This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Scotland leading the way on patient safety
09/03/2007
Hospitals across Scotland are to take part in a world-leading programme aimed at improving patient safety, Chief Medical Officer Harry Burns said today.
Building on the successful Safer Patients Initiative piloted at NHS Tayside, the Scottish Patient Safety Alliance will involve staff at all levels taking simple steps to cut down on unnecessary harm as a result of things like preventable infections, or errors in prescribing.
These steps include identifying existing good practice and agreeing that these are reliably and consistently applied across key areas. For example: setting up processes to ensure all patients receive the right medicine at the right time and in the right dose; implementing monitoring systems to identify deteriorating patients more quickly; and looking at ways to improve hand hygiene compliance.
Speaking at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Dr Burns said:
"The NHS in Scotland is a safe, high quality service which puts patients first.
"Healthcare relies on a range of complex interactions between people, skills, technologies and drugs. Sometimes things can and do go wrong. We will help our hard working NHS staff to minimise any unintentional harm caused during clinical care. This will save lives and further improve patient care.
"This is not something that is confined to Scotland. It is a worldwide issue. Evidence from international patient surveys suggests that we do better than countries such as Australia, Canada, the United States and Germany.
"With this programme, we will be leading the way. No other country has such a wide ranging, national, compulsory system in place.
"NHS Tayside have shown us what can be done. Since 2004, they have seen many successes which have brought real benefits to patients.
"Now we want to extend those benefits to the rest of the country through the involvement of our partners in the Scottish Patient Safety Alliance in a major change programme based on integrated arrangements at national, regional and local levels."
The NHS Tayside scheme has delivered:
- A reduction in adverse events of more than 50 per cent
- Improvements on getting the right medicine in the right dose to the right patient at the right time. The goal was to reduce the number of prescriptions which required amendments from 70 per cent to less than 10 per cent. The NHS Tayside team managed as low as 2.6 per cent
- A steady increase in hand hygiene compliance to 94 per cent, as measured by ward staff, over two years
- A more systematic approach to communication between staff, ensuring enhanced patient safety
Professor Sir Graham Teasdale, Chair of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and until recently President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow, said:
"Scotland has a record on patient safety that stands up well to international comparison. We have laid firm foundations over the last fifty years through audit, clinical effectiveness and the introduction of clinical governance. We now have the opportunity to build on those through the Patient Safety Alliance.
"This offers us the chance to make real, substantial improvement in the safety of patient care. The patient is placed at the centre of efforts to deliver the safest, most effective care possible and staff are encouraged to make the changes that will save lives and improve patient outcomes."
Martyn Evans, Director of the Scottish Consumer Council, said:
"Patient safety should be one of the cornerstones of our health service. The Scottish Consumer Council welcomes the creation of the Patient Safety Alliance, which will place patient safety at the very heart of the NHS.
"This is a challenging area, as there are so many things which affect patient safety, from cleanliness and hygiene to evidence-based professional practice and drug management.
"The alliance will provide an opportunity to bring together all the key players in this area, including patients and members of the public. We look forward to seeing real improvements in this area, and to supporting the work of the alliance over the coming years."
Prof Neil Douglas, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in Scotland, said:
"The Royal Colleges in Scotland are delighted to be participating in this important initiative. By promoting best practice and procedures which have been shown to benefit patients we hope to be able to improve the already high standards of clinical care in Scotland".
Sir David Carter, Chairman of The Health Foundation and former Chief Medical Officer in Scotland, said:
"Today marks an important milestone in the drive the make Scottish hospitals amongst the safest in the world. The Patient Safety Alliance has the potential to transform the safety culture in Scottish hospitals and to save lives. Our hope is that every hospital in Scotland can learn from the best practice and expertise being cultivated at Ninewells, the first Scottish hospital involved in our ground breaking Safer Patients Initiative."
Alliance partners include: the Scottish Executive, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, Royal Colleges and professional bodies, and patients - the Scottish Consumer Council will have an important role.
The programme has five objectives, to:
- reduce healthcare associated infection
- reduce adverse surgical incidents
- reduce adverse drug events
- improve critical care outcomes
- improve the organisational and leadership culture on safety
NHS QIS on behalf of NHSScotland has today gone to tender to secure the engagement of world-leading experts to support the delivery of this programme, reflecting the successful approach used in NHS Tayside through the Safer Patients Initiative.