Disclosure will be mandatory under law, vows Harris

HEALTH professionals will be forced to sign up to mandatory disclosure of “serious patient safety incidents” under proposed legislation.

Health Minister Simon Harris announced Government approval for the Patient Safety Bill yesterday.

It follows the CervicalCheck scandal and the failure to pass on audits to women who developed cervical cancer, disclosing that they were the victims of a wrong smear test result.

“The Patient Safety Bill will also provide for mandatory reporting of serious events to the appropriate regulatory authority, such as Hiqa or the Mental Health Commission. In addition, it will empower the Minister for Health to issue guidance with regard to the undertaking of clinical audit.

“I strongly believe creating a culture of mandatory open disclosure and learning from things that go wrong is the bedrock of making services safer,” he added.

It will go to the Oireachtas Health Committee.