Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon today visited Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to highlight the work being done across Scotland’s NHS to reduce hospital mortality.
Figures published today show a reduction in the number of unexpected deaths in hospitals of six per cent in the first 18 months since Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) was launched. (Jan 2008 – June 2009)….
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon today visited Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to highlight the work being done across Scotland’s NHS to reduce hospital mortality.
Figures published today show a reduction in the number of unexpected deaths in hospitals of six per cent in the first 18 months since Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) was launched. (Jan 2008 – June 2009).
The Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) figures were published for the first time today. They will allow individual hospitals to drive improvement locally so that over time the figure reduces further.
Patient safety interventions mean that all hospitals will look at their care processes and systems to improve their HSMR.
Ms Sturgeon visited ward 205 at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to hear how the ward, along with other wards in NHS Lothian, have reduced infections and improved early intervention of deteriorating patients since bringing in the patient safety programme, which aims to reduce mortality and adverse incidents.
The Health Secretary said: “Driving down unintended harm to patients is a top priority for Scotland’s NHS and the Patient Safety Programme is absolutely crucial to helping us achieve this aim.
“Although there may be a number of factors contributing to the reduction in hospital mortality, I have no doubt that the programme played a major role.
“While the six per cent reduction is encouraging, we are not complacent. The information published today will help us improve the quality and safety of patient care and provide early warning about areas of concern. It means not only more transparency, but provides key intelligence in the drive for improvement. I expect to see these rates coming down over time, and our efforts will continue unabated to drive this figure down hospital by hospital. Every hospital and every NHS Board will be expected to scrutinise this data to drive improvement locally.”
Today’s visit coincides with an international gathering of patient safety experts from the USA, Sweden and Denmark who have come to Scotland to see first-hand the impact the patient safety programme is having.
Ms Sturgeon continued: “Scotland is the first country in the world to implement a national patient safety programme across the whole healthcare system. Up and down the country there are examples of improvements being made. What’s being done here on ward 205 underlines the dedication, drive and professionalism of NHS staff to improve quality and safety. Earlier this year I announced the Quality Strategy, our blueprint for driving up standards of care and ensuring patients are at the heart of everything the NHS does. The improvements we’ve seen today in these figures and here at the Royal Infirmary are clear demonstrations of the Quality Strategy in action.”