Speaking up for patient safety: Beatrice Fraenkel in conversation with Peter Duffy and Helen Hughes

Summary

In this podcast interview series, NHS whistleblower Peter Duffy and Patient Safety Learning’s Chief Executive Helen Hughes explore how the healthcare system responds when its staff raise concerns about patient safety. In each episode, Helen and Peter interview someone who has spoken up about patient safety issues in healthcare organisations, or who works to help staff raise concerns where they see unsafe care.

In this episode, Beatrice Fraenkel, ergonomist and Non Executive Director at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust discusses the importance of understanding the issues that lead to poor culture and harm in healthcare organisations. She describes the Board's radical approach to establishing a Just Culture during her time as Chair of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and the huge investment needed to build trust between healthcare staff and their employers. She also talks with Peter and Helen about the importance of understanding the needs, views and emotions of people in the wider community that each trust serves. They discuss the universal impact of fear and anxiety on human behaviour and the need to ensure lessons are really understood before attempting to put solutions in place to tackle issues, on any scale.

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View a transcript of this interview

Read a blog from Peter and Helen about the interview series

Content

About the Author

Beatrice is an ergonomist and industrial design engineer with a long record of working across a number of sectors to help improve outcomes for users whilst improving quality and user satisfaction without increasing costs.

Amongst other things she has chaired an NHS Primary Care Trust, The Architects Registration Board and a regional regeneration body. She recently completed 14 years as Chair of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. She is currently a Non Executive Director at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust where she chairs the People Committee. Beatrice also sits on other boards connected with health, regeneration and economic growth and is a trustee of Design in Mental Health. Beatrice holds an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Institute of British Architects and is an Honorary Alderwoman of the City of Liverpool.

Beatrice is passionate about learning and believes openness and transparency is a key aspect of this. She is delighted to bring her background as an ergonomist and her other experiences to be involved in patient safety and learning from mistakes within a no blame culture.