The NHS England National Patient Safety Team is seeking views on whether the existing Never Events Framework remains an effective mechanism to drive patient safety improvement.
Never Events are defined as patient safety incidents that are ‘wholly preventable because guidance or safety recommendations that provide strong systemic protective barriers are available at a national level and should have been implemented by all healthcare providers’ (Never Event Framework, NHS England, 2018).
The consultation follows CQC and HSIB reports which found that barriers are not strong enough to make an incident wholly preventable for some kinds of Never Event. It asks for views on whether the Never Events framework is still considered an effective mechanism to drive patient safety improvement and for a preferred option for its future.
The consultation is open until 5 May 2024.
