Every day, over a million people are safely treated in the NHS. But sometimes, things don’t go as planned. These are called patient safety incidents.
A patient safety incident is something that happens by accident and might hurt a patient or could have hurt them. Some of these incidents are small, and some can be more serious.
To help deal with these incidents, the NHS started using a new plan in April 2024.One of the most important parts of that plan is called the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF).
This plan explains how the NHS will look into these incidents and learn from them, so they can stop them from happening again.
You can find out more by watching this video:
Our PSIRF Plan shows the most important areas we’re focusing on to keep patients safe. We make sure every incident is looked into properly and we learn lessons from it.
More information can be found in our PSIRF Policy.
We always follow the Duty of Candour, which means we are open and honest when something goes wrong. We will always tell patients and families what happened and what we are doing about it.We will offer to involve you in looking at what went wrong, what we can learn and how we can prevent the same thing happening again in the future.
Our Patient Safety Partners
Our Patient Safety Partners (PSPs) help make healthcare safer by sharing what they know from being patients themselves. They often have experience using different NHS services, or they may have been harmed in the past by mistakes in care. Because of this, they can help us learn how to avoid future problems and find better ways to keep patients safe.
PSPs give a fresh point of view that isn’t shaped by how things have always been done. They help make sure the patient’s voice is heard, creating a system that focuses more on what patients need and how to keep them safe.
In August 2024, we welcomed our first Patient Safety Partners (PSPs). These dedicated individuals, who can volunteer up to 15 hours a month, play a key role in our Trust’s safety planning. They serve as the voice of our patients and local community across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.