Health Editor at The Sunday Times. Health Journalist of the Year 2023. Helped expose #MidStaffs. Public interest journalism matters #E17 #patientsafety 📰 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/profile/shaun-lintern 📝 DMs open 📨 shaun.lintern@sundaytimes.co.ukhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mlnuybappk2rFrom the producers of Mr Bates vs The Post Office comes A Bitter Pill: The Sodium Valproate Scandal - a prime time BBC investigation into one of Britain's worst drug disasters following a Sunday Times expose in 2022 and ongoing campaign for families: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2026/bbc-factual-announces-three-films-on-urgent-uk-health-issues12 May 2026 13:21 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlnuybappk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mlnnpoayo22r"Every minute a local commissioner spends worrying about whether they will have a job is a minute they could have spent planning improvements to local services" - Siva Anandaciva https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/blogs/why-do-politicians-restructure-nhs-12 May 2026 11:11 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlnnpoayo22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mliakmj3d222Minister Zubir Ahmed, a transplant surgeon, told me that in January he had to decline a kidney for someone because a lack of access to GP records at a weekend meant he couldn't be sure the organ was safe. GPs meanwhile still rely on letters from hospitals to know what happened to their patient. [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 May 2026 07:32 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mliakmj3d222https://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mli4qw5l4222🚨 GPs and hospitals will be forced to share patient data with each other in a push by Labour to join up siloed parts of the NHS, under legislation set to be announced in the King’s Speech on Wednesday https://www.thetimes.com/article/3feeabb8-3500-4de2-9202-222853628a7b?shareToken=fd6ed6541393ad9dc126d01210dfcf2210 May 2026 06:24 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mli4qw5l4222https://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mlgboqa25c2r🚨 Hundreds of NHS staff a year are being investigated for sexual misconduct with many allowed back to work even after being found guilty. Now Britain's top surgeon says enough is enough and a radical overhaul is needed to protect staff & patients: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/doctors-hundreds-nhs-staff-accused-abuse-9cs2zskx209 May 2026 12:47 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlgboqa25c2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mlglrxlwh22rA fifth of all GMC cases heard at tribunals last year related to sexual misconduct by doctors. In one study a quarter of the cases had a more lenient sanction than the GMC wanted - meaning doctors guilty of sexual misconduct are allowed to return to work. [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 May 2026 15:47 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlglrxlwh22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mlgiexoqes2rThere were 246 cases of sexual misconduct raised with NHS Resolution for advice & guidance in 2024-25, up 72 per cent on a decade ago NHS Resolution recorded 900 reports of inappropriate behaviour including flirting & unwanted advances with 648 acts of touching, kissing or rape. [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 May 2026 14:46 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlgiexoqes2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mlgboqa25c2r🚨 Hundreds of NHS staff a year are being investigated for sexual misconduct with many allowed back to work even after being found guilty. Now Britain's top surgeon says enough is enough and a radical overhaul is needed to protect staff & patients: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/doctors-hundreds-nhs-staff-accused-abuse-9cs2zskx209 May 2026 12:47 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlgboqa25c2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mklgp6ofuc2tThe scale of sexual misconduct cases in the NHS and worse how they are handled needs far more attention. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Apr 2026 20:35 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklgp6ofuc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mkldjzcw722tA senior surgeon in Sussex has been told he must not carry out consultations with female patients without a chaperone present https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3r3er4xpr3o28 Apr 2026 19:38 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkldjzcw722thttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mjrpp3zbfk2aThe future of Freedom to Speak Up - what NHS England plans to do next: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/the-future-of-freedom-to-speak-up/18 Apr 2026 15:06 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjrpp3zbfk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mjr5pryh6s2aRSV maternal vaccine cuts baby hospital admissions by up to 85% https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rsv-maternal-vaccine-cuts-baby-hospital-admissions-by-up-to-85?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=2e6985e4-d098-430d-97c5-44ef3d8683b7&utm_content=immediately18 Apr 2026 09:45 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjr5pryh6s2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mjmakzgnrk26Professor Subodh Dave has been elected as the next President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists16 Apr 2026 10:52 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmakzgnrk26https://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mjkcsjcwic26According to the Women's Health Strategy, any funding withheld due to poor experiences under new patient power payments would be used for targeted improvements to the same service. So not really withheld at all. That seems less powerful than the rhetoric suggested.15 Apr 2026 16:27 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkcsjcwic26https://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mjjuo7igc22wEeek. 16 years covering health... thanks to all the patients, whistleblowers, contacts and people who've trusted me with their stories. Plenty more to do.15 Apr 2026 12:14 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjuo7igc22whttps://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mjjrhlujlc26"By moving money away from delivering care that generates health gains more cheaply to drugs that generate health gains at greater expense, the NHS could end up less able to improve overall health from the same budget" - @healthfoundation.bsky.social https://www.health.org.uk/features-and-opinion/blogs/a-higher-nhs-drugs-bill-means-difficult-decisions-lie-ahead15 Apr 2026 11:17 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjjrhlujlc26https://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mjhhqg47a226The government will increase the amount of compensation to victims of the infected blood scandal. As of 7 April, 3,273 people have received an offer and more than £2 billion has been paid out.14 Apr 2026 13:17 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjhhqg47a226https://bsky.app/profile/shaunlintern.bsky.social/post/3mjh5h5o4rk2uThe Dept of Health does not centrally record the number of its employees who are on performance management plans. That seems unbelievable.14 Apr 2026 10:13 +0000at://did:plc:wecagkdujnvcd3ub36v7cc76/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjh5h5o4rk2u