NHS needs to be open about patient safety incidents
Being open when patients are harmed is the subject of a safer practice
notice issued last week by the National Patient Safety Agency.
With the aim of improving the quality and consistency of communication
when patients are involved in an incident, the notice asks clinical governance
leads in all NHS organisations in England and Wales to develop a local
policy that should be based on the NPSA’s “Being open” policy.
The notice says that patients or their carers should receive an apology
as soon as possible after a patient safety incident has occurred and
staff should feel able to apologise on the spot. “Saying sorry
is not an admission of liability and it is the right thing to do. Patients
have a right to expect openness in their health care,” it adds.
The local policy must be in place by June 2006 and should be integrated
with existing risk management and clinical governance structures.
The notice also asks NHS organisations to raise awareness of the local
policy among health care staff and to provide them with the appropriate
information and support. The NPSA has developed an e-learning tool and
a video-based workshop which will be rolled out to the NHS in November.
Further information and resources are available to download via the NPSA
website. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader