Facility, Clinical and Patient Safety

A hospitals safety consultancy provides services that cover three main areas: clinical and patient safety, facility and environmental safety, and overall risk and quality management. This integrated approach ensures that every aspect of the hospital is reviewed and aligned with national and international standards.

 

Clinical safety

A clinical safety consultancy helps hospitals reduce medical errors, improve patient outcomes, and comply with standards from regulatory and accreditation bodies. The scope of services ranges from strategic planning to hands-on training and implementation.

Clinical risk management

Consultants help identify, analyze, and mitigate potential hazards within a hospital's clinical operations.

•        Proactive risk assessment (FMEA): Conducting Failure Mode and Effects Analysis on high-risk processes, such as medication administration, to identify potential failure points and mitigate them before harm occurs.

•        Reactive incident analysis (RCA): Facilitating a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) following a significant adverse event or near-miss to uncover underlying systemic failures. The consultant helps develop corrective action plans to prevent recurrence.

•        Incident management system design: Establishing or improving a system for reporting, managing, and analyzing clinical incidents and near-misses. This includes setting up clear processes for data collection and analysis to track trends and drive improvement.

•        Medication safety reviews: Evaluating medication management systems and prescribing practices to identify and reduce errors in the handling and administration of medicines.

Digital clinical safety

With the increasing use of health IT systems, consultants ensure these technologies are implemented and used safely.

•        Health IT risk assessment: Conducting a comprehensive assessment of risks associated with new health IT systems, including electronic health records (EHRs), to ensure patient safety is maintained during deployment and use.

•        Clinical risk management documentation: Creating a clinical safety case for new or modified digital systems. This typically includes a hazard log, a clinical risk management plan, and a clinical safety report.

•        DCB standards compliance: Assisting with compliance for specific digital clinical safety standards, such as NHS DCB0129 (for manufacturers) and DCB0160 (for healthcare providers).

Quality improvement and accreditation support

These services focus on building a robust, compliant, and continuously improving clinical environment.

•        Accreditation preparation: Helping hospitals prepare for and achieve national or international accreditation, such as from NABH or JCI. This includes conducting gap analyses and mock surveys.

•        Policy and protocol development: Creating or updating clinical governance documentation, such as standard operating procedures (SOPs), infection control protocols, and patient safety policies.

•        Continual quality improvement (CQI): Training hospital staff in methodologies like Six Sigma to systematically measure, analyze, and improve clinical performance and safety metrics.

Education and training

Consultants provide expertise and education to empower hospital staff and leadership in promoting safety.

•        Safety culture training: Providing training programs for staff at all levels to foster a culture of safety, effective communication, and error reporting.

•        Leadership coaching: Training clinical leaders and managers to champion safety, engage staff, and manage resources effectively to improve patient outcomes.

•        Specialized training: Offering focused education on specific risk areas, such as infection prevention, medication safety, or fall prevention.

Performance monitoring and sustainability

These services ensure that safety initiatives are sustained and their effectiveness can be tracked over time.

•        Data monitoring and analysis: Setting up systems to track key safety performance indicators (KPIs), analyze trends in adverse events, and measure the effectiveness of safety interventions.

•        Internal audits: Conducting regular audits and chart reviews to monitor compliance with safety protocols and identify areas for corrective action.

•        Sustainable safety programs: Helping hospitals embed safety practices into their daily workflow, so they do not depend on the consultant's presence to maintain a safe environment.

 

Patient Safety

A hospital patient safety scope of service focuses on minimizing preventable harm to patients, reducing medical errors, and creating a culture of safety throughout the organization. A comprehensive program addresses clinical processes, technology, workforce issues, and patient engagement.

Strategic planning and assessment

•        Safety culture evaluation: A consultant measures the hospital's existing patient safety culture using tools like the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Surveys on Patient Safety Culture (SOPS). This identifies staff perceptions on teamwork, reporting, and leadership's commitment to safety.

•        Gap analysis: Reviewing current patient safety policies, procedures, and practices against national and international standards, such as those from the Joint Commission International (JCI) or National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH).

•        Program development: Creating a strategic plan with prioritized interventions to improve patient safety, addressing specific areas identified in the assessment.

Risk management and incident analysis

•        Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Facilitating structured investigations after an adverse event or near-miss to identify the underlying system failures, not just individual errors.

•        Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): Conducting proactive risk assessments on high-risk clinical processes (e.g., medication administration, surgical procedures) to identify potential failures and prevent harm before it occurs.

•        Incident reporting systems: Developing or refining systems for reporting and analyzing clinical incidents and near-misses. This often includes implementing digital tools for efficient data capture and analysis.

•        Sentinel event response: Guiding the hospital's response to sentinel events, including investigation, corrective action planning, and communication with leadership and staff.

Clinical and operational safety

•        Medication safety: Reviewing and improving all aspects of the medication management process, from prescribing and dispensing to administration, to reduce medication errors.

•        Infection control: Implementing robust programs for infection surveillance, hand hygiene, and sanitation to minimize healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

•        Patient fall prevention: Developing and implementing evidence-based protocols to reduce the risk of patient falls, including risk assessment tools and environmental modifications.

•        Surgical safety: Reviewing surgical processes and protocols to prevent errors related to wrong-site surgery, retained surgical items, and surgical site infections.

•        Patient identification: Assessing and improving patient identification practices to prevent errors related to misidentification during care delivery, medication administration, and blood transfusions.

Education, training, and communication

•        Staff training: Providing educational programs for all hospital staff levels on key patient safety topics, including effective communication, teamwork, and a non-punitive reporting culture.

•        Teamwork training: Implementing team training programs like Team STEPPS to improve communication and teamwork skills among clinical staff.

•        Feedback and communication: Establishing clear channels for feedback and communication about errors and safety issues, ensuring organizational learning and continuous improvement.

Patient and family engagement

•        Patient engagement strategies: Developing and implementing strategies to involve patients and their families in their own care and in the broader patient safety improvement process.

•        Shared decision-making: Promoting shared decision-making models to ensure patients are informed and involved in their treatment plans.

•        Patient feedback mechanisms: Setting up systems for collecting and acting on patient feedback regarding safety concerns and experiences of care.

 

Facility and environmental safety

These services address the physical environment of the hospital to protect patients, staff, and visitors from hazards.

•        Environment of care (EOC) assessments: Auditing the physical premises for safety hazards, including proper waste disposal, hazardous material handling, and security measures.

•        Fire safety and disaster preparedness: Developing and testing comprehensive plans for emergencies, such as fires and natural disasters.

•        Equipment safety: Ensuring that medical equipment is properly maintained, calibrated, and used correctly to avoid malfunctions.

•        Waste management: Implementing and auditing protocols for the safe handling and disposal of bio-medical and general waste.

•        Occupational health and safety: Protecting the health and safety of healthcare workers from hazards and injuries, including ergonomic risks and exposure to hazardous materials.

 

Risk and quality management

This involves establishing a governance framework to ensure continuous improvement and compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards.

•        Accreditation preparedness: Guiding hospitals through the process of achieving and maintaining accreditations like NABH or JCI. This includes performing gap analyses, providing documentation support, and conducting mock audits.

•        Regulatory compliance: Ensuring the hospital adheres to all relevant laws and regulations related to healthcare operations and safety.

•        Performance monitoring: Setting up systems to track key safety performance indicators, analyze data, and report on trends to measure the effectiveness of safety interventions.

•        Staff training and education: Conducting training programs for all levels of hospital staff to raise awareness of safety protocols, risk management, and quality improvement.

•        Integrated management systems: Helping hospitals implement management systems that bring together environmental, occupational health, and safety practices into a cohesive, organization-wide program.