The National Patient Safety Agency’s (NPSA) campaign to promote patient safety to doctors in training has received two awards from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).
CIPR director general Colin Farrington said: “The Excellence Awards judging process is tough and competition is strong, so winning two awards is a great achievement. It is confirmation that the engaging junior doctors in patient safety campaign is among the best in Britain. “The number of entries received this year was unprecedented. The standard of the winners and the finalists demonstrate the good work being done in the industry and the contribution PR makes to business and society.”
Ruth Davison, director of communications at the NPSA said: “Patient safety flourishes in honest environments where people learn from their own and each other’s mistakes. But human nature means we tend to hide our failings. This campaign aimed to encourage junior doctors to be open and showed them that even now eminent doctors once made mistakes similar to their own.”
The judges said: “A key reason for the success of this campaign was the case study book in which 14 of Britain’s most senior doctors shared personal stories of their own mistakes to encourage a more open culture. Also important was communication on a peer-to-peer basis targeting junior doctors through an independent doctors’ website.”
