Cwestiwn ysgrifenedig WQ86795

I welcome the recommendations of ‘Safer Care for All’ in its call for a Health and Social Care Commissioner for all UK nations. Patient safety is already at the heart of Welsh Government policy making. The commitment to patient safety is evidenced in a number of recent initiatives and legislative changes, including the Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Act 2020 (“the 2020 Act”) which will introduce duties of quality and candour in NHS Wales by April 2023. The Act will also introduce a new Citizen Voice Body to represent the interests of the public in respect of health and social services.

In addition, the powers of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales have been strengthened by the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019. New powers for the Ombudsman include the ability to undertake on its own initiative investigations, and to investigate health-related services provided by private bodies in a private health pathway when investigating a listed authority.

NHS Wales has its own ‘Once for Wales Concerns Management System‘ which was rolled out in 2021, the aim of which is to provide a consistent way of collecting data on patient safety incidents, complaints, claims and mortality records across NHS Wales, including primary care. New arrangements for the reporting of and learning from patient safety incidents have been introduced in NHS Wales with the new National Incident reporting policy in June 2021.

We are establishing a Quality and Safety programme overseen by a new Quality and Safety Board which will drive forward our safety agenda. In addition, the recently launched Safe Care Collaborative will support health boards and trusts to improve the quality and safety of care across their systems.