The commission on education and training for patient safety: improving patient safety through education and training

Source:  Health Education England

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Date of publication: March 2016

Publication type:  Report

In a nutshell:  Produced by the Commission on Education and Training for Patient Safety and supported by Imperial College the report sets out ambitions, the case for change, what is working well including case studies and where improvements need to be made to make the greatest difference to patient safety both now and in the future. It sets out the future of education and training for patient safety in the NHS over the next ten years, making twelve recommendations to Health Education England and the wider system.

Length of publication:  60 pages

Simulation-based training: the missing link to lastingly improved safety and health?

Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal [Epub ahead of print]

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Date of publication: February 2016

Publication type:  Journal article

In a nutshell:  Medical education has traditionally relied on on-the-job training. However, the often used ‘see one, do one, teach one’ approach may be detrimental to patient safety and health, as it exposes patients to inexperienced healthcare practitioners. In an effort to reduce human errors and improve operational safety, simulation-based training (SBT) has been recognised as an effective methodology.

Contents of SBT include conceptual understanding, technical skills, decision-making skills, and attitudes and behaviours summarised as teamwork. Thus, theoretical advantages of SBT over traditional educational methodologies are manifold. This article reviews available evidence about the effectiveness of SBT of technical and non-technical skills with regard to improvements in medical care, patient safety and health.

Length of publication:  3 pages

Some important notes:  Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library

The UK: your partner for global healthcare solutions – Improving the quality and safety of patient care

Source:  Department of Health

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Date of publication:  March 2016

Publication type:  Brochure

In a nutshell:  In 2014 the Commonwealth Fund named the NHS as the number one health service for safe care amongst the 11 developed nations studied. The NHS is aiming for a future where avoidable harm is prevented, where 100% of patients achieve the shortest, most uneventful hospital admissions, and where everyone achieves the best possible outcome.

This publication outlines some of the initiatives the UK is currently pursuing, and the organisations which are leading the way in standards of safety. The different sections also provide information on the partners who can best help you achieve your goal of safer, better healthcare.

Length of publication:  15 pages

Improving diagnosis in health care: the next imperative for patient safety

Source:  The New England Journal of Medicine 373/26 pp.2493-2495

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Date of publication:  December 2015

Publication type:  Journal article

In a nutshell:  This is a commentary of the U.S. report Improving Diagnosis in Health Care that acknowledges the need to address diagnostic error as an urgent patient safety issue.  Summarising the goals from the report, this commentary details how the recommendations can lead to enhanced diagnostic safety and reduced patient harm. The authors also acknowledge potential challenges to implementing the systems and process changes described.

Length of publication:   2 pages

Some important notes:  Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library

Continuous improvement of patient safety: the case for change in the NHS

Source:  The Health Foundation

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Date of publication: November 2015

Publication type:  Report

In a nutshell: This report synthesises the lessons from the Health Foundation’s work on improving patient safety. Part I illustrates why improving safety is so difficult and complex, and why current approaches need to change. Part II looks at some of the work being done to improve safety and offers examples and insights to support practical improvements in patient safety. In Part III, the report explains why the system needs to think differently about safety, giving policymakers an insight into how their actions can create an environment where continuous safety improvement will flourish, as well as how they can help to tackle system-wide problems that hinder local improvement.

Length of Publication:  40 pages

A realist analysis of hospital patient safety in Wales: applied learning for alternative contexts from a multisite case study

Source:  Health Services and Delivery Research 3/40

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Date of publication: August 2015

Publication type:  Journal article

In a nutshell:  This study was designed to address gaps in conceptual, methodological and empirical knowledge about the influence of context on the local implementation of patient safety programmes.  The findings show how local implementation of patient safety interventions are impacted and modified by particular aspects of context.  Heightened awareness of the influence of context on the local implementation of patient safety programmes is required to inform the design of such interventions and to ensure their effective implementation and operationalisation in the day-to-day practice of health-care teams.

Length of Publication:  242 pages

Glasgow develops world’s only patient safety programme specifically for mental health

Source:  The Herald Scotland

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Date of publication: March 2015

Publication type:  News item

In a nutshell: After being recognised for improving patient care, the world’s only national safety programme specifically designed for mental health has been rolled out to 14 wards across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The mental health arm of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme has seen more patient involvement in decision-making, work on medication safety, wider use of safety briefings at the beginning of shifts, and less use of restraint.

Length of Publication:  1 web page

Safer Clinical Systems: evaluation findings

Source:  The Health Foundation

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Date of publication:  December 2014

Publication type:  News item

In a nutshell: The Health Foundation’s Safer Clinical Systems programme explores how approaches from other industries could be used to improve safety in the NHS. The evaluation team make a number of recommendations in this report and say that further analysis is needed to assess whether this approach is better or more cost-effective than other approaches to improving safety.

Length of Publication:  1 web page

Health Education England projects improve safety and patient care

Source:  Health Education England

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Date of publication: January 2015

Publication type:  News item

In a nutshell: Healthcare staff and patients are benefiting from a new two-year programme of work at Health Education England (HEE) that is delivering direct improvements to patient care and safety. Projects in the HEE Better Training Better Care (BTBC) Programme have enhanced the quality of postgraduate medical education. The award winning pilot run at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust focused on improving clinical handovers, and training staff in the handover process. Another of the projects focused on reducing serious incidents through simulation training in East London NHS Foundation Trust.

Length of Publication:  1 web page

New patient safety incentives revealed

Source:  Health Service Journal, 5 January 2015

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Date of publication:  January 2015

Publication type:  News item

In a nutshell:  NHS England has presented new incentives to improve patient safety. The incentives include advances in seven day services, care of sepsis and acute kidney injury, and moves to tackle antibiotic resistance.

Length of Publication:  1 web page

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library

How has the NHS improved patient safety?

Source:  The Guardian Healthcare Network

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Date of publication:  November 2014

Publication type:  News item

In a nutshell: John Illingworth, policy manager at the Health Foundation, looks at the impact that the Berwick report has had on patient safety in the NHS. The headline results of a survey sent out to every NHS Provider in England are set out in an infographic. John Illingworth concludes that the survey results show positive signs about how organisations at a local level are pursuing safer care, and cause for thought at a national level as to how further progress can be supported.

Length of Publication:  1 web page

Positive deviance: a different approach to achieving patient safety

Source:  BMJ Quality & Safety 23/11 pp.880-3.

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Date of publication:  November 2014

Publication type:  Journal article

In a nutshell: This article argues that a patient safety management system that aims to identify and spread good practice, rather than identify unsafe care and investigate its causes, is more effective in managing and improving patient safety. The positive approach promoted by the article involves following ‘positive deviance’. The article concludes that focusing on negativity sends the wrong message and that healthcare professionals would be better served by receiving positive messages and constructive praise.

Length of Publication:  1 web page