Rebecca Beesley
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Solicitor | Medical Negligence
HSSIB Report Highlights Patient Safety Risks
Last week the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) published a report confirming their finding that:
“patients come to harm due to failures in the way critical clinical information is electronically communicated when they are discharged from hospital.”
HSSIB is a fully independent arm’s length body of the Department of Health and Social Care. They investigate patient safety concerns across the NHS in England with the aim of improving NHS care by creating safer healthcare environments and processes, improving efficiency, and sharing best practice and innovations in patient care.
What Are Electronic Discharge Summaries?
Electronic discharge summaries are the primary tool for transferring clinical information about patients to their GP or community healthcare provider. HSSIB found that vital information about diagnoses, medications, and necessary follow-up care is often delayed, incomplete, or missed altogether. In some cases, this has led to incidents of patient harm after hospital discharge.
HSSIB says that there are gaps in the coordination between hospitals, GPs, pharmacies, and community care providers, contributing to unsafe transitions in medical care following discharge. They found that discharge processes often fail to consider the complexity and constraints of the local health and care system. This results in follow-up actions not being carried out or completed within the expected timeframes.
HSSIB Safety Recommendations
HSSIB has made a number of safety recommendations:
- NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care should collaborate with national bodies to establish a patient-centred discharge summary template for primary and community care settings. This would ensure clear and timely communication of safety-critical clinical information to GPs and other care providers.
- The Department of Health and Social Care should set specific expectations for NHS providers to ensure that high-quality, safety-critical information is made accessible to GPs and/or community care providers after discharge. They should also put in place processes to ensure that critical follow-up actions are completed.
- GPs, hospitals, and community healthcare providers should work more collaboratively and continuously to identify and address local healthcare system issues. This would improve the effective and timely communication of vital patient information post-discharge.
Legal Support for Delays and Errors in Discharge Communications
Our legal team has acted for clients who have suffered harm due to:
- Administrative errors
- Delays in providing clear discharge information
- Poor-quality clinical information shared with GPs or healthcare professionals
- Delays by GPs or community providers in acting upon discharge instructions
Contact Our Specialist Team
If you or a family member has suffered harm as a result of an administrative mistake or other substandard care, we may be able to help.
Call us on 0151 306 3694 to speak to a member of our specialist team, or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation.
0151 306 3694 Contact us online