Verum Writes: We need to admit our mistakes

I wonder how open and honest we are with our patients when things go wrong? By ‘go wrong’ I mean anything from a simple administration error to an incorrect prescription or, worse, some missed pathology. We know mistakes happen; however, would we always fully inform the patient who has been affected?

The issue of being open with our patients when things go wrong has been brought to a head through a key recommendation from the Francis Inquiry into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. In fact, it is now a statutory requirement which applies to all providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). For patients who have suffered “moderate or severe” harm as a result of treatment, the provider must act in an open and transparent way, telling the relevant person, in person, as soon as reasonably practicable after becoming aware that a safety incident has occurred, providing an account of the incident, providing support in relation to the incident, and offering an apology.