Written question WQ91384

I am aware that a Patient Safety Commissioner has been appointed in England following a recommendation made to them in the Baroness Cumberlege’s Report ‘First Do No Harm’ to act as a champion for patients and lead a drive to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices, an area that is reserved by the UK Government.

I have no current plans to introduce a Patient Safety Commissioner in Wales. This is because at the time of Baroness Cumberlege’s Report, further to extending the powers of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, we already had plans to introduce the Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Act 2020 that established a new citizen voice body. Now known as Llais, this body makes sure that citizen’s views and experiences are heard and used by decision-makers to plan and deliver better health and social care services alongside an independent advocacy service. The Act also introduced:

• Duty of Quality on NHS bodies and Welsh Ministers to ensure all aspects of quality are considered in decision making about healthcare services; and

• Duty of Candour which made it a legal requirement for NHS organisations in Wales to be open and honest with service users receiving care and treatment.

In coming to my decision, I considered very closely the functions of the proposed Patient Safety Commissioner against the newly formed bodies and powers brought in in Wales. I am content that taken as a whole, the newly introduced measures in Wales strengthen patient advocacy and patients’ ability to have their voices heard, and to be responded to in an open and transparent way by health organisations in Wales. The introduction of a Patient Safety Commissioner at this time would duplicate much of what is already being done and embedded in Wales and would complicate the picture for patients wishing their voices to be heard. I will of course keep these arrangements under review whilst evaluating the work of the other models of Patient Safety Commissioners in the UK.