NPSA outlines ways to improve patient safety for children

The advice follows the publication of the Review of Patient Safety for Children and Young People, unveiled by the NPSA. One of the key findings in the report, which looked at incidents that occurred between October 2007 and September 2008, was that there was a high rate of medication administration dosing errors, in particular in children under the age of four.   
 
NPSA’s Medical Director, Dr Kevin Cleary, said: “The majority of patient safety incidents involving children were reported to have resulted in no harm or low harm.
 
“However we’re hoping this constructive feedback will support all trusts and clinicians in delivering even safer clinical care to all NHS patients in the future.”
 
Dr Cleary added: “We are urging all trusts and healthcare providers to follow our recommendations and use the tools described within the report.  
 
“Examples include the Seven Steps to Patient Safety and the Manchester Patient Safety Framework – both designed to help organisations measure and improve progress towards making patient safety a central focus.
 
“I would also like to remind all practitioners and staff about our Patient Safety First campaign.  This initiative, launched last year, aims to increase awareness about how to reduce instances of harm to patients through effective leadership and training.”