Responding to the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) report on patient safety investigations, RCN Director for England Patricia Marquis said:
“When things go wrong in the NHS it is vital they are investigated so lessons can be learnt, and steps taken to prevent them from happening again. All nursing staff, no matter their contractual status or role, should have an opportunity to input into investigations.
“Delivering safe and effective patient care is being hindered by a chronic workforce crisis which sees tens of thousands of nursing posts lay empty across England’s NHS. As a result, providers over-rely on agency and temporary staff, harming continuity of care and disrupting the reporting of incidents which more effectively takes place with permanent staff.
“Billions of pounds is spent on temporary and agency staff, but the failure to involve them when things go wrong comes at the cost of patient care. They must not be excluded from any investigations. Failure to do this could lead to possible systemic issues going unrecognised.
“High-quality services require a stable workforce with higher numbers of permanent staff delivering continuous care. But this can only be built by improving the pay and working conditions of those who work in the NHS.”
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