Why didn’t you report it? A blog by Emma Walker

Summary

A minor accident makes Emma Walker reflect on the safety culture of the NHS.

Content

I was at the NHS Confed Expo last week. After lunch I was whizzing over to the innovation area to, ironically, listen to an AHSN presentation on patient safety, when I decided to cut across the NHS Confederation stand. I tripped up the step and body surfed along the blue carpet grazing elbows and knees, ipad, pen and notebook flying.

Apart from being mortified, I got up and the people around me asked if I was ok. Apart from my pride and some minor wounds I was fine and continued to my session.

However, when I got home later that evening and recounted the story to my family over dinner, the first thing my husband said was "Did you report it." I replied "No?". He then followed up with "Did anyone else report it?" Again, "No, I don’t think so".

“Well, there’s your problem right there with safety in the NHS – a safety culture that’s so poor that a harm and potential hazard was not reported. Was there a handrail? A sign 'watch the step’, any yellow hazard tape?" "No", I replied.

 “So in a conference centre of NHS Managers nobody who saw you fall knew this was a reportable incident?" That was me told.

This may sound like an odd conversation for Wednesday night dinner, but my husband has worked in the chemical industry for over 30 years where safety culture means something totally different – they really do live and breathe it. That old adage 'the standard you accept is the standard you walk past’ is still something we don’t get in the NHS.

 He went on to describe how 30 years ago, ICI would have 'Hold the handrail' signs on all stairwells. People thought this was over the top, but still 30% of harms in the chemical industry come from slips, trips and falls (and you can be more assured that this figure is accurate as they do actually report them). One of the biggest safety issues is people falling off kerbs while catching up on their socials. We still have a long way to go...

I have reflected on this conversation and my poor behaviour in terms of not reporting this and hope that in future I will respond differently and I hope others will too. So for those who watched the middle-aged lady in a red and white dress take a tumble last Wednesday afternoon, this poem is for you:

Willmott Dixon Health and Safety Poem - YouTube. Poem by Don Merrell.

About the Author

Emma Walker is Associate Director of Aqua.