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Patient Safety

The chasm between theory and practice in NHS complaint handling

We can add to the long list the Francis report (2013). Chapter 3 of the first volume deals with complaints and in the conclusion the following telling statement highlights the inherent power imbalance...

Failures in NHS lesson learning

Current and past patient safety crises show that these issues have not been sufficiently addressed in the past and are constant themes that require urgent attention in the NHS today..

Improving patient safety by learning from the experiences of others

‘Trusts receive too many safety-related messages from too many different sources. The trusts we spoke to said there needed to be better communication and coordination between national bodies, and...

Patient safety unplugged: going back to basics

In researching patient safety and looking at helpful tools and trends there is a lot of deep thinking to do. The area is a complex one with competing underpinning conceptual theories. There is also a...

Patient rights and the cost of health litigation: you don't ‘win’ compensation

The economic argument is often used by those who are arguing for changes to our compensation system and litigation cost containment measures. The argument goes that the money paid out to those injured...

Clinical negligence and the blame, name, shame game

It is easy to agree with statements that we should encourage a no-blame culture in the NHS to greater facilitate openness, transparency and candour by healthcare staff. To develop a no-blame culture,...

The clinical negligence system reform debate is heating up

‘Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has questioned whether clinical negligence lawyers are blocking vital reforms because the status quo is too lucrative to change.’ .

Don't blame all patient safety errors on COVID-19

‘Aaron Cummins, whose trust serves patients in Lancashire and south Cumbria, wrote in an internal message to staff: “Sadly, despite everyone's best efforts, many of our patients are still receiving...

Should we reform the clinical negligence system in 2022?

‘Ministers are working on a total overhaul of the “outdated” system of clinical negligence compensation within the NHS … the health and social care committee [was told] that a review of the system...

Patient safety and the law: looking back and looking forward

Poor and unsafe maternity care is a feature that stood out in 2021. Maternity care failings have dominated CQC reports and have featured in national media reports. The CQC has stated that there are...

The alarming gap between theory and practice in NHS patient safety

The first batch of level 1 and 2 learning materials are now available on the elearning for healthcare (elfh) platform for NHS staff to access. Level 1 is called ‘Essentials for patient safety’ and...

Keeping afloat in a sea of patient safety information: reform and patient views

‘Staff are struggling to cope with large volumes of safety guidance, they have little time and space to implement guidance effectively, and the systems and processes around them are not always...

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