June 25, 2018 Industry news
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), an independent body set up by the Secretary of State for Health, has published a report investigating a 'never event' where a patient had a wrong prosthesis implanted. As part of their investigation, the HSIB visited Royal Derby Hospital and it’s great to see their work recognised in their recommendations.
What’s crucial about the improvements Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been making, as part of the Scan4Safety programme, is the that it’s exactly this kind of error they’re working towards eliminating. For Derby, their introduction of the scanning of GS1 barcodes into their theatres was never just about saving time and money, it was about improving patient safety first and foremost. Their specific mention in this report is a reflection of that.
At our most recent Healthcare Conference, Professor Sir Terence Stephenson, Chair of the General Medical Council, set us the challenge of using GS1 standards to reduce the number of ‘never events’ in the NHS. In 2016/17 there were 400+ never events and for Sir Terence, even one never event is too many. Later on in the conference, we saw three Trust CEOs commit to tackling the challenge: Alan Foster, CEO at North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Gavin Boyle, CEO at Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Cara Charles-Barks, CEO at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.
I hope that with the progress already being made at Derby, and the recommendation from HSIB that this is developed and implemented further by the Department of Health and Social Care, we are going some way to meet Professor Sir Terence’s challenge.
www.linkedin.com/glenhodgson
@MaverickGooseUK
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