Response to Don Berwick patient safety review

Responding to today's publication of the Don Berwick Review into patient safety, Professor Norman Williams, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said:

‘The publication of today’s Review rightly reinforces the fact that patients and carers must be empowered, engaged and heard.  We have continuously said that patients should be at the heart of decision making processes about their care. The Government must now clearly set out who will be responsible for implementing the recommendations in today’s review. Otherwise, with multiple layers of solutions from different quarters, we risk having no clear path for action.

We believe trust and openness between clinicians, mangers and patients lies at the heart of all good healthcare. The surgical profession has led the way on the public reporting of outcomes data so we strongly agree with the Reviews acknowledgement of the need for quality data to improve patient care. This will help reduce mortality rates through greater scrutiny and drive down poor performance.  We are committed to working with all parts of the healthcare system to cement a culture of exemplary clinical practice in all of our hospitals and ensure poor care is eradicated.’

Notes to editors

For more information, please contact the RCS press office on:

• 020 7869 6047/ 6052
• communications@rcseng.ac.uk
• Out-of hours: 07966 486 832
• The Royal College of Surgeons of England is committed to enabling surgeons to achieve and maintain the highest standards of surgical practice and patient care. Registered charity number: 212808