatment for acute suicidality in a psychiatrically multimorbid patient: case report
Plus much more

Please let us know if there are any other colleagues who you think might benefit from receiving this bulletin.

New ONS Report Reveals Elevated Self-Harm and Suicide Rates Among LGB+ Adults

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released a ground breaking analysis linking 2021 Census data with NHS records, revealing that adults identifying as LGB+ in England and Wales face significantly higher rates of self-harm and suicide compared to their heterosexual counterparts.

Key Findings:

The age-standardised rate of intentional self-harm for LGB+ individuals was 1,508.9 per 100,000 people between March 2021 and December 2023, compared to 598.4 per 100,000 for heterosexual individuals.
The suicide rate among LGB+ adults stood at 50.3 per 100,000 people, more than double the rate of 23.1 per 100,000 observed in heterosexual adults.
Bisexual individuals exhibited the highest self-harm rates within the LGB+ group, at 1,669.5 per 100,000 people.
The risk of self-harm was notably higher among LGB+ females, with a rate 2.8 times greater than that of heterosexual females.
Young adults aged 16 to 24 identifying as LGB+ had a self-harm rate 2.8 times higher than their heterosexual peers.

These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted mental health support and suicide prevention strategies within the LGB+ community.

Read the full report: ONS – Self-harm and suicide by sexual orientation, England and Wales

Falls Prevention Horizon Scanning Bulletin September 2024

A new edition of the Falls Prevention Horizon Scanning Bulletin has been released. Please click the link below for more details. If you are unable to access any of the included items please contact academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk.

Falls Prevention Horizon Scanning | from North West Health Libraries (wordpress.com)

The Lancashire Health Hub

Helping patients find trusted information

We have been lucky enough to work with some local NHS Foundation Trusts and the public libraries to develop an online website focusing on good quality health care information.

Home

The Lancashire Health Hub is designed to signpost patients to trusted and reliable medical support- explaining who and what services are available to them, links to local services and trusted resources including apps and guides.

You can also download an easy read version of the information to share alongside the virtual content.

Please take a look and share with friends, families and colleagues.

Using Health Data

Better, broader, safer: using health data for research and analysis

Department of Health and Social Care; April 7 2022

Professor Ben Goldacre was commissioned by the government in February 2021 to review how to improve safety and security in the use of health data for research and analysis. The report makes 185 recommendations that would benefit patients and the health care sector. It is aimed at policy-makers in the NHS and government, research funders and those who use the data for service planning, public health management and medical research.

Standing up for patient and public safety: England Policy Report

Royal College of Nursing, October 2019

Royal College of Nursingreport that describes the lack of clear roles, responsibilities and accountability for workforce planning and supply in England. In reality, this means that the health and care workforce is not growing in line with increasing population need for health and care services, and there are large numbers of vacant posts throughout the system. This impacts upon patient safety and outcomes, and leads to a challenging working environment for staff. To resolve this, the RCN makes the case for this to be resolved through legislation, alongside additional investment in the nursing workforce and a national health and care workforce strategy for England.

Click here to view the full report.

Being fair: Supporting a just and learning culture for staff and patients following incidents in the NHS

NHS Resolution, July 2019

A just and learning culture is the balance of fairness, justice, learning – and taking responsibility for actions. It is not about seeking to blame the individuals involved when care in the NHS goes wrong. It is also not about an absence of responsibility and accountability. It highlights the need for the NHS to involve users of care services and staff in safety investigations. This NHS Resolution report focus’ on supporting a just and learning culture for staff and patients following incidents in the NHS.