§ Mr. David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the adverse events in NHS hospitals involving the use of(a) an anaesthetic and (b) nitrous oxide in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999 and (iii) 2000; [151604]
(2) if he will list adverse events in NHS hospitals involving (a) erroneous intrathecal injections that should have been given intravenously, (b) erroneous intravenous injections that should have been given intrathecally and (c) other injection errors in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999 and (iii) 2000. [151605]
§ Ms Stuart[holding answer 27 February 2001]: The information requested is not currently collected centrally.
An expert group, which Ministers asked the Chief Medical Officer to chair, has examined how the National Health Service could more effectively learn from and prevent adverse events in health care. The group's report, "An Organisation with a Memory" was published last year and is available at: www.doh.gov.uk/orgmemreport.
Ministers agreed all 10 recommendations, including the four key categories of serious recurring adverse events initially identified for action. The NHS Plan includes the establishment of a national reporting system for adverse events as a key initiative intended to help protect patients and improve health care.
Detailed proposals are now being developed to establish a national reporting system, which we aim to establish by the end of 2001.