New poll reveals harm caused by NHS
Almost one in 10 people feel they have been harmed by the health service in recent years, a new poll suggests.
Experts said that when treatment causes physical or emotional harm there can be long-term impacts as they said that there is “still some way to go to improve safety across the NHS”.
The survey of more than 10,000 adults across England, Wales and Scotland found that 9.7% reported that they has been caused harm by the NHS in the last three years.
This includes 6.2% who reported harm as a result of treatment or care and 3.5% who said that lack of access to care had caused them harm, according to the survey, which took place in late 2021 and early 2022.
The main location where harm was said to have occurred was in hospital, followed by GP surgery, according to the poll, which has been published in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety.
Of the 988 who reported physical or emotional harm, 37.6% reported a “moderate impact” and 44.8% said they had suffered “severe impact” as a result.
When NHS treatment itself or the lack of provision of such treatment results in physical or psychological harm, the impact on health and wellbeing can be long-term
Study author Dr Helen Hogan, associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “These findings indicate that healthcare harm affects a considerable number of the general public.
“Our study shows that there is still some way to go to improve safety across the NHS.”
She added: “When NHS treatment itself or the lack of provision of such treatment results in physical or psychological harm, the impact on health and wellbeing can be long-term.”
Responding to the survey, Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Patient safety is paramount and we are committed to ensuring all health and care is safe, effective and patient-centred.
“When things go wrong we expect NHS Boards to fulfil their statutory duty to be open with patients about what happened and to learn lessons to prevent it happening again.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson added: “We want any harm or concerns about care provided by the NHS in Wales to be reported so that it can be investigated thoroughly and openly.
“We are making the complaint process simpler so that the NHS can respond quickly to feedback, learn when things go wrong, and continuously improve the quality of care provided.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care in England added: “When things go wrong in healthcare, the NHS must learn from it and provide compassionate support for those affected, particularly the most disadvantaged or vulnerable.”
An NHS England spokesperson added: “The NHS has made significant progress in strengthening patient safety – including a nationwide programme of training and education – and we recognise there is still more to do to improve care for patients by providing better access to services and reducing health inequalities.”
