Today’s World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) is an occasion we mark and promote across both The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.
The objectives of WPSD are to enhance global understanding of patient safety, increase public engagement in the safety of healthcare and promote global actions to enhance patient safety and reduce patient harm.
Each year, a new theme is selected to shed light on a priority patient safety area where action is needed to reduce avoidable harm in healthcare.
This year’s theme is dedicated to the need to prioritise and address safety in maternal and newborn care, particularly around the time of childbirth.
Nearly 5,400 stillbirths occur globally, while 810 women lose their lives and 6,700 newborn babies lose their lives. Most of these lives can be saved through the provision of safe care.
Whether there are young or old, the safety of our patients cannot be taken seriously enough and we are always striving to improve outcomes for the people in our care.
At RWT, staff have promoted the event with posters and board displays in Maternity reception. In addition, moving images are being displayed on the intranet home page, while photographs and staff stories have been shared on our social media channels.
To coincide with WPSD, a new pocket guide on critical medications has been distributed today to all nursing staff at RWT. The leaflet contains a 10-point checklist for staff to observe. To reinforce this, the list of medications has also been distributed in the form of posters to all wards and departments.
This is a substantial piece of work for pharmacy and quality, and it is planned on launching the critical medications report to matrons and ward managers.
RWT and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust are part of the Black Country and West Birmingham Local Maternity and Neonatal System. The Trusts work with Maternity Voices Partnerships (MVP) which are an invaluable communication and engagement channel for local mums, mums-to-be and their families to work with our midwives and healthcare services to promote and enhance safe maternal and newborn care.
The experiences and innovations that are shared through the MVPs help us to better tailor our services and this meaningful engagement and co-production is something that will benefit our communities both now and for future generations.
This year we will use this day to celebrate those who demonstrate excellent practice and leadership within our organisations. Individuals will be chosen by our senior leaders awarded a certificate of recognition. If you are a recipient of a safety first certificate, please share your photo on social media, tagging RWT / WHT #WorldPatientSafetyDay #WPSD #SafetyandQuality
We will be lighting up the Emergency Department at New Cross Hospital in orange to mark the day – or in this case, night! Last year’s WPSD saw 130 landmarks across the world glowing in orange, recognising health workers’ pivotal role in providing safe care to patients. This year, the World Health Organisation will light up the Jet d’Eau in Geneva to celebate safe maternal and newborn care. Why not join us in lighting up a monument in orange?
Please continue to keep each other, our patients and visitors safe.
Take care,
Ann-Marie