❓ Opposition MP Mettam questions the Minister for Health regarding the 'Your safety in our hands in hospital' report, highlighting increases in severe clinical incidents and sentinel events, despite the Minister's positive assessment. The Minister defends her comments, emphasizing the overall decrease in clinical incidents and the importance of reporting.
AnsweredQoN 285Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
YOUR SAFETY IN OUR HANDS IN HOSPITAL REPORT —
MINISTER FOR HEALTH'S COMMENTS
285. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Your safety in
our hands in hospital report for 2022 and the minister's comments
on 23 March 2023 in Parliament that it is a ''good report'' and
that ''the number of clinical incidents are down''.
(1) Does the
minister stand by her comments that this is a ''good report'' and
that ''there is a good story in the report''?
(2) Will the
minister correct the record, given table 2 in the report indicates another
increase in confirmed severity assessment code 1 incidents, as well as a 30 per
cent increase in sentinel events compared with previous years?
(3) Is this
report a ''good story'', as the minister said, for the patient
who had a surgical instrument left inside their leg for more than three months
after a knee replacement?
MINISTER FOR HEALTH'S COMMENTS
285. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Your safety in
our hands in hospital report for 2022 and the minister's comments
on 23 March 2023 in Parliament that it is a ''good report'' and
that ''the number of clinical incidents are down''.
(1) Does the
minister stand by her comments that this is a ''good report'' and
that ''there is a good story in the report''?
(2) Will the
minister correct the record, given table 2 in the report indicates another
increase in confirmed severity assessment code 1 incidents, as well as a 30 per
cent increase in sentinel events compared with previous years?
(3) Is this
report a ''good story'', as the minister said, for the patient
who had a surgical instrument left inside their leg for more than three months
after a knee replacement?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) What I said was that overall, it was a good trend
and a good story. Of course there are still clinical incidents . In a public
health system that has, not including outpatients, over a million episodes of
care a year, there are clinical incidents. The importance of reporting and
enhanced reporting is central to a safe system. We have one of the safest
systems in the world because of our enhanced reporting. Clinical incidents in
the WA health system decreased by 2.6 per cent in that report. Yes, that is a good
trend down. I stand by my comments that that is the trend that we want to see—overall,
a decrease of 2.6 per cent. Almost two-thirds had a patient outcome of no harm.
But we need to consider every potential incident and its opportunity to make
changes. That is why the reporting is so important: we put in place policies,
procedures and mechanisms to protect staff and patients from making mistakes.
That is why it is important that we have this enhanced reporting.
and a good story. Of course there are still clinical incidents . In a public
health system that has, not including outpatients, over a million episodes of
care a year, there are clinical incidents. The importance of reporting and
enhanced reporting is central to a safe system. We have one of the safest
systems in the world because of our enhanced reporting. Clinical incidents in
the WA health system decreased by 2.6 per cent in that report. Yes, that is a good
trend down. I stand by my comments that that is the trend that we want to see—overall,
a decrease of 2.6 per cent. Almost two-thirds had a patient outcome of no harm.
But we need to consider every potential incident and its opportunity to make
changes. That is why the reporting is so important: we put in place policies,
procedures and mechanisms to protect staff and patients from making mistakes.
That is why it is important that we have this enhanced reporting.
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