Call for global action to improve patient safety
Global action is necessary to improve patient safety, said Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Health, at the opening of a patient safety summit in London this week.
The summit concludes a programme of health-focused events that have run
throughout the UK’s six-month presidency of the EU and was attended
by patient safety experts from across EU member states and the rest of
the world.
It looked at ways of bringing together information and best practice
from across the EU to make health care services and products safer for
patients.
At the summit the UK pledged to provide £5m a year for the next
five years to the World
Alliance for Patient Safety, which was established
by the World Health Organization in October 2004. The alliance was formed
to raise awareness and political commitment to improve the safety of
patients and facilitate the development of patient safety policy and
practice in all WHO member states.
Discussion at the conference focused on the need for action at national
and international levels, learning from “high risk” industries
and the importance of systems’ design to reduce errors, and how
education and training can influence future thinking in patient safety.
The summit took place in London from 28–30 November and is expected
to inform policy development work of the European Commission as well
as EU member states. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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