Emily Townsend Profile Banner
Emily Townsend Profile
Emily Townsend

@emilyltownsend

5,103
Followers
2,963
Following
771
Media
11,394
Statuses

Award-winning journalist ✍ @HSJnews correspondent: patient safety & west mids • #30ToWatch 2023 winner 📨 Tips/info to emily.townsend @hsj .co.uk or DM • My views

UK
Joined September 2013
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Pinned Tweet
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 months
Excl: Hospitals falling back on crucial checks and treatment for sepsis 31 deaths identified in past 5 yrs where coroners have warned of systemic problems with diagnosing and treating sepsis, including 9 cases relating to children, many deemed avoidable
4
31
25
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
2
172
401
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
Special report: ‘We are drowning’: Harrowing plea from Covid frontline as nurses warn hospital ‘near breaking point’ @NHSMillion
9
184
316
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
Exclusive: NHSE leak reveals 1m patients on hidden waiting list This includes hundreds of thousands of children - biggest waiting lists are for services such as child development & speech and language therapy
15
248
311
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
8 months
NEW: Staff ‘crying every day’ in ‘chaotic’ department — University Hospitals Birmingham service described as “chaotic” — Report reveals some Heartlands Hospital haematology trainees “crying every day” — Department placed under GMC “enhanced monitoring”
29
114
288
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
‘Hero’ NHS staff @IpswichHosp @ColchesterNHSFT @WestSuffolkNHS praised for 17-hours A&E shifts as hospitals face growing winter pressures @nickhulme
12
141
237
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
🚨 Some professional news 🚨 After six years as reporter, chief, then investigations @EADT24 @ipswichstar24 I’m leaving to become a journalist & correspondent @HSJnews Sad to leave some brilliant colleagues, but I’m so excited to start in mid-October!
31
4
174
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
BREAKING: @timkendall1 writes to MH trusts confirming @NHSEngland ’s position that SIM (serenity integrated mentoring) or similar models must no longer be used in MH & trusts must eradicate key elements from services Confirms @HSJnews Feb exclusive
9
103
168
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Fans pay their respects to #KevinBeattie - @Official_ITFC ’s greatest ever player - at Portman Road for the final time #RIPTheBeat #Ipswich
1
25
109
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
“I just feel completely helpless. If this carries on, I could end up bankrupt, or even homeless." Furious flat owners on flagship waterfront say they are facing a “shocking” half-yearly bill of more than £6.5k per apartment - me for @ipswichstar24
Tweet media one
4
62
107
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
Imagine this important message has got lost given huge news day yesterday, but this scandal needs national attention @sajidjavid @MayorWestMids
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
🔴 Exclusive: Ambulance service will collapse by August, predicts its nursing director
18
212
239
1
50
97
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
NEW: @HSJnews exclusive from me - NHS England has ordered a blitz on physical health checks for people with severe mental illnesses and learning disabilities, in a bid to stop the mortality gap growing
Tweet media one
9
63
108
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Breaking: Police sent to serious incident at #Gorleston beach
5
24
81
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
Mark Docherty of @OFFICIALWMAS said patients were “dying every day” from avoidable causes created by ambulance delays and that he could not understand why @NHSEngland and the @CareQualityComm were “not all over” the issue
3
41
98
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
NEW: The joint committee on the draft mental health bill has concluded its scrutiny of govt’s proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983
6
57
90
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
5 years
Woke up to a VERY colourful @ipswaterfront this morning! #suffolkpride 🏳️‍🌈
Tweet media one
0
10
71
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
Absolutely thrilled (and shocked) to win this award! So many amazing regional journalists nominated @EditorsUK . Brilliant to win alongside my very talented colleague @CEThomson 🥳
@journalism_news
HoldtheFrontPage
3 years
@CEThomson named Weekly Reporter of the Year at @RegPressAwards , while @Archant colleague @emilyltownsend , of @eadt24 and @ipswichstar24 , wins Daily/Sunday Reporter of the Year
0
2
10
22
6
86
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
NEW: Overwhelmed autism diagnosis services are restricting who can be referred for assessments amid “unprecedented” demand Some areas now only accepting referrals for patients in crisis situations
11
57
77
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
📣 1/ It’s my first week @HSJnews and I’m excited to say my new national brief is mental health and learning disabilities, taking over from the brilliant @Rebeccasmt - please get in touch with tips and info, my email is emily.townsend @wilmingtonplc .com and DMs are open 📨
3
13
78
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
Cladding still in place on #Ipswich tower block described as being ‘even more flammable than Grenfell’ in £3.6m court battle over who pays @ukcag
6
58
63
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
Proportion of adults experiencing some form of depression has doubled since pre-pandemic, according to papers submitted to @NHSEngland board
7
21
66
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
As snow begins to transform @ipswaterfront into a winter wonderland once again, I thought I’d share some photographs of this beautiful part of the world through the seasons 📸
Tweet media one
1
17
58
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Delighted to announce I’ve been promoted to chief reporter @EADT24 @IpswichStar24 @ArchantDigital 🎈🎉
6
2
60
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
As the weather heats up, spare a thought for the people still stuck behind this plastic, well over a year after it first went up😳
Tweet media one
3
33
65
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
Don’t usually share personal news but thrilled that my dad is getting his first #COVID19 jab @ESNEFT tomorrow - a month after ringing the bell 🥲💙
Tweet media one
2
2
65
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
According to an internal document, seen by @HSJnews , autistic people without a learning disability are approximately 51% more likely to die in a single year vs the general population
2
28
58
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 months
After a fascinating two years covering the mental health patch @HSJnews I’m moving over to cover wider patient safety and quality from Monday. Keen to speak with people in the know, DMs are open for tips and coffee invites ☕️ Or, email emily.townsend @hsj .co.uk in confidence
8
14
68
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
7 months
NEW: Cygnet Healthcare fined £1.53m - largest fine ever issued by a court after CQC prosecution of a mental health service - over death of young woman at Cygnet Hospital Ealing in 2019
3
37
65
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
📢 Some personal news 📢 Delighted to announce I’ll be joining @Archant ’s investigations unit as a correspondent from April 6. Send tips 🔎 to emily.townsend @archant .co.uk or my DMs are open 📥 I’ll be updating my portfolio with my latest work here ⬇️
10
5
61
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
10 months
BREAKING: @SteveBarclay announces a statutory public inquiry into deaths @EPUTNHS mental health trust Comes after @EssexMHInquiry raised serious concerns over staff engaging with non-statutory probe Families including @MelanieLeahy have been fighting for this for several years
11
41
60
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
NEW: How more than 200 Ipswich residents are now trapped by cladding scandal @ICladiators @ukcag @tomhunt1988 #cladding
2
30
58
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
NEW: Plight of St Francis Tower 'shrink-wrapped' residents raised by @tomhunt1988 in @HouseofCommons - as @ICladiators say the only way 'terrible' situation can change is if rules & guidance change. Full story + video⬇️
2
31
54
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
@timkendall1 @NHSEngland We have dropped the paywall on this article: You can read the NHSE letter in full here:
3
31
59
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
8 months
Mental health shadow minister resigns, saying @Keir_Starmer "made it clear that [he] [does] not see a space for a mental health portfolio in a Labour cabinet"...
@DrRosena
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan
8 months
It's been an honour to serve as the Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health. I'll continue to fight for a Labour Goverment, to change this country for the better.
Tweet media one
414
315
2K
16
47
56
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
NEW: ‘Staggering’ rise in restraint of black people in mental healthcare The rate of people from black backgrounds being restrained in mental healthcare has more than doubled in the past 6 years, widening gap with other racial groups, acc to NHS data
7
50
54
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
NEW: The author of a parliamentary report into “failing” eating disorder services in 2017 says the number of concerning deaths still being reported five years on is “very distressing”
8
44
53
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
NEW: We reveal today that a fire expert warned of cladding dangers at Suffolk's tallest building three years before Grenfell - residents and flat owners say the problems were 'kept quiet' @ukcag @EOCS_Official
5
32
52
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 months
Right care, right person launches in London today Means police will limit calls they respond to (see pic) NHS says 8 in 10 people sectioned would benefit more from community support than hospital admission Key test will be if community services (where available) have capacity
Tweet media one
19
28
54
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
Trusted journalism is so important - particularly right now when scrutiny is even more vital. I love my job because through it I’m lucky enough to give people in my community a voice and push for change. Don’t let it disappear #buyapaper #LocalNewsMatters
Tweet media one
4
16
52
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
We've learned of serious concerns within @NHSEngland about neglect of the community & mental health backlogs, while the discrepancy with acute initiatives has been branded "immoral" by a trust CEO
1
20
54
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
📣1/ I'm at @OFFICIALWMAS board after medics sounded alarm last night over 'unprecedented risks' & patient safety fears #WMASboard
Tweet media one
3
34
53
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Over the moon to say I'm now a senior reporter after passing my NQJ exams 🎉🎉🎉 @NCTJ_news
6
1
44
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
8 months
While this is obviously welcome news - and looking at slightly different things - but given how quickly this has been upgraded, why did it take govt so long to grant the Essex families a statutory inquiry into their loved ones’ mental health deaths?
@LawrenceDunhill
Lawrence Dunhill
8 months
BREAKING: Public inquiry into the NHS handling of Lucy Letby case upgraded to full statutory inquiry. This will compel witnesses to give evidence under oath
Tweet media one
6
39
79
5
25
53
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
"I feel like a convict living in a prison cell with bars on my windows with no fresh air and no view, paying for the privilege.” Meet the #Ipswich tower block families now living behind metal bars, weeks after their building was wrapped in plastic
Tweet media one
2
30
48
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Every driver in #Ipswich tomorrow if #OrwellBridge closes 🚙🚙🚙🚙
2
5
46
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
Interesting use of the Oxford comma in Coffey's ministerial foreword...
Tweet media one
1
13
51
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
Cannot get over how stunning @ChristchurchPk was in the snow this morning ☃️ #beastfromtheeast2 #SnowDay
Tweet media one
Tweet media two
Tweet media three
Tweet media four
0
3
43
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
Brave #Ipswich toddler and huge @stormzy fan Ireland @irelandvsnb is currently fighting stage 4 cancer - can you help her family, supported by @gemlowery @bradleysfight , raise £200k @JustGiving for US treatment?
4
16
40
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
Gorgeous Sunday walks 🍂
Tweet media one
Tweet media two
Tweet media three
Tweet media four
1
2
44
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Captured some snowy scenes @ipswaterfront yesterday - stunning as always 📸 @EADT24 @ipswichstar24
Tweet media one
Tweet media two
Tweet media three
Tweet media four
0
8
43
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
11 months
Excl: Leaked data reveals ‘distressing’ scale of mental health A&E delays — 20pc of MH cases in A&E spending 12+ hrs in dpt – at least 2x rate of physical illness — Acute hospitals buying private beds to cope — Patient stuck in struggling dept for 3+ weeks
2
51
47
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
More than 100k people were waiting for an autism assessment in England in March 2022 – a rise of almost 40 per cent in a year. @HSJnews understands that, in recent months, growing numbers of people on the waiting list are only being diagnosed with autism when they are sectioned
5
24
45
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
Tim Nicholls of @Autism said interpreting and letting doctors know symptoms can be difficult for autistic people, there may be sensory difficulties at GPs + people may also be tired of engaging with a health system that doesn't understand them
2
8
42
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
1/ @amandapritchard @hcwomenleaders #InternationalWomensDay2022 : "There is no corner of our NHS where sexual harassment, assault, physical violence, abuse or bullying can be justified." "It should never be laughed off, explained away or brushed under the carpet. It is never OK.”
Tweet media one
1
25
46
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
Today’s @ipswichstar24 front page - we ask @managetheblock why the silence on conditions at St Francis Tower? Full story:
Tweet media one
4
25
39
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
Good to see national @BBCNews @SarahCorkerNews covering the Ipswich cladding crisis - ICYMI, see our piece from last month on the families living in dangerous flats worth £0
0
25
44
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
The huge ongoing problems revealed in community health services are reflected in many mental health, learning disabilities and autism services too – these are also normally based in the community & often not counted in the consultant-led “referral to treatment” waiting list
2
23
46
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
Delighted to be shortlisted with my amazing former colleagues @TomSBristow @CEThomson @Archant for this year’s @pressgazette #britishjournalismawards 🥳
Tweet media one
6
2
42
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
NEW: @babylonhealth partnerships w/ @uhbtrust & @rwt_nhs are ending, @HSJnews has learned. Royal Wolverhampton, which agreed a 10-year deal in 2020, confirmed "all elements of its partnership are ceasing". Babylon says it's "no longer economically viable"
Tweet media one
4
41
43
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Tweet media one
Tweet media two
Tweet media three
Tweet media four
0
13
36
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
NEW: St Francis Tower shrinkwrap row raised at #PMQs - @BorisJohnson pledges to raise concerns directly with @RobertJenrick
Tweet media one
6
17
41
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
5 years
2019 v 2018 @ipswaterfront @allaboutipswich ☀️☃️
Tweet media one
Tweet media two
0
8
36
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
BREAKING: Chair of the Essex mental health inquiry @DrG_NHS says as things stand she will unable to complete the inquiry on a non-statutory basis
4
32
43
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
Delighted to be shortlisted for this alongside some brilliant journalists!
@journalism_news
HoldtheFrontPage
4 years
1
2
9
5
0
43
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
Amazing sunset 🌇
Tweet media one
0
2
37
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
CEOs of @EquallyWellUK @CentreforMH & @Rethink_ write open letter to @SteveBarclay as people with severe mental illness & their carers excluded from autumn flu vaccination programme This is despite group having higher risk of dying/being hospitalised due to infectious disease👇
Tweet media one
0
34
39
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
Health secretary @MattHancock : 'Staff should be free to speak out over #coronavirus concerns' - @NHSMillion #NHSMillion
5
29
39
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
NEW: 1/ @WestSuffolkNHS has apologised to a patient in mental health crisis who reported being sexually assaulted by a fellow male patient in the hospital's A&E - after they wrote in official notes that the attack 'didn't happen'
6
41
39
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
8 months
NEW: NHS England 'mindful of risks' of new policy of police responding to far fewer mental health incidents to both patients and a service ‘already under enormous pressure’ National chief warns 'no unilateral withdrawal can possibly be safe'
Tweet media one
8
38
39
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
Community treatment orders - which are used disproportionately against black and ethnic minority patients (11x for black backgrounds) - should be abolished, the committee says, except those involved in criminal proceedings/under sentence, where continued use should be reviewed
3
13
39
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
NEW: 1/ In @UKHouseofLords this pm - former NHS England chief executive Lord Stevens of Birmingham proposing three amendments to Health and Care Bill on mental health investment (see our @HSJnews exclusive from Friday: )
3
20
39
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
They thanked the work of campaign group StopSIM which @timkendall1 says has taught the NHS “valuable lessons” about importance of engagement with people with lived experience in design, delivery and evaluation of service models
1
13
40
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Love this part of the world 🌍 all ready for the Maritime Festival this weekend ⚓️ @allaboutipswich @ipswaterfront
Tweet media one
2
9
31
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
Stunning bank holiday weather ☀️ love this beautiful part of the world @ipswaterfront
Tweet media one
0
4
30
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
The bill for cladding repairs on St Francis Tower seems to be going up - I spoke to @StFrancisTower1 who is marching @ukcag on Westminster next week to ‘end the cladding scandal’ - about his concerns
2
19
35
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
NEW: 17 charities & orgs including @MindCharity @samaritans @YoungMindsUK @CentreforMH @NHSConfed_MHN co-sign letter to current & future PM over mental health impact of cost of living👇
Tweet media one
0
20
35
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
5 years
. @Uni_of_Essex @EssexSU in show of solidarity against anti-semitism after row @RachelRileyRR @willquince
2
9
28
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
How festive does @ipswaterfront look at the moment ✨
Tweet media one
1
11
31
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
How adorable are these hedgehogs @Poppyshedgehogs in #Stowmarket ? There’s a video of them too 🦔🦔
1
17
33
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
How good does the real tree look?! 🌟 #Ipswich
Tweet media one
3
7
29
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
11 months
Excl: CEO compares lack of investment into mental health estate to “institutionalised discrimination”, after no new schemes were accepted onto the ‘new hospitals’ prog @HSJnews can reveal nearly 50 MH bids were submitted but none made it With @zoetidman
4
39
35
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
🤞spring is on its way @ipswaterfront 🌤
Tweet media one
0
1
32
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
2 years
NEW: First of '40 new hospitals', Midland Metropolitan University Hospital @MidlandMetUH , has opening delayed to spring 2024. Planning for it started more than a decade ago. More @HSJnews shortly
5
20
34
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
4 years
Best co-worker 💛
Tweet media one
4
2
29
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
It’s now been almost a month since we first uncovered conditions at St Francis Tower - companies involved inc @managetheblock still won’t respond despite mounting concerns about people’s safety/wellbeing. Who is behind them? Me via @ipswichstar24 @EADT24
Tweet media one
1
15
32
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
Three elements which must be eradicated from mental health services include police involvement in delivery of therapy (which NHSE says is not the same as saying all joint work with the police must stop)
Tweet media one
1
17
33
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
‘Let the Beat go on’ - Get behind our campaign for a lasting memorial of Kevin Beattie @Official_ITFC @IpswichTownFans @ipswichtowntalk @BBCSport @bradjones73 @MarkGlennMurphy #TheBeat Find out more 👉🏻
Tweet media one
1
12
30
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
Integrated care boards and local councils should have strengthened duties to ensure there is adequate supply of community services for people with a learning disability or autistic people, to avoid long-term, inappropriate detention in hospitals
2
7
33
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
3 years
“You can’t tell what the weather is like outside, it feels suffocating and oppressive. It’s like living in a prison cell." The tower block families living behind 'suffocating' plastic wrap while cladding is replaced - me via @ipswichstar24 @EADT24 @ukcag
1
16
29
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
Further NHSE data identifies disproportionate use of antipsychotics (6x more prescribed for autistic people) and fewer breast screenings (-14pc for autistic people vs non-autistic) - @tim_nicholls says "utterly wrong in this day and age autistic people experience such inequality"
2
11
28
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
Birmingham and Solihull integrated care board confirms David Rosser, former @uhbtrust CEO who was criticised in #Bewick report published earlier, has "taken decision to retire" & no longer continuing his role as 'regional director for digital health and care'
4
24
32
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
6 years
This is a brilliant photo 📷 ☃️ @ipswichstar24
@SpiralSkies
Jen
6 years
Well done #Ipswich - snow suits you! Love that EVERYONE walking past stopped to take a photo
Tweet media one
2
37
126
2
6
28
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
8 months
NHS boss keeping ICB job despite several complaints upheld against her in a previous role Danielle Oum quit as @bsmhft chair last Oct Independent Sep 22 review leaked to @HSJnews found she did not always act with “honesty, truthfulness and clarity”
9
24
31
@emilyltownsend
Emily Townsend
1 year
NHSE ex-national clinical director said the lives of people in this group were "not valued in the same way" and were overlooked in terms of risk during ministerial decisions during covid. Vaxx guidance didn't include everyone on LD register as clinically vulnerable until Feb 21
1
7
27