The National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) published a report on 13 October 2022, containing data on the number of patient safety incidents in NHS Trusts during a 12-month period.
NRLS organisation patient safety incident reports: commentary
The report, which records the number of incidents happening in the NHS and tracks the general trend of increases in incidents reported to the NRLS, looked at data between April 2021 and March 2022. It found that 2,364,869 incidents were reported in England – an increase of 10% in comparison to last year.
It was also reported that 689,745 incidents had caused harm to patients in England, this equates to 1,890 every day. In total 5,803 patients died.
The most common reasons for failing patient safety highlighted in the report are:
- Provide or monitor care;
- Poor communication;
- Out-of-control infection in a hospital;
- Lack of staffing; and
- Missed diagnosis.
As noted in the report, the NRLS has said that the increase in incidents, together with the decrease in the time between an incident happening and actually being reported, have provided further opportunities for the national patient safety team to develop and reduce the risk of harm to patients. The report also acknowledges that the pandemic has understandably affected NHS services.
The recently launched Learn From Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) will soon replace the NRLS and will affect the sort of data collected.
Response to the report
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has said that the report highlights the urgent need for an overhaul of the approach in an attempt to tackle the patient safety crisis.
APIL president John McQuater commented:
“Behind the numbers are suffering patients and bereaved families who are falling victim to repeated failures in care.
The Government has appointed a patient safety commissioner but the role is limited to medicines and medical devices. It is a missed opportunity to allow a patient safety commissioner with a wide limit to lead with a coherent strategy and provide an over-arching link between patients, regulators, healthcare providers, and policymakers.”
How can Nelsons help
Bruce Williams is a Partner in our expert Personal Injury and Medical Negligence team.
If you have any questions in relation to the above or other related subjects, please contact Bruce or another member of our specialist team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.