In 2024/2025, the Department of Health and Social Care will launch a consultation on the clinical risk standards for the use of digital health technologies, as confirmed by the minister for patient safety.
Baroness Gillian Merron has announced a review of standards DCB0129 and DCB0160, which provide guidelines for managing and mitigating risks associated with healthcare IT systems.
This decision comes in response to concerns raised in a report by Patient Safety Learning regarding patient safety risks related to the implementation of electronic patient record systems (EPRs) in the NHS.
Following a BBC investigation that revealed incidents of serious harm linked to IT issues in acute trusts, including deaths related to EPR problems, Baroness Merron emphasized the importance of clinical risk standards in ensuring patient safety.
She stated that a comprehensive review of these standards is planned for 2024/2025, which will involve a public consultation and engagement with stakeholders.
Additionally, NHSE is reassessing digital clinical safety training and aims to increase the number of clinical safety officers (CSOs) in healthcare organizations to support the safe implementation of digital systems.
Patient Safety Learning’s chief executive, Helen Hughes, praised the upcoming consultation and emphasized the need for patient safety to be central to EPR implementation.
The CSO Council launched by Digital Health Networks aims to facilitate collaboration on digital clinical safety and provide a platform for sharing knowledge and best practices among CSOs.
Digital Health News reached out to DHSC and NHSE for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
