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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY SENATOR S.C. FERGUSON
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 5th JULY 2011
Question
Will the Minister state
- how many of the Datex incident reports completed in the last 4 years refer to the work of the 32 locum doctors employed to undertake the work of the 4 doctors in the Division of Surgery whose duties are currently restricted?
- The number of Serious Untoward Incident investigations during this period which have investigated the work of any of the 32 locum doctors?
Answer
- DATIX is a software system used to capture information about incidents' that take place across hospital services and in the community. These incidents' cover a broad spectrum of events from an error in clinical practice to a slip or trip or a potentially faulty heating system. The DATIX system is also used to capture some elements of clinical data, for example HSSD's caesarean section rates.
The reporting of incidents' - regardless of whether they relate to clinical practice or a faulty
switch - is fundamental to improved patient safety and, in the words of Verita, is the "sign of a strong organisation". Verita acknowledges that HSSD has invested significant effort in creating and maintaining a culture of openness in which professionals can acknowledge their own limitations, raise concerns about the practice of colleagues or flag up sundry issues and concerns.
Over the 4 year period, 2008 to 2011, there was a total 12,070 DATIX reports across all hospital and community services of which 31 related to the 32 locum doctors (approx to 0.25%).
- There have been no SUI investigations relating to the 32 locums.