[S]taff from North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust welcomed Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health and Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS England yesterday (Wednesday 23 August) for a discussion about patient safety.
Over 50 members of staff from a variety of roles met at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle to hear from the Secretary of State and Jane about their personal reflections on patient safety and key priorities for the coming months. The Trust’s nursing and medical directors, Maurya Cushlow and Dr Rod Harpin, presented the Trust’s patient safety improvements as well as areas of work the Trust continues to focus on. Staff were also given the opportunity to ask questions including relating to workforce and recruitment.
Helen Ray, deputy chief executive at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Health and the Chief Nursing Officer to the Trust and the opportunity to share with them and our local MPs, John Stevenson and Trudy Harrison, the positive changes and developments that our staff have made to ensure that safety is at the heart of all we do.”
Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said: “It was a pleasure to meet staff at North Cumbria University Hospitals and hear about their success in exiting special measures. Everyone at the Trust should be proud about the impact of their greater focus on patient safety, including their very encouraging progress on avoiding never events and reducing the number of falls and pressure ulcers. Their sterling work is a vital contribution towards achieving my ambition of making the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world.”
