What we do

Patient safety is the Trust’s absolute top priority and we want to ensure safe and supportive systems, processes, policies and practices are in place to support this. 

Our patient safety priorities are based on the national priorities and requirements, local intelligence and also incorporating the evidence base as to what constitutes patient safety, to ensure we are focusing on the things that are important. These priorities have been incorporated into the Trust’s Quality Strategy for 2018-2021.

The Trust’s Patient Safety Team are working to foster a robust safety culture by taking action to reduce avoidable patient harm, diminish variation in practice and improve efficiency and clinical effectiveness whilst always ensuring safe, patient-centred care.

Being Open about what happened and discussing events promptly, fully, openly, honestly and compassionately can help patients, their families, carers and staff cope better with the after effects.  The Trust's Being Open and Duty of Candour Policy provides support to staff in applying the guiding principles such as acknowledging, apologising and explaining when things go wrong; conducting comprehensive investigations into the incident; reassuring patients that lessons will be learned; and ensuring appropriate support is provided for those involved.

Being Open and Duty of Candour Policy

Who we are

Debbie Cheetham
Head of Patient Safety & Patient Safety Specialist
Email: debra.cheetham@nhs.net
Tel: 0191 5656 256  Ext. 41920
Bleep: 52251   
Mobile: 07786511873
Based in Nursing & Quality Directorate, Trust Headquarters, Sunderland Royal Hospital

Ayesha Marshall
Patient Safety Lead Nurse
Email: ayesha.marshall@nhs.net
Tel: 0191 5656256 Ext. 42400 / Mobile 07775339500
Based in Nursing & Quality Directorate, Trust Headquarters, Sunderland Royal Hospital 

Susan Leonard

Senior Nurse Patient Safety
Email: sue.leonard1@nhs.net
Tel: 0191 5656 256  Ext. 49096
Based in Nursing & Quality Directorate, Trust Headquarters, Sunderland Royal Hospital

Alison Thompson

Senior Nurse Patient Safety

Email alison.thompson33@nhs.net

Tel: 0191 5656256 Ext 49097

Based in Nursing & Quality Directorate, Trust Headquarters, Sunderland Royal Hospital

Our patient safety priorities are:
  1. Pressure ulcers: reduce the incidence of category 2-4 pressure ulcers which have developed in our care by 25%.
  2. Falls: Reduce the incidence of significant harm from patient falls, such that we are in the lower quartile of reporting Trusts nationally.
  3. Deteriorating patients: improve the recognition and management of acutely ill/deteriorating patients in hospital by:
    • accurate and timely recording of Early Warning Scores for all (100%) patients.
    • 5% reduction in the number of cardiac arrests.
    • ensuring high-quality timely communication, decision-making and recording in relation to decisions about Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation.
  4. Nutrition & Hydration: Achieve at least 90% compliance with:
    • nutritional screening on admission to hospital.
    • compliance with recording of fluid input and output.
  5. Medicines Management: improve medicines management by: 
    • ensuring that medicines reconciliation is achieved for 95% of patients within 24 hours of admission to our hospitals.
    • reducing the incidence of missed doses of medicine by 50%.
       

Tissue Viability Service

Nutrition and Hydration

Hospital Transfusion Practitioners

Resuscitation Service

Falls
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