Presentations from the Patient Safety Strategy Discussion Forum (18 November 2019)

Summary

On the 18 November 2019, Health Law from Browne Jacobson LLP hosted a Patient Safety Strategy Discussion Forum. This was focused on discussing the key proposals within the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, published in July 2019, and what they mean in practical terms. It also provided an opportunity for Trusts to share and hear about the work being done by others to implement the Strategy. The event was attended by a number of leading patient safety and quality experts and investigators from across the Midlands.

Content

Speakers and presentations from the day:

• Moira Durbridge, Director of Safety and Risk at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust – Moira introduced the event and gave some initial thoughts from her perspective about the new NHS Patient Safety Strategy, noting that she and the delegates were looking forward to seeing the implementation plan, timescale and any associated resources. 

•  Khudeja Amer-Sharif, Patient Partner at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust – Currently working with the National Patient Safety team and others to develop the basis of the Patient Safety Partners (PSP) framework, Khudeja shared the work being done to co-produce principles for involving patients both in their own safety and in the wider delivery of healthcare.

•  Helen Jones, National Investigator at Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) – Helen's presentation focused on how the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) will run alongside the investigation expertise at HSIB and the implications of the proposed changes set out in the Health Service Safety Investigations Bill. She shared the recommendations that HSIB have made and the delegates discussed the accountability framework for their implementation as this is outside of HSIB’s current remit.

•  Helen Hughes, Chief Executive at Patient Safety Learning – Helen shared how the work of Patient Safety Learning links with the Strategy and how the hub, their recently launched online platform and community for anyone committed to patient safety, can support Trusts improve patient safety across all specialties. She welcomed all delegates joining the hub and sharing the opportunity to do so widely within all their organisations.

Browne Jacobson LLP will be hosting another discussion forum in the new year to consider the detail of the PSIRF once the guidance on this has been published more widely and the early adopters have experiences that they can share. Some delegates had expressed concerns about the delay in publication of the PSIRF and noted that this presented a challenge to anticipating its implications on their work.