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Dr Henrietta Hughes OBE has been appointed as the first ever Patient Safety Commissioner for England.
In her role, Dr Hughes will be an independent point of contact for patients, giving a voice to their concerns and ensuring they are heard.
She will act as a champion for patients and lead a drive to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices, improving how the healthcare system listens to patients, the government and the NHS.
The new role will ensure patients are listened to and prevent them from suffering avoidable harm
This new position was created after Baroness Cumberlege set out various recommendations for patient safety in the report First do no harm: the report of the IMMDS review, published in July 2020.
The report urged the government to appoint a Patient Safety Commissioner who would be an independent public leader with a statutory responsibility. The commissioner would champion the value of listening to patients and promoting users’ perspectives in seeking improvements to patient safety around the use of medicines and medical devices.
By doing so, the government hopes to prevent patients from suffering avoidable harm, ensuring they are listened to and can easily navigate the system when something goes wrong.
“We want to make the NHS as safe as anywhere in the world, and we must retain an absolute focus on achieving this goal,” the Department of Health and Social Care wrote in its formal response to the recommendations.
“Patients’ voices need to be at the heart of the design and delivery of healthcare”
On top of her new role, Dr Hughes will continue to practice as a GP and chair of Childhood First, a charity that promotes and furthers the care, treatment and rehabilitation of children and adolescents.
She said: “I am humbled and honoured to be appointed as the first Patient Safety Commissioner. This vital role, recommended in First Do No Harm, will make a difference to the safety of patients in relation to medicines and medical devices.
“Patients’ voices need to be at the heart of the design and delivery of healthcare. I would like to pay tribute to the incredible courage, persistence and compassion of all those who gave evidence to the report, their families and everyone who continues to campaign tirelessly for safer treatments.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has endorsed Dr Hughes, and says the new roll will help to ease pressure on staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the Covid pandemic.
He said: “Dr Henrietta Hughes brings a wealth of experience with her as the first ever Patient Safety Commissioner to improve the safety of medicines and medical devices and her work will help support NHS staff as we work hard to beat the Covid backlogs.”