Speak Up for Patient Safety

No one should be harmed in healthcare and yet…4 out of 10 patients are harmed in the primary and ambulatory settings; up to 80% of harm in these settings can be avoided.*

*Adopted from IPSQ Patient Safety Quality Bulletin Issue 5

We can all play a part in ensuring safety for our patients by being vigilant and speaking up about unsafe practices or patient safety concerns, especially in your area of work. Through your valuable feedback, we were alerted to patient safety concerns and risks such as:

• Chemicals stored in pantry fridge
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worn outside clinic premises
• Patients arriving at NDCS intoxicated, and caregivers who were unwell
• The chemical indicator strips for OT sets not displaying an obvious colour change post-sterilisation

Follow-up actions were being taken or are in progress to resolve these issues. Together, we have minimised harm to both our patients and staff. We would like to continue encouraging everyone to speak up through the various available platforms:

• Your supervisors
• Quarterly leadership walk-rounds
• Daily huddles (OT, SOC, CSSD)
• NDCS 'Safety N Quality' app
• Incident reporting form for incidents and near misses