Every new death in England to be examined to cut mistakes by doctors
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants independent experts to investigate the cause of deaths in hospitals and the community
EVERY new death in England is to be probed to cut mistakes by docs.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants independent experts to investigate the cause of deaths in hospitals and the community.
Currently, less than half are probed after a death certificate is signed.
Mr Hunt said: “When something goes wrong, the best apology to families is to guarantee no one will experience that same heartache again.”
It comes after a medic was convicted of the manslaughter of a child due to gross negligence after she admitted her errors.
Mr Hunt said: “I was deeply concerned about the unintended chilling effect on clinicians’ ability to learn from mistakes following recent court rulings, and the actions from this authoritative review will help us promise them that the NHS will support them to learn rather than seek to blame.
The case rocked medicine, with many doctors fearing honest mistakes could land them in jail and struck off for good.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, of the BMA, said: “Doctors must feel able to report errors and reflect on their own mistakes openly, without the fear of these reflections being used against them at a later stage.
“Only then can true improvements to patient safety be made."