Surrey shines at Improving Patient Safety Conference
Thursday 31 July 2008
Professor Peter Buckle of the University of Surrey delivered the opening address at the Patient Safety Conference which was recently held at Cambridge University.
This highlighted Surrey’s innovative approaches to mapping healthcare systems and determining risks to patient safety. A further four Surrey papers covered topics relating to the very high prevalence of medication errors in care homes, novel ways of analysing errors, equipment design and the principles of NHS procurement that might enhance patient safety.
Pauline Cole, an MSc Health Ergonomics student at Surrey, was awarded the conference prize for the best student paper. This explored current practice in procurement in NHS Trusts and found that there were many problems associated with communicating clear policies, leading to a critical lack of clarity and guidance. The resultant adverse impact on staff and patient safety could be addressed through improved procedures that embraced ergonomics criteria as part of the equipment purchasing process, as well as the need to consult staff with appropriate expertise.