Pennine Acute Trust to hold talk on ‘Harm Free Care’

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is inviting staff, patients, the public and its Foundation Trust members to attend a talk and presentation on ‘Harm free care’.

‘Harm free’ care is the national roll out of the pilot Safety Express QIPP programme which helps NHS Trusts and their staff in their aim to eliminate harm in patients from four common conditions, including:

· pressure ulcers
· falls
· urinary tract infections in patients with a catheter
· new venous thrombo-embolism (VTE).

These conditions affect over 200,000 people each year in England alone, leading to avoidable suffering and additional treatment for patients and a cost to the NHS of more than £400million.

The national 'harm free' care programme builds on existing improvement work and can be implemented at local level and integrated with existing routines. It helps organisations to consider complications from the patient's perspective, with the aim of every patient being 'harm free' as they move through the system. This moves away from the more usual approach of addressing these patient safety issues in silos.

Vic Crumbleholme, Associate Director of Nursing at the Trust, who will be giving the presentation said: “Patients are at the heart of everything we do; they are our driving force. They inspire and motivate our need for change. We are committed to improving their experience of healthcare by reducing errors which lead to harm."

The talk and presentation on ‘Harm free care’ is at the Education Centre, Rochdale Infirmary on Tuesday 2 July, 2-3pm.

To book your place on the free event, please contact Angela Greenwood on 01706 517302 or email ft.membership@pat.nhs.uk