Good Governance Institute: A new approach to patient safety for the NHS (May 2021)

Summary

The NHS is in the process of changing the way it embraces patient safety, moving from a focus on individual incidents and issues to a more comprehensive look at system learning.

The changes are set out in NHS England/Improvement’s Patient Safety Strategy, released in July 2019 and updated in February 2021. This was followed by the Patient Safety Investigation Framework in March 2020, due for full implementation by Spring 2022.

They are important not just in relation to incident management but also because of the implications they have for strategy and board responsibilities in relation to patient safety. So they need careful attention at all levels of NHS organisations.

This article from the Good Governance Institute highlights the safety roles and responsibilities of organisations and moving to a proactive approach to safety management.