Report Calls For More Information To Be Published

A leading clinical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell has welcomed calls for the NHS to publish more information on the performance of its services.

In a report by the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, it has been suggested that making more data available to patients will have a strong impact on boosting transparency and improving standards across a number of disciplines.

Heart surgeons behind the study also revealed that the cost of data collection in their field was 0.6 per cent of the total expenditure on such work, but led to £5 million of savings in bed days for heart bypass operations.

Lisa Jordan, head of Medical Law and Patients’ Rights at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, said any strategy which will play a role in boosting patient safety should not be ignored.

The clinical negligence specialist outlined: “We have made repeated calls for the NHS to improve data collection and make better use of the information it gathers, as it is vital if errors are to be reduced and lessons learnt.

“Last year’s Hospital guide 2010 by Dr Foster highlighted that several Trusts were found to be poor at recording incidents, which is concerning as a failure to make a note of such events means it is possible that improvements will not be seen in the future.

“While most patients treated by the NHS receive excellent care, it is vital that the teams which have experienced problems in the past are seen to be making changes in order to better their service.

“Patients deserve the right to know that their safety is of paramount importance to those caring for them.”