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AvMA reaction to appointment of England’s first Patient Safety Commissioner

AvMA reaction to appointment of England’s first Patient Safety Commissioner:

Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA – the charity for patient safety and Justice) welcomes the appointment of England’s first Patient Safety Commissioner announced by the Department of Health and Social Care today. AvMA gave evidence  to the Cumberlege Inquiry which gave rise to the proposal of a Patient Safety Commissioner. However this appointment is only seen as a small step in the right direction.

AvMA chief executive, Peter Walsh said:

“We welcome the appointment of the first Patient Safety Commissioner in England. However, we are conscious that this commissioner’s role is limited to the area of medicines and devices, which is an important but relatively small part of patient safety work. The Government has missed an opportunity to appoint a Patient Safety Commissioner with a much wider role in promoting good patient safety culture and patient and family empowerment across healthcare. It remains a scandal that the Government refuses to fund specialist advice for people who the NHS has harmed through lapses in patient safety, and even has plans to reduce their access to justice. We look forward to working with Dr Henrietta Hughes with a view to addressing these and other pressing improvements in patient safety and responding to harmed patients and their families”