Learning from Deaths Policy: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

Summary

This policy sets out a framework describing how the Trust and its staff will respond to and learn from deaths that occur under their care.It will provide guidance for all staff involved in the mortality review process ensuring clarity on roles, responsibilities and expectations.

Reviewing mortality can help make improvements to the quality of care received by patients at the Trust by identifying care related issues. This enables the identification of learning themes and provides evidence of a high standard of care.

Mortality is a fundamental component of clinical effectiveness, one of the three dimensions of quality described by Lord Darzi in High Quality Care for all (2008).

The Trusts aims are to:

• Have continuous improvement of our Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios (HSMR) and the Trusts Standardised Hospital-Level Mortality Index (SHMI)
• Achieve a year-on-year reduction in avoidable mortality 
• Improve learning from mortality reviews
• Ensure robust and timely governance processes regarding mortality outcomes and reviews
• Provide assurance of mortality processes in the Trust.