Patient safety training programme a success

A unique cross border patient safety training programme has brought together 27 senior managers and clinicians from hospitals and services on both sides of the border, to focus on best practice in patient safety and how it can be applied in local health facilities.

Funding for this initiative has been provided by the European Union’s INTERREG IVA programme secured by Co-operation and Working Together (CAWT), the cross border health services partnership. The participants undertaking the programme include medical consultants, senior nurses and allied health professionals from the Western and Southern Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland and from the HSE areas of Sligo, Cavan and Drogheda.

The initiative, which is a collaboration between the HSC Safety Forum, a component of the Public Health Agency (PHA) in Northern Ireland and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, is seeking to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients across both jurisdictions by developing a core group of health professionals, who can lead on service improvement, with a focus on patient safety and quality, within their own health service organisations. It is intended that the learning from the training is implemented at local hospital / health service facility level by the participants. It will also lead to the development of locally-based trainers in the area of patient safety/quality improvement.

Speaking at the formal launch of the Patient Safety Programme, Mary Hinds, Director of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at the PHA, said: “I am delighted to support this innovative cross-border collaboration, which will undoubtedly bring benefits to our patients, their families and the health services. This initiative will build capacity in quality improvement and patient safety. By working together on a cross border basis we are developing patient safety ‘champions’ who will focus on improving outcomes for patients.”

Commenting on the new programme, Dr Philip Crowley, HSE National Director of Quality and Patient Safety said: “I welcome the cross border nature of this initiative and appreciate the CAWT support and EU funding in the current financial environment which presents challenges to our work in quality and patient safety. This leadership programme demonstrates a positive commitment to developing capacity to improve quality and patient safety at a difficult time for our health services."

Welcoming the new cross border initiative, Chief Officer of CAWT, Bernie McCrory said: “Opportunities like this are extremely important because they enable our doctors, nurses and other health care professionals from both sides of the border to engage in joint training which ultimately benefits patient and clients. Our support for this training programme is just part of the work of the CAWT cross border partnership in improving access to health services and facilitating greater integration between the health services in both jurisdictions.”