The Week in Practice | 28 September 2026

Your Monday briefing for UK doctors. Start your week informed.

🆕 Guidance to know

The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) has issued new guidance on diabetes distress, the emotional burden of living with and self-managing diabetes. This clinical guideline aims to optimise the assessment and management of diabetes distress in adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and to promote consistent, person-centred care.

The European Respiratory Society has also published an updated clinical practice guideline for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The revision reflects important therapeutic advances and new evidence on risk stratification since the 2022 edition.

💊 Clinical news

A rapid genomic test for suspected brain tumours is being rolled out across specialist centres in England. This test could mean patients receive a definitive brain tumour diagnosis in days rather than weeks by quickly analysing the DNA or genetic code of a small tumour sample taken during a biopsy or surgery.

This will help clinicians identify a patient’s brain tumour type so treatment can start sooner. Scientists and medics at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust developed the rapid genomic test.

💡 Practice point

Martha’s Rule, which triggers an urgent review when a patient’s condition is deteriorating and family members feel they are not being listened to, is being extended to all hospital A&E departments and waiting rooms.

Families can now call a dedicated number with concerns to request a rapid review from a different team. Doctors and other healthcare staff can also contact a 24/7 critical care outreach team for second opinions when they have concerns.

Martha’s Rule is named after 13-year-old Martha Mills, who died of sepsis in hospital after a pancreatic injury sustained when she fell off her bike. In 2022, a coroner ruled that Martha would probably have survived had she been moved to intensive care earlier.

🔬 Research in practice

New research from the Trainee Emergency Research Network (TERN) found that overcrowding in emergency departments led to 554 avoidable deaths in the UK last year. It also found that for every 10% increase in emergency department occupancy, the risk of a patient dying within 28 days rose by 1%.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has issued recommendations on tackling overcrowding and says it is open to working with any policymaker to make them a reality. These include meeting the NHS 4-hour constitutional standard for emergency departments, increasing bed capacity, improving patient flow across hospitals and introducing extended hours and 7-day working for supporting services.

📌 On the radar

NHS England has announced an immediate ‘zero-tolerance crackdown’ on staff suspected of accessing patient records without proper justification.

They will now be suspended while the incident is investigated, and their access to NHS systems will be paused. NHS Trusts have been told to refer the case to the relevant professional regulator, who may take further action. It follows a host of cases in which staff accessed highly sensitive patient information they had no legitimate reason to view, including the Southport attacks.

NHS organisations have also received guidance on preventing, monitoring, investigating, and reporting unlawful access, including using regular audits and technical controls to identify suspicious activity.

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Pavilion Health Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies.

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