Patient safety: why does the NHS always seem to get a bad press?

Reading recent press reports of investigation outcomes and other matters relating to patient safety, it is easy to think that all is doom and gloom – that a patient safety culture in the NHS is an unattainable dream. Often, when we read reports of investigations by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and others, we can see that there are noteworthy good healthcare practices, but that these are so often eclipsed by the poor practice identified. There is a danger of developing a jaundiced view of patient safety in the NHS.

Maintaining a balanced view on the patient safety problems facing the NHS and the solutions available is no easy task. There is a need to steer away from the view that the NHS patient safety system is crumbling. Clearly it is not, but improvements can be made. An ideal standpoint on issues is to strive to become an honest broker of ideas. We need to debate, look at the evidence, balance the issues and hopefully all this will contribute to a good patient safety change agenda.