NPSA to urgently apply engineering design approaches to reduce sentinel events.

The Index has not yet recorded a verbatim government response to this recommendation.

The National Patient Safety Agency was abolished and it’s functions now sit within NHS England

In July 2020, the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review was published. The review made several recommendations to improve patient safety, including the establishment of a Patient Safety Commissioner to advocate for patients’ voices and ensure that their concerns are addressed and the establishment of specialist centres to provide comprehensive treatment for those affected by issues like implanted mesh. The government accepted the majority of the review’s recommendations and has been working on their implementation, including tighter regulations on the medical interventions included in the report and better support for affected patients. Dr Henrietta Hughes was appointed the first Patient Safety Commissioner in 2022.

Also, NHS England has introduced steps to improve patient safety, such as the NHS Patient Safety Strategy in 2019 to drive a culture of patient safety through learning across the NHS.

The Government agreed with this recommendation. In its January 2002 response, the Department of Health said it was working with the Design Council to look at ways of improving patient safety through new engineering and design solutions.