New health and safety blueprint for NHS

The executive agency of the NHS has signed a new agreement with the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) to make hospitals in England safer for staff,
patients and visitors.

A ‘concordat’ between the two bodies sets out a blueprint for working
together on safety.

The document targets specific areas that cause the most accidents or cases
of ill health within the healthcare sector, including slips, trips and falls,
maintenance safety and violence against staff.

The concordat – which is available online – has been drawn up to ensure the
two organisations can harmonise advice and guidance to staff and produce
accurate benchmark data.

HSE director general Timothy Walker said: "The concordat will ensure
those with responsibilities to manage estate-related risks within public
healthcare in England are given the sources of practical and effective guidance
needed to help them deliver their part in the reduction of accidents within healthcare."

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

Email(Required)

OptOut

From time to time, we will send you emails about selected products, events and services from Personnel Today and OHW+ - but you can choose to opt-out at any time. If you do not wish to receive these emails, please tick this box.

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

Peter Wearmouth, chief executive of NHS Estates, said: "This is a step
forward in raising the profile of health and safety in the estates sector. It
will serve as a platform for providing comprehensive, practical advice across
the NHS."

www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices
www.nhsestates.gov.uk