A TEAM dedicated to patient safety at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital has been commended at this year’s Health Business Awards.

The awards are held annually by the magazine Health Business in London, and this month more than 80 NHS trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups and ambulance services attended.

The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust received a commendation for its implementation of a patient safety campaign called ‘Never get to Never’, which was launched in September this year to ensure the World Health Organisation Safety Checklist is used by staff as a final cross-check of information every time a surgical procedure is performed.

Research has shown use of the WHO Safety Checklist reduces the chances of doctors making errors during invasive procedures and the number of ‘never events’ that might occur at any hospital, such as medicines being distributed incorrectly, surgical instruments being retained post-operation, surgery being carried out on the wrong body part or even on the wrong person.

Trust medical director and organiser of the campaign Basil Fozard said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been commended for the ‘Never get to Never’ patient safety campaign at the Health Business Awards this year.

“Patient safety is our Trust’s utmost priority, so we have to recognise human errors are a possibility so that we can discuss them, improve our practice, support our staff to work at their best, and ensure our patients are the safest they can possibly be.

“Research shows the WHO Safety Checklist dramatically reduces the margin for human error during a procedure, which is why we have made our hospitals ‘WHO Safety Checklist zones’.”

You can watch the Trust’s short film about using the Safety Checklist on YouTube.