The SNP Government’s Scottish Patient Safety Programme has been praised by a leading European expert on patient safety.
Giving evidence at Westminster’s Health Committee on Tuesday, Dr Pelle Gustafsson, Chief Medical Officer at Swedish Patient Insurer, responded with “Scotland”, when he was asked which country he holds at the very top with regards to patient safety.
Dr Gustafsson said:
“If you take all preventative work in regard to patient safety, I am personally very impressed with Scotland.
“In Scotland you have a long tradition of development in the right direction and a system which is fairly equal all over the place.
“You have improvement activities going on. So I am very impressed by Scotland".
He added that the UK could learn a lot from the Nordic countries in this area and also that the Nordic countries could learn a lot from Scotland.
Kenneth Gibson MSP welcomed the statement, saying:
“It’s great to hear Scotland’s Patient Safety Programme be praised by experts elsewhere in the world and vindicates the hard work and care of NHS Scotland staff. I congratulate them and thank them for all that they do.
"Since being introduced by the SNP Government in 2007, the programme has cut the number of hospital and post surgical deaths and complications across NHS Ayrshire & Arran and beyond.
“While the UK Parliament is still twiddling its thumbs over bringing in a patient safety programme, Scotland’s has been helping the people in Scotland for fifteen years.
“I would the UK Health Secretary to follow our lead and bring one in as soon as possible - it will save lives.”
Scotland's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Gregor Smith, commented:
"Great to see more international recognition for the Scottish Patient Safety Programme - it wouldn’t be where it is without the vision and leadership given by Jason Leitch, Jane Murkin and others, especially in those early days.
"Now, there’s skilled QI leaders embedded throughout the system thanks to them."
ENDS
