November 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference will examine the latest developments and key issues for improving patient safety in the NHS - looking beyond COVID-19, as well at current priorities in relation to the pandemic.
The discussion at a glance:
- First Do No Harm - the impact of the publication of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report
- the first NHS Patient Safety Strategy - assessing progress and issues with implementation, and the impact of the pandemic on its delivery
- a learning culture - latest thinking and next steps in its development in the NHS, including learning from harm and engaging with patients and families
- COVID-19 - examining the response to the pandemic, patient and workforce safety during the crisis, tailoring approaches for at risk groups, and adapting care delivery practices - and how the experience can inform policy and practice going forward
A scan of relevant background and developments:
- First Do No Harm - and its recommendations, including:
- appointment of an independent Patient Safety Commissioner
- establishment of a Redress Agency to support those who have been harmed by medicines and medical devices
- strengthening the MHRA’s engagement with and focus on patients
- overhauling medical device regulation and adverse event reporting, and the establishment of a central medical device database
- expansion of the General Medical Council register to include a list of financial interests for all doctors
- NHS Patient Safety Strategy - with the vision in the for continuously improving patient safety, with an amended timescale for the development of some of its new programmes due to COVID-19
- We are the NHS: People Plan for 2020/21 - action for us all - ambitions to improve patient safety as it addresses workforce challenges, wellbeing and support for delivering care
- the Patient Safety Incident Management System (DPSIMS) - being developed by NHS Improvement
- the Health Service Safety Investigations Bill - due to be reintroduced which would establish the Health Service Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) as a non-departmental public body to investigate patient safety incidents and make recommendations to prevent future safety failures
- cost of claims - findings in NHS Resolution’s Annual Report and Accounts that costs are rising although the number of claims is remaining steady
- COVID-19
- PHE’s COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes review and COVID-19: understanding the impact on BAME communities report
- new and alternative care methods - including the increased use of remote consultations and telemedicine
- Safety of maternity services in England inquiry by the Health and Social Care Committee to assess recurrent failings in maternity services, with a focus on improving mother and baby safety
- New funding to help hospitals introduce digital prescribing - £8.7m for digital patient records in hospitals announced by the Patient Safety Minister aimed at reducing errors by up to 30%
The discussion in detail:
- The Patient Safety Strategy:
- key issues for delivering safe care in the NHS, looking at:
- reducing unwarranted variation
- attracting clinicians into high risk specialties
- technology and utilising data to reduce and prevent errors
- implementation in local health systems
- ways the new system can encourage the reporting of incidents and achieve a learning and not a blaming culture in the NHS
- the Patient Safety Syllabus - its development for rollout in 2021 to ensure the workforce receives effective education, skills and training in patient safety as part of the new strategy
- Clinical practice and operational procedures:
- maintaining patient safety for COVID-19 patients and the workforce:
- impact - on service delivery, continuity of care and non-urgent care
- tailoring services - for at-risk groups, including those with underlying health conditions and from some ethnic minority backgrounds
- Patient Safety Incident Response Framework:
- examining development and findings from the early adopters scheme
- working with providers on the appropriate response to patient safety incidents, and investigations which will then improve insight for learning going forward
- local patient safety data - its analysis and use to create improved learning and practice
- Regulation and oversight:
- the role of regulation in improving patient safety and reducing avoidable harm
- identification and investigation of factors leading to harm and the recommendations made as a result in improving safety and risk reduction
- priorities for the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch
- the impact of COVID-19 on investigations and any lessons it has provided for the future
The agenda:
- The impact of investigations in the NHS and the priorities of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch
- Progress of improving patient safety in the NHS
- Maintaining patient safety during COVID-19 - rapid learning to respond to the virus, continuity of care, and adapting care delivery practices
- Delivering safe care in the NHS - preventing errors, utilising data and technology, supporting the workforce, and promoting high quality leadership
- Learning from the voice of parents and families
- How to improve patient safety by reducing unwarranted variation and learning from clinical negligence claims
- The role of technology in reducing errors, enhancing care, and ensuring safety in remote healthcare and telemedicine
- Taking forward the National Patient Safety Syllabus and supporting the workforce to deliver care safely during the presence of COVID-19
- Learning from harm, reducing the cost of litigation in the NHS, and the impact of COVID-19
- Assessing findings from the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review
- The role of the regulator in reducing avoidable harm and informing future practice
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders. Places have been reserved by representatives from the Department of Health and Social Care; the Government Legal Service; MHRA and the Welsh Government.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
