National Patient Safety Alerts
Patient safety issues that require national action are identified predominantly through incidents reported by providers to the National Reporting and Learning System. When these issues are identified, work is undertaken with frontline staff, patients, professional bodies, and partner organisations to decide if there is a large enough risk to issue a N ational Patient Safety Alert (NPSA ) through the Central Alerting System , which in turn sets out actions that healthcare organisations must take to reduce the risk.
These alerts must be acknowledged and, where appropriate, actions taken.
The Trust has a robust way of monitoring compliance with national alerts and this year we responded to two relevant National Patient Safety Alerts:
- Jan 2023. Use of oxygen cylinders. Clinical notice had already been issued to staff in December 2022 advising of supply issues.
- March 2023. Management of NPSA. EEAST process checked to ensure it complies with process set out by NHSE&I.
All other safety alerts released were reviewed and deemed not relevant to EEAST or the ambulance sector.
