Putting patient safety first with launch of poster campaign

Maintaining patient safety is at the heart of everything Oxford University Hospitals does, and today (19 September 2018) we are unveiling posters as part of our 'right patient, every time' campaign.

Three different posters have been designed to inform patients at our hospitals that clinicians must always ask them to say who they are by stating their name and date of birth.

The posters, which explain to patients what to expect when they attend an appointment, will be put up in all four of our hospitals: the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

They will be visible in any location where patients are treated.

The launch comes after a series of serious events, in which Positive Patient Identification (PPID) was recognised as a contributing factor. 

We are committed to learning from such events.

To ensure patient safety is at the highest level it can be, our staff will always ask patients to confirm their name and date of birth before any examination or treatment takes place.

Staff must always ask patients for the information, even if they know them well.

Getting the 'right patient, every time' is a priority for us and, earlier this year, internal posters were produced to remind staff in clinical areas to make sure they confirm the patient they are about to treat.

We are revising our PPID policy, which needs to be followed to ensure that patients receive the correct treatment and are protected from harm.

Senior staff will highlight the importance of patient identification and the poster campaign through a scheme called 'Wristband Wednesdays'.

A series of audits will take place to ensure patients are wearing correct identification wristbands and that staff are always asking to confirm their name and date of birth before commencing any treatments.

Wristband Wednesday will occur at least monthly until senior leaders can be assured the process is engrained in the culture of OUH.

Sam Foster, Chief Nurse at Oxford University Hospitals, said: "We take patient safety very seriously across our hospitals.

"We want to take measures to ensure our staff ask the right questions to correctly identify their patients - and that patients know what to expect when they attend their appointments.

"In the past, staff have met patients on several occasions and presume they know who they are caring for.

"This has not always been the case, resulting in mistakes which we understand should not happen.

"We are transparent about these issues and take them extremely seriously."