News / Berwick to spearhead zero harm review

US health quality leader Don Berwick is to lead work on making zero harm to patients a reality in the NHS.

The former adviser to Barack Obama on healthcare reforms, who spoke at the HFMA annual conference in December, will report in July, the Department of Health said. Further details were not available, but prime minister David Cameron hinted the areas he would look at would include healthcare-acquired infections and bed sores.

‘Quality of care means not accepting that bed sores and hospital infections are somehow occupational hazards and a little bit of these things is somehow okay. It is not okay. They are unacceptable. That’s what zero harm means,’ Mr Cameron said.

Following a Freedom of Information Act request, the BBC recently reported that 42% of serious untoward incidents in the NHS relate to bed sores. Clinicians believe 95% of bed sores are avoidable.

Figures for the two targeted healthcare-acquired infections show a fall in incidents. C difficile infections fell from 2,350 cases a month in April 2008 to 494 cases a month in November 2012. Annual rates of MRSA infections are currently running at about 403 cases a year – around a third of the cases recorded in 2009.

HFMA Policy Forum chair Chris Calkin welcomed Dr Berwick’s appointment. ‘We have made great strides forward on hospital infections but there is a huge amount we can do in this area,’ he said. ‘[Dr Berwick] spoke at the HFMA annual conference in December and he was both passionate and coherent about how high-quality care is better value care – delivering better outcomes and patient experience while also being more cost-effective.’

Photo: Dr Berwick at HFMA conference, see Healthcare Finance December 2012