Emily Townsend
Emily Townsend joined HSJ in 2021, and writes about patient safety and care quality nationally, including maternity services and regulators such as the CQC. She was named specialist journalist of the year at the 2024 British Journalism Awards.
Contact info
- Tel:
- 020 3812 5326
- Email:
- emily.townsend@hsj.co.uk
NewsDash claims NHSE ‘very reluctant’ to tell local leaders what to do
The chair of NHS England has told a patient safety event that the national body is “trying to avoid” telling every part of the country how to work.
NewsNHSE warns coroners about relying on trusts’ safety reports
Coroners should not rely on trusts’ safety reports as primary or sole evidence for an inquest, NHS England has said, amid concerns some deaths deemed “avoidable” are not even being investigated under the national safety framework.
NewsMerging watchdog into CQC will ‘destroy’ independence
The influential MP who first proposed setting up a safety investigations watchdog for the NHS has warned health and social care secretary Wes Streeting that merging the body into the Care Quality Commission would be “fundamentally wrong”.
NewsFamilies fear ‘cycle of diagnosis without delivery’ over maternity review
Poor accountability and familiar systemic failures were highlighted in the latest report from the government’s “rapid” maternity review – leading bereaved families to warn against it becoming “another cycle of diagnosis without delivery”.
NewsRevealed: The trusts with ‘unacceptable’ outcomes for Black and low-income women
The trusts where Black women and those from the most deprived communities are facing “unacceptable” disparities in outcomes against a range of maternal care metrics have been identified in a new NHS England dashboard.
HSJ LocalInquiry examining thousands of deaths will not report until 2028
A high-profile inquiry into mental health deaths will not be complete until at least 2028, after its chair announced a delay to its timeline.
NewsFive trusts ‘high outliers’ for ‘largely preventable’ infections
Five trusts with unusually high levels of surgical infections, which experts called “largely preventable” harm, have been identified by the UK’s health security agency.
NewsHigh risk service paused dozens of times at ‘inadequate’ unit
A service offering elective caesarean sections for women considered “high risk” and unable to labour was paused 32 times, according to inspectors who have rated the department “inadequate” for the second time in a row.
NewsNational maternity review will not ‘sideline’ Nottingham probe, pledges chair
The high-profile chair of a major maternity review into care failures in Nottingham has pledged to ensure its results “will not be sidelined” by the government’s national investigation.
NewsRevealed: Urgent review ordered after deaths in fragile maternity services
NHS England has ordered trusts to “urgently” review their home birth services, it has emerged – as an HSJ investigation reveals widespread fragility and safety risks.
News‘Distressing’ rise in maternal deaths as progress stalls
More women are dying during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth compared to over a decade ago – despite a government ambition to halve maternal mortality rates, it has emerged.
NewsNHSE cracks down on ‘variable’ testing after C difficile rise
NHS England is introducing new infection diagnosis standards, which experts told HSJ reflected a “real concern” about variation between providers.
NewsStaff left suicidal by ‘punitive’ and drawn-out HR investigations
Investigations into workplace conflict and alleged misconduct are frequently being used as punishment across the NHS, leaving staff feeling suicidal and alienated, according to findings shared with HSJ.
NewsNHSE orders daily reporting on maternity pressures
NHS England is requiring hospitals to report to it every morning on the state of their maternity and neonatal services, in what some leaders say is an echo of the “command and control under covid”.
NewsMaternity review trusts delivered ‘better care than expected’, CQC finds
Only two of the 12 trusts involved in the government’s national investigation into maternity services delivered care that was “worse than expected”, according to a Care Quality Commission survey.
NewsNational maternity review branded ‘light touch’
The “rapid national investigation” into maternity care failings launched by Wes Streeting will not formally evaluate the performance of the 12 trusts involved, it has emerged, as families criticised the government’s “light touch” approach.
HSJ Local‘Sexual misconduct and blame culture’ found at hospital
Specialist medics in training have been removed from a hospital department after an NHS England investigation uncovered concerns about sexually inappropriate, undermining and aggressive behaviours.
NewsCQC admits it falsely claimed not to know about trust maternity concerns
The Care Quality Commission has admitted it did know about concerns over the death of a baby at a trust being investigated for serious maternity failures after initially denying it had been informed.
NewsEqual funding rule disparaged as ‘micromanagement’ by government
The spending rule designed to ensure that mental health services received an equal share of NHS funding growth has been criticised by the government as an example of “command and control micromanagement”.
NewsGovernment accused of ‘weakening’ spend on service at ‘breaking point’
Mental health spending will only rise in line with inflation under new NHS England proposals, HSJ has learned, in what sector leaders have described as a “weakening” of funding protections.