QA Hospital records joint third-highest number of never events

Seven ‘never events’ were recorded at the Portsmouth hospital between April 2017 and February this year.

QA Hospital had three records of foreign objects being left in bodies, two of the wrong part of the body being treated, one of the wrong implant/prosthetic being used and one of a patient not being connected to oxygen.

Guys & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust had the highest figure of 10.

John Knighton, medical director, said: ‘‘Never events’ are a major focus for us as safety in patient care is our top priority. We encourage all of staff to raise concerns, investigate and learn from mistakes.

‘While most of these ‘never events’ thankfully did not result in severe harm, they are all taken very seriously, and we must learn from them.

‘We have further increased our focus on patient safety with a dedicated senior clinical team leading our learning from significant incidents.’