HSIB blog - PSIRF: a fundamental shift in how the NHS responds to patient safety incidents (26 September 2022)

Summary

In this blog, Melanie Ottewill, National Investigator and Senior Investigation Science Educator at HSIB, shares some key messages from a recent seminar delivered by Tracey Herlihey, Head of Patient Safety Incident Response Policy and Lauren Mosley, Head of Patient Safety Implementation at NHS England.

The seminar looked at the new Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) published in August 2022. PSIRF fundamentally shifts how the NHS responds to patient safety incidents for learning and improvement, promoting a proportionate approach to responding to patient safety incidents. It focuses on ensuring resources allocated to investigating and learning are balanced with those needed to deliver improvement. Melanie describes the cultural shift needed to implement PSIRF so it really makes a difference, and talks about the important of compassionate engagement.