NHS is not learning from its mistakes - patient safety still under threat
The House of Commons Health Committee has revealed in a 100 page report on NHS medical negligence that the basic changes recommended after a cancer drug error killed a teenage boy have still not been implemented - eight years after he died.
Wayne Jowett died in 2001 after drugs were injected in his spine not a vein in a fatal act of medical negligence. Shockingly, changes to spinal needles to stop the same mistake happening again were drawn up, but have yet to be introduced.
The report stated that;
- targets "too often" come before patient safety
- there is inadequate action on measures which could save lives
- the fear of litigation and a "blame culture" was preventing healthcare workers from being open when mistakes occurred.
The report said there were NHS boards across the country who had simply "never considered patient safety at all", citing the example of Mid-Staffordshire Trust as one where managers' pursuit of Foundation status - with all its accompanying benefits - meant patient safety was neglected in favour of meeting targets.
Susan Brown a medical negligence lawyer at Reading based law firm Boyes Turner said: “One of the main reasons that client's contact us about making a medical negligence claim is to try and find a way of stopping what has happened to them from happening to someone else. They want the NHS to learn from its mistakes.
We always hope that this will be achieved, but time and time again we are presented with patients who have suffered injury caused by negligent medical errors which could have been avoidable had the NHS really taken on board and acted upon the lessons from earlier mistakes.
The report of the House of Commons Health Committee, whilst very disappointing, therefore comes as little surprise.”
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