Patient Safety Commissioner for England update (7 October 2022)

Summary

This article* is an update from Dr Henrietta Hughes, Patient Safety Commissioner for England.

Content

Thank you to everyone who has shared your powerful stories with me about your own experiences and those of family members.

Your testimonies are both heartfelt and heart breaking, a very emotional read. I cannot think of a greater motivation for decision makers to do what is right, without delay.

I was very privileged to meet Yasmin Golding and to hear about the #SaferMumSaferBaby campaign by the Epilepsy Society.

It was humbling to hear directly from Yasmin about her hopes and fears for the future and why having information to help minimise risk would make the world of difference. Thank you Yasmin 🙏

It’s so vital that patients can get the right information about medicines to be able to make the decisions which are the safest for themselves and their families.

I met with Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System and Karen Flitton for a World Patient Safety Day webinar. The theme was Medication Without Harm and it was wonderful to see so many people with a passion for patient safety.

I was also very pleased to meet with the team at Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch for a morning webinar to talk about patient safety and inclusion. Thanks very much James Titcombe for the kind invitation and to everyone for your insightful questions.

Patient safety in a world of ransomware attacks was part of my conversation with Nicola Byrne the National Data Guardian. With more electronic patient records and electronic prescribing, there is a risk that patients can be harmed when we don’t have timely access to information. Cyber security is key to keeping patients safe by ensuring that access to information is protected.

The Speak Up Month podcast I recorded with Jayne Chidgey-Clark and the National Guardian's Office has a theme of speaking up for safety and why psychological safety is so important

Listen here: https://lnkd.in/enBsUx7w

Psychological safety for all was also a topic of conversation when I met with Professional Standards Authority CEO Alan Clamp. Their recent publication Safer Care for All highlights the need for a swift and coordinated system response which tackles inequalities. We can only get this right if we get it right for everyone.

Such a thought provoking week- thank you to everyone who has been in touch to help me have a greater understanding about your concerns and what needs to be done to get this right.

*This article was first published on LinkedIn.