17 more 'Never Events' added to NHS List
March 21, 2011
Posted by:Catherine Bell
17 new mistakes have recently been added to the list of events that should never happen during care in the NHS.
"Never events" are preventable medical errors that can cut short a life or lead to serious disability. The list identifies elements of substandard care that will not be tolerated in the NHS and may form the basis of a claim for medical negligence.
Following consultation with health professionals, organisations and the public the list of “never events” has been extended from 8 events to 25. New additions to the never list include:
• severe harm/death due to transfusing the wrong type of blood;
• severe scalding; and
• severe harm/death due to misidentifying patients by failing to use standard wristband identification processes.
NHS Medical Director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh said:
"The extended list includes avoidable incidents with serious adverse consequences for patients. No one wants these to happen, therefore we should not have to pay hospitals when these events occur. This will send a strong signal to leaders of the organisation to learn from their mistakes so they don't happen again."