NHS boards’ lack of focus on safety ‘beggars belief’, says nursing leader

Published: 03 July 2009

Embargo: 00:01 Friday July 3rd 2009
NHS boards' lack of focus on safety 'beggars belief', says nursing leader

Responding to a the House of Commons Health Select Committee's report 'Patient Safety', Dr. Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:

"Today's report shines a spotlight on how the NHS has been plagued by unsafe practices as a result of a focus on finance and targets. It beggars belief that some NHS boards have never even considered patient safety as a priority. We have seen the tragic effects of this recently in Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust where staffing levels become unsafe, the quality of care suffers and patients are put at risk.

"We welcome the committee's findings that for patient care to be improved across the board, we need to banish the blame culture, so that staff can speak out to protect patient care. Our research recently showed that while nearly two thirds of nurses have raised concerns with employers, more than one in three said that no action was taken. This shows that the culture in some of our hospitals needs to change radically to ensure the safety of patients.

"They are also right that we must encourage innovation from staff in protecting patients, and promote a culture where patient safety is the key responsibility for everyone from the board to the ward.

"While the Committee accepts that there is a great deal of good practice out there, all NHS managers need to take heed of what is in this report and encourage their staff to raise concerns. This is the only way to avoid a repeat of the terrible events at Mid Staffordshire."

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Notes to Editors

The Royal College of Nursing gave evidence to the Committee on June 3rd 2009. You can see the RCN's evidence here - http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=4190

Some of the findings of the Royal College of Nursing's survey on whistleblowing can be found here - http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/news/article/uk/rcn_launches_phone_line_to_support_whistleblowing_nurses

For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses, healthcare assistants and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.