PATIENT SAFETY ARTICLES

Patient safety should be at the core of our approach to health and care. The Association of British HealthTech Industries’ Patient Safety Group believes that industry can, and must, play a key role in ensuring this. To support this, the association has partnered with Patient Safety Learning to develop a new white paper tackling the key issues. ABHI’s Jonathan Evans provides an overview.

In a report published by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), healthcare leaders and NHS Trusts are urged to better understand and manage the risks temporary care environments may present to patient safety.

Data from health registries already provides vital insight to clinicians and medical researchers. Now the time has come to share registry data more widely with the medical technology (MedTech) industry, to raise the standards of patient care, says Richard Armstrong.

David Laffar argues that managing risk can be changed to a culture of “no neccessary risk” if safety-engineered devices are properly evaluated and adopted.

Dr. Penny Dash’s review of patient safety has concluded that there has been: “a shift towards safety over the last 5 to 10 years, with considerable resources deployed, but relatively small improvements have been seen”. CSJ provides an overview of the key findings of the review and the wider response to the report.

Dr. Sandeep Sudan, Consultant Anaesthetist at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, and Royal College of Anaesthetists/Difficult Airway Society Airway Leads Advisor, writes on the importance of preparation for difficult airways.

An investigation has revealed that a culture of fear and discrimination is preventing temporary staff from raising concerns over safety. So how can we strive to address a more open culture of learning, where staff feel safe to speak up?

Following the publication of the HSSIB report, Tracey Pavier-Grant describes how an effective risk management strategy for the disposal of swabs can help prevent Never Events and provide surgical teams with peace of mind.

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) investigated the risk of unintentional ‘retained’ swabs after invasive procedures, having examined the case of a patient who had two swabs left in her chest, following serious heart surgery.

The Westminster Health Forum recently brought together stakeholders, clinical leaders and policymakers to discuss the implementation of Martha’s Rule, which aims to provide patients, families, carers and staff with 24/7 access to a rapid review, from a separate critical care team, when concerns arise about a patient’s deteriorating condition. Louise Frampton reports.

In the complex and ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the emphasis on patient and healthcare worker safety has become increasingly paramount. September’s World Patient Safety Day serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of these issues. To mark this occasion, we delve into the work of the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) Patient Safety Group.

Kate Woodhead highlights the surgical safety challenges experienced in African regions and shares her insights from a recent visit to Rwanda by Friends of African Nursing.

Action is needed to tackle the persistence of blame cultures and fear of speaking up in the NHS. This is according to the latest report by Patient Safety Learning. So, how can we strive to achieve ‘a culture of safety’, where staff feel able to speak up and organisations learn from mistakes without apportioning blame?

Mr Keith Tucker, FRCS, Chairman of the Orthopaedic Data Evaluation Panel (ODEP) and the Beyond Compliance Advisory Group, discusses how registries can reduce the risk of fewer treatment options under the new medical device regulations. He explores the delicate balance needed to navigate the new regulatory landscape, while ensuring patient safety is prioritised.

This month, ‘Martha’s Rule’ is being rolled out in hospitals across England, enabling patients and families to seek an urgent review if their condition deteriorates.