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The transition towards a new national incident reporting system remains fraught with difficulties. Managers working on implementing new systems within trusts are calling for the government to push the launch date back again, from September until next year.
The creation of the “learning from patient safety events” system is a key part of NHS England’s safety strategy, with an aim of making it easier for staff to record safety events across all services, including primary care. It will replace the NRLS system, which has been around for 20 years.
However, patient safety managers have argued that an upgrade due in July to the RLDatix risk management system – which is used by the majority of trusts – will cause knock-on problems with implementing LFPSE in September.
But apparently Steve Barclay has taken a “personal interest” in the project and is keen not to have the two systems running beyond September, leaving this deadline in play and managers left worrying about getting everything done on time.
Although there is strong support for a new system, questions also remain over its design, with concerns about staff buy-in. Rushing this complex project will surely not be good for staff or patients.
75 years young
Trust and system chief executives have been asked to hold engagement sessions to contribute to an “NHS@75” report that NHS England says will “shape its future thinking” on the future of the health service.
The work will be led by NHS Assembly co-chairs Dame Clare Gerada and Sir Chris Ham, along with a group of local leaders including Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System chief executive Claire Fuller, West Yorkshire ICS chief Rob Webster, and University Hospitals of Bristol and Weston Foundation Trust chief Eugine Yafele.
NHSE could not say specifically what it will do with the outcome of the report, although other leaders involved said they hoped it would put down a marker of what is needed for the NHS’s future, revise priorities for the service over the next 10 to 15 years, and stimulate a celebration of the NHS and how it has developed.
NHSE asked the NHS Assembly, which is hosted by NHSE but has independent chairs and membership, to carry out the work.
Also on hsj.co.uk today
The national Patient Safety Commissioner has hit out at government for failing to confirm her budget a month into the financial year, warning that she is “incredibly limited” in what she can achieve. And we also report that thousands of NHS-funded talking therapy sessions are still being carried out by unaccredited practitioners every month.
