07.01.13
Guidelines for monitoring healthcare workers launched
A scheme that will share relevant information on healthcare workers in the interest of patient safety has been launched. The guidelines show key principles that employers should apply where the conduct of a healthcare worker comes into question.
‘Guiding Principles’ has been prompted by the upcoming Francis Inquiry report into the failings at Mid Staffordshire Trust, highlighting the importance of robust processes to ensure patient protection.
The proposals were brought forward by the NHS Employers Organisation and they aim to strengthen the duty on employers and staff to whistle-blow.
The guideline procedures also include pre- and post- employment checking, an alert notice system and revalidation for doctors.
The guidelines further respond to calls for public and private organisations to work together. This will ensure that a person posing a risk to patient safety will be identified and managed if they enter into a private healthcare institution after being employed within the NHS.
Dean Royles, director of the NHS Employers organisation, said: “Patients and the public put their trust in the professionals who care for them. As employers, we have a responsibility to make sure those standards of care are the best they can be.
“Healthcare workers whose standards are a cause of concern, can sometimes go undetected by moving between organisations before concerns are verified and acted upon. This is a risk we want to minimise, and we know employers will take swift action to curb any harm to patients that could arise as a result.
“By helping employers improve the way they share information about the performance of staff, we can help reduce the risk of exposing patients to substandard levels of care. That is something which employers in public, private and voluntary sector can all sign up to.”
Sally Taber, director of the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services said: “Employers in the independent sector which we represent welcome this guidance, the results of which will be improved patient safety. Independent Hospitals are providing a very full range of services and the importance of sharing information about the performance of staff cannot be over emphasized.”
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