RCN Wales response to rise in adverse incidents
Published: 30 January 2009
Responding to the BBC Wales coverage of an increase in the number of incidents that have put patients at risk of harm, RCN Wales Deputy Director Richard Jones said:
"There are measures that can be put in place to manage and control human error and ensure that mistakes are kept to a minimum. Most notably there needs to be sufficient numbers of nursing staff available to care for patients. Research has shown a direct link between poor staffing in clinical areas and errors made in patient care. Risk assessments should always be carried out to identify potential problems.
In addition, we would encourage NHS trusts to sign up to initiatives to improve patient care, such as 1,000 lives where patient experiences and lessons learned from past errors can be used improve clinical services. These initiatives should become a part of the culture and should become second nature to clinical staff.
Independently, the RCN has taken steps to improve patient care, for example, our infection control campaign has contributed to lower rates of hospital acquired infections in Wales. Also, our Nutrition campaign has improved food services in many clinical areas ensuring that patients get proper hydration and protected times for meals during hospital stays."
RCN Wales Board Member Wendy Hughes was interviewed by BBC Radio Cymru and the Head of the RCN Wales Institute also appeared on the BBC Good Morning Wales radio programme.