Waikato DHB Reports 23 Serious And Sentinel Events

Media Release

Date: 21 November 2012

Waikato DHB Reports 23 Serious And Sentinel Events

Waikato District Health Board aims to provide high quality care for our patients.

However incidents regularly occur which harm our patients and our staff.

We know that many are preventable and we will continue to focus on reducing these as a priority.

Today Waikato DHB's list of serious and sentinel events for 2011-2012 appears on our website.

We are reporting 23 events, down 28 from last year. Since the publication of these events started in 2007 we have reported 24, 36, 60, 52 and 51 events.

Nine of the events this year involved falls, eight were clinical management problems, two were medication errors and we had one each of inpatient suicide, retained instruments or swabs, absent without leave patient and 'other' which involved an acutely unwell patient assaulting a staff member.

Adverse events have major implications for the patients, the health professionals involved and affect the organisation because the wider community questions our reputation when we fail to meet the high standards of care our patients expect of us.

Adverse events also result in wasted Waikato DHB resources.

We must improve our performance by reducing avoidable errors and continue that every year.

To do this will involve looking at many of our systems and processes and making improvements that enhance the patient experience and journey, as well as achieve better outcomes.

More information
• Learn more about patient safety - a continuous improvement
• Visit the Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand website for more information
• Media release: Uncomplicated births the norm for Waikato DHB mothers

ENDS

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