NHS staff will be able to express concerns or discuss mistakes in a ‘safe space’ thanks to the launch of a new investigations unit.
The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) was formally launched last week and has pledged that any testimony given to it by doctors, nurses or other medical staff will not be passed on to other agencies such as the police or the General Medical Council unless a High Court rules this necessary.
Anyone, including members of the public, can report concerns about healthcare settings on its website. Similar “safe spaces” operate in the airline, rail and maritime industries.
There have been calls for more protections for whistleblowers after a number of serious incidents such as the Lucy Letby multiple murder case at the Countess of Chester hospital and issues at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust where staff were punished for reporting concerns.
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The aim is to help staff feel comfortable about speaking honestly about their own or others’ mistakes, so trusts can understand more about failures in patient care and learn how to prevent them.
The body itself will have a dedicated team of around 40 people with expertise in the NHS, safety investigations and HR issues. It will “not seek to apportion blame or hold individuals to account”, it said.
The HSSIB will operate fully independently and will be accountable to the secretary of state for health. It will also be able to investigate incidents in GP surgeries, dentists and private healthcare.
The body will be led by Dr Ted Baker (chair) and Dr Rosie Benneyworth (interim chief executive officer), and replaces the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, which was formed in 2017.
At a speech to launch the HSSIB last week, Dr Benneywityh said: “Safety and quality need to be at the top of the agenda” so the health service can tackle the demands placed upon it.
The body launched its first report last week also, focusing on safety management systems and how other “safety-critical” industries manage risk concerns.
Dr Baker added: “A focus on patient safety is important first and foremost because it can reduce harm, and we should never lose sight of that. It can reduce harm to patients. It can also reduce harm to healthcare staff.
“The problems faced by health services at the moment are complex and do not have simple solutions, but any solutions that will succeed must have safety at their core.”
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