Data on the number of patient safety incidents in NHS Trusts was published on the 13 October 2022.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, 689,745 incidents resulted in harm to patients in England, equating to 1,890 every day.

5,803 patients died.

Local Trust figures can be found on the NHS England website here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/organisation-patient-safety-incident-report-up-to-march-2022/

The source for the national figures is here:

 https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NAPSIR-commentary-Oct-22-FINAL-v4.pdf

Patient safety incidents, as defined by NHS England, are any unintended or unexpected incident which could have, or did, lead to harm for one or more patients receiving healthcare. Examples include failure to provide or monitor care, a breakdown in communication, an out-of-control infection in a hospital, insufficient staffing, or a missed diagnosis.

APIL’s president John McQuater said:

“These figures show the urgent need for an overhaul of the approach to the patient safety crisis.

The current patchwork of programmes and reporting schemes to help with learning is disjointed and clearly not working.  Behind the numbers are suffering patients and bereaved families who are falling victim to repeated failures in care.

The Government has appointed a patient safety commissioner but the role is limited to medicines and medical devices. It is a missed opportunity to allow a patient safety commissioner, with a wide limit, to lead with a coherent strategy and provide an over-arching link between patients, regulators, healthcare providers, and policymakers.”