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Safe

Delivery of safe care by avoiding injuries to patients from healthcare that is intended to help them.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme is now making a significant impact across the NHS in Scotland. It aims to implement a set of key evidence-based interventions uniformly across all acute hospitals in Scotland, and to deliver significant reductions in premature mortality and in adverse events. We will develop appropriate approaches to improving safety in primary care and in mental health involving the contribution of both patients and staff.

NHSScotland's eHealth Strategy launched in June 2008 is focused on using information to improve quality. The aim is to build a 'virtual patient record' that will contribute towards safety, continuity of care and collaborative decision making.

The strategy will ensure that the Scottish Patient Safety Programme, combined with our comprehensive HAI agenda, delivers change on the ground, so frontline staff can deliver a higher level of service to patients.

    • Initial Improvement Interventions for the Delivery of Safe Care

      Initial improvement interventions will be:

      • Accelerate roll out of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme in acute care, reducing hospital mortality and harm;
      • Implement patient safety programmes for primary care and mental health;
      • Accelerate medicines reconciliation across all transitions of care;
      • Ensure synergy with the work of the HAI taskforce to secure further reductions in infection; and
      • Extend the Electronic Care Summary and make widely available.