Wendy Eyles

One of the findings of the the Patient Safety Incident Investigation (PSII) was that “.. there is no protocol for patients open to private and NHS psychiatry at Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust. The Psychiatrist’s role in patient care is to review and recommend appropriate medication and it is problematic if two Consultants are overseeing this at the same time. It can cause confusion and detriment to the patient if medication changes are not communicated between parties and represents a risk to patient safety… It is notable that CMHT operational managers from across the service differ in their views on the appropriateness of a patient being open to NHS and private services at the same time..”. It also emerged at Inquest that a NHS Consultant may not be aware that the patient is also receiving private psychiatry. Where the GP is notified of private psychiatry, it does not trigger a notification to NHS mental health services. Notification of the dual treatment may then be entirely dependent upon the information being shared by the patient.