Patient safety concerns - interim escalation process
After recent meetings allowed Healthwatch to share and reflect on patient safety concerns, we developed an intermin escalation process. Read about it and our longer-term plans here.
During recent meetings with Healthwatch, the pressing need for a more robust escalation process to address patient safety issues became evident.
As a result, we are now working with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on a bespoke process for Healthwatch to escalate patient safety concerns. This will feed Healthwatch concerns directly into the CQC's new regulatory platform and will allow CQC to track issues and report back to Healthwatch at a local and national level on any actions taken.
Until CQC has completed the work on the regulatory platform to accommodate this, we have created an interim process which mirrors the initial steps of the CQC escalation process. This is as follows:
Interim Escalation Process
Definition and scope
The escalation process is to be used when your Healthwatch believes there are potential systematic safety concerns which are affecting several people rather than individual circumstances, including nearly never events.
Response timings
The escalation process involves several stages. Under s 224 of Health and Care Act, your Healthwatch should expect a response within 20-30 days. However, given the seriousness of your concerns, you should consider what is a reasonable period to expect a response for each stage of the process.
Initial Steps:
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Your local Healthwatch identifies concerns about patient safety/the culture/governance of one or more health and/or care organisations that risks patient safety.
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Your local Healthwatch raises the matter with the organisation(s) in question directly unless there is a valid reason preventing this (such as the concern is about a CEO or senior leader). You should consider your local safeguarding policy and processes if appropriate.
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If this is unsatisfactory, your local Healthwatch raises the matter with the commissioner of the service and/or your integrated care board
Escalating to CQC:
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If the initial steps have proved unsatisfactory, you may wish to discuss the matter with your regional manager, who can raise the matter, if appropriate with Healthwatch England colleagues for a prompt response.
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You can then decide to share your concerns with CQC via enquiries@cqc.org.uk where the information will be recorded and triaged appropriately. In order for Healthwatch England to track and record issues escalated to CQC we ask that you copy your regional manager into these communications.
Review:
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Healthwatch England will liaise with the CQC to gain an overview of the cases raised by local Healthwatch. Subsequently, we will share general findings with the quarterly Healthwatch Patient Safety Network for understanding and learning.