The Patient Advocacy Service welcomes the announcement this week by Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, that the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 will be commenced in the coming days. This announcement comes at a fitting time, as we celebrate World Patient Safety Day, a week filled with events highlighting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global campaign and action plan for patient safety. The WHO Patient Safety Rights Charter has at its core the right to information, dignity, respect, engagement and safe & effective health care processes and practices, and the Act enshrines these rights into legislation.
The commencement of this Act marks a significant step forward in enhancing patient safety across Ireland. It provides a strong legislative framework for mandatory Open Disclosure, ensuring that patients and their families are informed of any serious notifiable incidents and are included in any subsequent investigations. The legislation gives families the right to be heard and fair resolution. The Act mandates the notification of such events to the appropriate regulatory bodies, ensuring transparency and accountability in all health and social care settings.
The Patient Advocacy Service offers support to those who have been impacted by a patient safety incident, and through our work, we seek to support those impacted by such an incident and keep them at the centre of any processes that follow. Our Advocates are fully trained and trauma informed and through empowerment advocacy, can ensure that patients, nursing home residents and their families are fully informed of their rights so that they are fully engaged in any patient safety reviews and can share their lived experience and impact real change. Patients in public acute hospitals, residents in nursing homes and their families can contact the Patient Advocacy Service in the aftermath of a patient safety incident and avail of that independent support.
Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 is an important milestone in safeguarding patient rights, promoting transparency, and fostering trust in our healthcare system