Hospital to share safety changes

Doctors have worked hard to improve safety

A hospital claims it has more than halved the number of medical mistakes on its wards over the past two years.

Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust said other hospitals could benefit from its "impressive" work to cut infection rates among intensive care patients.

Better staff communication had helped cut the drugs budget by £78,000, despite treating 350 more patients.

The NHS trust is to share its expertise with hospitals in south and north Wales, and the north of England.

The trust, which runs Glan Clwyd Hospital, said it had "changed the culture" of its organisation by concentrating on small but important changes in three areas - on the wards, before, during and after operations and in critical care.

Since 2004, the trust has worked with experts at the US-based Institute for Healthcare Improvements, as part of The Health Foundation's Safer Patients Initiative.

It said worldwide research estimated that about one-in-10 patients experience unnecessary harm or suffering from mistakes in hospital.

Virtually eliminated

The trust has developed its own expertise to drive forward improvements so that these mistakes are difficult to make.

As well as lowering its rate of medical mistakes, Glan Clwyd hospital is reporting fewer infections.

Pneumonia on the intensive care unit associated with assisted ventilation has been virtually eliminated from a previous level of 30%.

Gren Kershaw, Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust, said that because of the initiative the hospital was a "safer place for patients in north Wales".

He added: "The safety improvement work over the last two years has changed the culture of our organisation and has put the focus back on what really matters - providing the best and safest care for our patients.

"We're proud of our achievements so far and we will continue to improve safety in our own hospital and further afield."

The hospital has made small changes to ways of working

Some of the safety changes have had wider consequences. For example, by reducing infections on the intensive care unit patients spend now less time in the unit and need fewer medications.

This has led to a £78,000 saving in the medicines' budget although 350 more patients were treated over two years.

From Monday the trust will work with other hospital partnerships which are joining the Foundation's Safer Patients Initiative - including the University Hospital of Wales and the Royal Gwent Hospital in south Wales, and Wrexham Maelor and the Countess of Chester hospital.

Stephen Thornton, chief executive of The Health Foundation, said: "Today marks an important step for us, the trust and the new hospitals that will learn from the inspirational work that has already taken place.

"Together we will work hard to ensure that patients in Wales and the UK receive the safest care possible."