Leng Review Recommendations to Physician Associate Working Conditions Can Go Ahead

The union for physician associates (PAs), United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs) has lost its High Court bid to temporarily prevent NHS England from carrying out the recommendations outlined in the Leng review this August, including a name change to “physician assistants” and barring PAs from seeing undiagnosed patients.

UMAPs said that the case, although it “did not result in injunctive relief,” had clarified that it was up to individual NHS employers to decide whether to implement the changes.

For more details about the Leng Review see the article by Joanna Trewin on page 6 of this issue.

Read more: https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj.r1768.full

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Infected Blood Inquiry: Government Responds to Additional Report on Compensation

Victims of the UK’s infected blood scandal have been “harmed further” by the operation of the compensation scheme set up by the government, Sir Brian Langstaff, the senior judge who chaired the public inquiry has concluded.

He delivered his main report in 2024 but has taken the unusual step of holding a further hearing and issuing an additional report this July after multiple complaints about delays and difficulties in accessing payments from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA).

The Government states its priority is making these additional changes as quickly as possible, including implementing further legislation by the end of 2025, to ensure people can receive the full amount of compensation they are entitled to.

The Government has also committed to making further interim payments of £210,000 to the estates of the deceased infected previously registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme (IBSS) or Alliance House Organisation (AHO).

The Government has agreed to consult further on changes it might make to the scheme where this was recommended by the Inquiry.

Read more: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infected-blood-inquiry-additional-report-government-response/infected-blood-inquiry-additional-report-government-response

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NHS Piloting AI for Prostate Cancer Tests and Hospital Discharges

An AI system has entered an NHS two-year trial testing its ability to spot prostate cancer.

The technology should help radiologists detect 11% more early-stage cancers by highlighting suspicious subtle MRI lesions that are sometimes not obvious on scans and need more investigation.

Only half of the 55,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer every year are currently caught at an early stage, when treatment is most effective.

This reflects the lack of reliable routine screening to monitor high-risk individuals for this type of cancer.

The pilot will be rolled out to seven hospitals in England, after initial trials showed the AI system, developed by Quibim, could raise early detection rates from 80% to 90%.

Shonit Punwani, Professor of magnetic resonance and cancer imaging and consultant radiologist at UCLH, said: “Ultimately, QP-Prostate aims to improve patient outcomes by assisting radiologists in creating more accurate and reliable MRI reports.”

Chelsea and Westminister Trusts are piloting another AI system to help discharge patients from London hospitals.

The technology will help healthcare professionals complete documents by extracting information from medical records such as diagnoses and test results. Ultimately, this has the potential to save hours of time, freeing up hospital beds for those that really need it.

Health secretary Wes Streeting said: “This potentially transformational discharge tool is a prime example of how we’re shifting from analogue to digital as part of our 10-year health plan.”

Read more: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-health-weekly-roundup-future-medicine-ai-4z7ue/

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Anonymity Bid by Discredited Expert Witness Rejected

The High Court has refused to grant anonymity to an expert witness psychologist who produced a report that was found to be ‘fundamentally flawed’. Registered clinical psychologist Dr Parsi di Landrone requested that she should not be named in a judgment concerning domestic violence and its impact on a seven-year-old child.

The court heard that Dr di Landrone was instructed to carry out an assessment of the father in the case. A previous hearing had determined that he had assaulted the mother, leaving her with bruising. The expert was asked to give her opinion on the father’s personality, but her report appeared to challenge the finding of domestic abuse. She concluded that the father posed no risk of domestic abuse and was not a threat to his son.

All parties in Liverpool City Council v Ms A & Ors [2025] had agreed that the doctor’s report could not be relied upon, such that a new expert witness would need to be instructed.

Dr di Landrone told the court she feared the impact on her reputation and ability to secure future instructions if she was named in the judgment. But Ms Justice Harris said she was bound by family court practice guidance from 2024, which stated that anonymisation of professional witnesses is justified only to protect the identities of the child or family.

The judge said the fundamental difficulty with the expert report was that Dr di Landrone did not consider the court’s findings within a general assessment, but challenged the validity of the findings themselves. “It is vital instructed experts understand those rules and comply with them,” added the judge.

In this case the expert’s evidence would not have altered the eventual outcome, as the child was returned to the care of his father, but it is a good example of how important it is for experts to fully understand their duty to the court and to follow legal process.

Another recent High Court case, SC Commercial Bank Privatbank v Kolomoisky & Ors  [2025] confirms that experts must disclose any previous judicial criticisms of their evidence to their instructing solicitors. Not doing so would be tantamount to a breach of their overriding duty to the court.

In this case, the expert was forgiven his attempts at advocacy in a previous case when the Judge said,  “he did not cross the line into advocacy and explained the concepts on which he relied with clarity.”

Read more: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2025/1474.html

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NHS Resolution Resolves Highest Number of Compensation Claims through Collaboration

NHS Resolution’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25 were published in July, highlighting a record 83% of clinical claims being resolved without the need for legal proceedings.

Just over 11,000 clinical compensation claims were resolved through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes rather than formal legal proceedings.

“By working collaboratively to resolve claims for compensation against the NHS we are keeping patients, their families and healthcare staff out of court whilst sharing what we learn back with the NHS to prevent the same things happening again.”

Said Helen Vernon, Chief Executive of NHS Resolution

The report also describes how innovations such as NHS Resolution’s ‘Early Notification’ scheme for birth injury have enabled families to access compensation for immediate needs more rapidly.

NHS Resolution received 14,428 new clinical negligence claims and reported incidents in 2024/25, reflecting ongoing broad stability in overall claims volume across recent years.

£3.1 billion was paid out in 2024/25 for compensation and associated costs on all of NHS Resolution’s clinical schemes, compared to £2.8 billion in 2023/24. £1.3 billion of the total clinical negligence payments in 2024/25 related to maternity.

The estimated ‘annual cost of harm’ for incidents in 2024/25 for the main clinical scheme, Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST), was £4.6 billion, down from £4.8 billion in 2023/24. This reduction reflects updates to discount rates and improvements in long-term inflation assumptions.

Demand for NHS Resolution’s expert Practitioner Performance Advice service continued to grow significantly, with 1,420 new and reopened requests for advice – a 24% increase on 2023/24. Requests for NHS Resolution’s Primary Care Appeals service to deliver fair and prompt resolution of appeals and disputes increased significantly, with a 31% rise in the number of cases received.

NHS Resolution’s provision for future liabilities as of 31 March 2025 was £60.3 billion, compared to £58.5 billion in 2023/24.

Read more: https://resolution.nhs.uk/about/corporate-reports-and-publications/

If you are interested in becoming a civil mediator, then consider booking an accredited mediation course run by the Society of Mediators: www.specialistinfo.com/mediation-course

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Inquiry into Medicines Shortages in England - Report

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy has published its landmark report into medicines shortages in England this July, revealing the scale and severity of the issues facing patients, pharmacists and the wider NHS.

The inquiry finds that medicines shortages have shifted from isolated incidents to a chronic, structural challenge. The APPG has found that with 96% of pharmacists spending increased time managing shortages and 92% reporting decreased patient satisfaction, the impact on frontline care is severe. Nearly two-thirds of pharmacists are contacting prescribers multiple times a day to resolve supply issues, while 40% spend between 1–2 hours daily managing shortages.

Medicines shortages significantly affect people with certain conditions, for example disrupting treatments for ADHD, the menopause, diabetes, and bacterial infections. These shortages lead to treatment delays, rationing, and adverse health outcomes, especially for those with chronic conditions. Tragically some patients who were unable to access a medicine in short supply have died.

Shortages are caused by many factors, including manufacturing issues, supply chain vulnerabilities, increased demand, and geopolitical events. The global nature of pharmaceutical supply chains means disruptions in one region can have far-reaching consequences. Economic factors, such as pricing pressures and market consolidation, also contribute to the problem.

Read more: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d91e828ed9a60047a7bd8f0/t/686bf11f8d334e2df2100422/1751904556842/APPG+on+Pharmacy+-+Medicines+Shortages+Report+-+July+2025.pdf
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