In it’s latest report the Healthcare Commission said one in ten patients would be subjected to error and half of these could have been avoided.
Wide ranging errors have led to patients being harmed and include wrong diagnosis, wrong doses of medication, operating on the wrong body site and paperwork going astray.
Within the report it was claimed that the National Patient Safety Agency received 959,000 incidents of errors in 2007/8.
Worryingly though information about missed diagnoses and late diagnoses will not show up on anyone’s register of incidents of untoward events.
The NHS and our health providers have a duty of care to provide a safe environment for employees and patients alike.