The second Isle of Man patient safety conference was held last week for the staff of the Department of Health and Social Care. The conference focused on the diverse range of factors which contribute to the safety and quality of care including the human influences on the delivery of care.

The World Health Organisation defines patient safety as ‘the prevention of errors and adverse effects to patients associated with health care’. This means proactively preventing harm to patients, minimising risk and keeping patients safe. Patient safety improvement is about tackling the causes of any errors in care.

The conference, held at Keyll Darree Education and Training Centre on the Noble’s Hospital site, was opened by the Minister and continued with a number of speakers.

Jeff Goulding, Assistant Director of Human Factors at Aintree Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spoke about developing a safety culture with a human factors approach.

A lawyer’s aspect on inquests and clinical involvement was shared by John Aycock, joint Managing Director of M&P Legal on the Island.

Tom Sandford, Director of Nursing and Service Delivery for the Royal College of Nursing presented a nursing perspective on learning from where care fails.

Posters illustrated some of the excellent work going on to help improve the safety and quality of care across the department.

The use of patient safety tools, the importance of consent and mental capacity, the expert patient programme and healthcare professional revalidation were all explored by local speakers.

Minister for Health and Social Care, Howard Quayle MHK said: “The Department is committed to improving safety by respecting the trust people place in us and working constantly to prevent harm to our customers and staff.

“The safety of those who use the health and social care service is fundamental to the delivery of high quality care. Patient safety includes the governance systems in place to deliver that care.

“We are all aware that patient safety is everyone’s responsibility, which is reflected in the aims of this conference.

“I thank the speakers for their engagement in this conference, particularly Jeff Goulding and Tom Sandford who have travelled to the Island, sharing their knowledge and experiences.”

Closing the conference, Ralph Peake MHK Member for Health and Social Care, said: “The continuing drive to raise standards in patient safety is a key focus of work across the Department.

"The speakers share their thought provoking perspectives on all aspects of patient safety helping us to gain a better understanding of the influence of human factors in health and social care.”