October 9, 2009
The East Midlands is the first region to have all NHS primary care and hospital trusts signed up to a national campaign about patient safety.
The nine primary care trusts (PCTs), who are the organisations responsible for local healthcare, and eight hospital trusts in the region, have signed up to the Patient Safety First campaign. This is ahead of a week dedicated to the campaign, from 21st to 27th September 2009, which aims to significantly reduce avoidable death and harm in the NHS.
The hard work and dedication of NHS staff on a daily basis, reduces significant risks of harm but the evidence shows that there are still risks occurring in hospitals that could be avoided. The NHS is a complex healthcare system, successfully treating over a million people every day. However, the reality is that things can, and do, go wrong showing that there are always lessons to learn and improvements to be made.
This strengthens the importance of Patient Safety First which was launched in June 08. The dedicated week is also aimed at encouraging health organisations to take one new step to reduce the risk of harm and improve patient safety. It also gives organisations the opportunity to showcase the excellent work taking place.
Across the region NHS trusts are taking part in the week with activities including:
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The Chairman of Patient Safety First’s core team, Stephen Ramsden, visiting University Hospitals of Leicester to see the work they have done around patient safety
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NHS Nottinghamshire County launching a new dedicated staff phone line and email address to encourage reporting of incidents
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United Lincolnshire Hospitals carrying out a safety audit by looking at observation charts and identifying if improvements can be made.
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Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust showcasing their patient safety projects, including magnetic bed headboards that give staff an at-a-glance picture of patient’s safety risks; and
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Northampton General Hospital Trust, which is one of 23 organisations to receive a certificate in recognition of their work on patient safety, will be highlighting the work they do around the ‘checklist for safer surgery’.
(For further details see Notes to Editor).
NHS East Midlands has been working with the National Patient Safety Patients for Champions project, which aims to put patients at the centre of safety in the NHS. The Champions ‘champion’ the patient’s role in helping improve safety and voice their views and perspective. We currently have two volunteers Champions in our region but are planning to recruit a further three to reinforce this role.
The NPSA and NHS East Midlands have also been working in partnership with PCT Patient Safety and Quality Teams in the region to review individual healthcare incidents and lessons learned in general practice. The report into this project will be published in October 2009.
Said Siobhan Heafield, Deputy Director of Patient Care, Governance & Nursing at NHS East Midlands: “Hundreds of thousands of lives are saved in the NHS every day, yet there are always improvements to make to reduce risks to patients. The Patient Safety First campaign seeks to reduce avoidable harm to provide even better patient care. By working together and supporting NHS staff in making patient safety the highest priority and learning from each other, we can achieve safer hospitals, safer healthcare and save even more lives.”
