Special focus on patient safety

NHS Lanarkshire put the focus on patient safety during a special week of events.

Staff at Hairmyres Hospital manned an information stand and also visited wards.

It was all part of Patient Safety Week which ran from October 24 to 28.

NHS Lanarkshire chief executive Calum Campbell said:“patient safety is our number one priority.

“When we’re caring for patients we must do so safely and effectively – it’s at the heart of everything we do.

“We’ve seen numerous successes around patient safety over the past two years as part of our local safety collaborative.

“The staff’s hard work has led to phenomenal progress on how we tackle the life-threatening condition sepsis.

“We have cut the risk of death from sepsis by nearly a third within hospitals.

“There has also been a significant improvement around the prevention of falls among patients while they are in our care.

“There are many more examples of success that are collectively making a big difference.

“That is reflected at all three of our general hospitals through a big reduction in hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMR).

“NHS Lanarkshire has exceeded a national improvement aim to reduce HSMR by 20 per cent.

“However, we recognise there are still areas for improvement and we are continuing to work on those.”