This report from the charity ‘Action against Medical Accidents’ looks at the implementation of Patient Safety Alerts, based on NHS trusts’ declarations as to whether they had completed the required actions in all relevant alerts by the given deadline.  This is the fourth report of its kind, and provides a ‘snapshot’ of the situation as it stood at 21st July 2011, regarding all patient safety alerts issued since 2004 for which the deadlines had already passed.

The main overall findings reported are as follows (taken directly from the report):

• Overall, 195 NHS trusts had not complied with at least one patient safety alert for which the deadline had already past. This is almost 50% of all NHS trusts.

• Of the 9 extra-urgent "Rapid Response Report" alerts issued in 2010 and which are already past the deadline for completion, not a single one has been complied with by every NHS trust. There are 269 instances of an NHS trust failing to comply with one of these types of alerts.

• A "Rapid Response Report" alert on "essential care after an inpatient fall" issued in January 2011 with a deadline of 14th July 2011 for completion, has not been complied with by 101 trusts.

• In total, there were 455 instances of a patient safety alert not having been complied with by an NHS trust. This is an improvement on 654 in the February 2011 report.

• 22 trusts had not complied with 5 or more alerts. This was an improvement on the February 2011 figure of 45.

• Some of the outstanding alerts are over 5 years past the deadline.