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Investing in Patient Safety
A joint public statement (from C&C DHB and Wakefield Health Ltd) has been issued this afternoon, discussing the Universal Safety Protocol - a new protocol to make surgery safer for patients.
Capital & Coast DHB and Wakefield Health Ltd have introduced a new protocol that will strengthen the processes that make sure surgery is safe for patients.
The Universal Safety Protocol is a worldwide patient safety initiative. It has three parts which are strategies designed to ensure that correct procedures are consistently performed on correct patients. The protocol promotes patient involvement in the checking processes and enhances communication and teamwork. It also creates a climate which enables staff to anticipate and manage potential errors and prevent surgical injuries.
The protocol applies to all operations and other invasive procedures that potentially expose patients to harm, including procedures performed in settings other than the operating theatre.
Establishing the protocol at Capital & Coast follows its successful implementation at Wakefield and Bowen Hospitals in Wellington. Having a consistent approach with the protocol across the Wellington district is the longer term goal.
The initiative will lead to greater safety for patients. It means surgeons and other staff who might work in both public and private practice, or who undertake work in more than one public hospital in the central region, will now be using standard processes and procedures in all facilities, making it more difficult for a mistake to be made.
The Universal Safety Protocol implements the principles of the Joint Commission International Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure and Wrong Person Surgery™, a model which has been endorsed by more than 50 professional medical associations and organisations worldwide.