High Reporting Is A Sign Of Safety

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 09 Oct 2009 - 16:00 PDT

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Welcoming the National Patient Safety Agency's publication of safety incident data, NHS Confederation chief executive Steve Barnett said trusts that report incidents whenever possible have strong safety cultures

Welcoming the National Patient Safety Agency's (NPSA) organisational patient safety incident data, Steve Barnett, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents over 95 per cent of NHS organisations, said:

"As our work with the National Patient Safety Agency has shown, NHS organisations that report as many safety incidents as possible are more likely to be safer places for patients to be treated in.

"Creating the kind of open culture required to ensure a high level of reporting is as much about good leadership as it is about having the right processes. There are also additional advantages as staff are empowered to be more questioning and curious, leading to better team working and more innovation."

Notes

The NHS Confederation represents more than 95% of the organisations that make up the NHS. Its members include the majority of NHS acute trusts, ambulance trusts, foundation trusts, mental health trusts, primary care trusts, independent providers of NHS services, special health authorities and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.

Act on Reporting - a joint report by the NHS Confederation and the National Patient Safety Agency can be found here.

Source
NHS Confederation