This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
    • Politics
    • Transport
    • Lifestyle
    • Community
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Education
    • Sport
    • Harrogate
    • Ripon
    • Knaresborough
    • Boroughbridge
    • Pateley Bridge
    • Masham
  • What's On
  • Offers
  • Latest Jobs
  • Podcasts

Interested in advertising with us?

Advertise with us

  • News & Features
  • Your Area
  • What's On
  • Offers
  • Latest Jobs
  • Podcasts
  • Politics
  • Transport
  • Lifestyle
  • Community
  • Business
  • Crime
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Education
  • Sport
Advertise with us
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Health

We want to hear from you

Tell us your opinions and views on what we cover

Contact us
Connect with us
  • About us
  • Advertise your job
  • Correction and complaints
Download on App StoreDownload on Google Play Store
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Statement
  • Comments Participation T&Cs
Trust In Journalism

Copyright © 2020 The Stray Ferret Ltd, All Rights Reserved

Site by Show + Tell

Subscribe to trusted local news

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

  • Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

31

Mar

Last Updated: 30/03/2025
Health
Health

Harrogate hospital launches review into serious but preventable patient incidents

by Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter

| 31 Mar, 2025
Comment

0

harrogate-district-hospital
Harrogate District Hospital.

Harrogate District Hospital has launched a review after recording 12 “never events” at the site.

In a report before the hospital’s board, Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said the events were recorded over the last four years.

The health service defines a “never event” as “serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if healthcare providers have implemented existing national guidance or safety recommendations”.

They can include incidents such as administration of medication by the wrong route, a retained foreign object post-procedure and an overdose of a substance such as insulin.

In his report, Mr Coulter said a “thematic review” had been launched following the never events.

He said:

The review has shown that learning from never events has not always been embedded trust-wide, meaning similar never events have taken place in subsequent years.

This has led to the need for safety recommendations/actions to be repeated on multiple occasions.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust what the nature of the “never events” were and whether the trust would be making any recommendations following its review to avoid any further incidents.

A trust spokesperson told us that they were unable to give specific details on the events as it “may compromise patient and staff confidentiality”.

They added:

Never events are healthcare incidents that should be preventable if strong protective systems and process are in place and are followed by staff.

The systems and process seek to minimise the impact of human factors on the ability to deliver high quality healthcare. Learning from what goes wrong in healthcare is crucial to preventing future harm, but it requires a culture of openness and honesty to ensure staff, patients, families and carers feel supported to speak up in a constructive way. We are committed to promoting a culture of learning and openness at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust to maximise opportunities to keep our patients safe.

Each never event is fully investigated and recommendations are actioned. In any large organisation it can be challenging to embed the learning at every level.

We have recently commissioned a new programme of continuous improvement, known as ‘HDFT Impact’ which we are now utilising to further share and embed learning from incidents when things don’t go as planned, but also to share examples of high quality innovative healthcare.

StarHarrogate hospital defends selling unhealthy food in vending machinesStarFigures reveal how many planned-for nurses were missing at Harrogate hospital