More than 17,000 deaths could have been saved in the UK annually had the country performed at the level of the top OECD countries, a study has revealed.
The institute’s report shed light on the challenges in patient safety across the world. Its country ranking reviewed 38 member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The study included four key patient safety indicators: maternal mortality, treatable mortality, adverse effects of medical treatment, and neonatal disorders.
The UK ranked 21st out of 38 countries, behind Norway, South Korea, Ireland, and Spain.
Had the UK performed at the level of the top 10 percent of the OECD countries, 17,356 people could have been saved on an annual basis, the report showed.
This would mean 15,773 fewer deaths classified as “treatable mortality,” where timely and effective interventions by medical staff could prevent the cause of death.
Neonatal disorders include preterm birth complications, neonatal sepsis, and neonatal encephalopathy owing to birth asphyxia and trauma. In this category, UK medical professionals could have prevented 776 deaths per year, the report said.
Researchers also reviewed the quality of surgical care, often described as “a forerunner to developments in patient safety.”
Safety of Maternity Care
Last year, the institute reviewed the state of patient safety in England. The main problems were associated with poor clinical monitoring, diagnostic errors, and poor maternity care. This year’s study revealed that 27 maternal deaths and 780 deaths owing to the adverse effects of medical treatment could have been avoided annually in Britain.This includes Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, whose maternity units at the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital saw dozens of babies in their care suffer brain damage or death between 2010 and 2020.
An investigation into maternity practices at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust was launched in June 2020, with findings revealing that 201 babies and nine mothers could have survived if they had better maternity care.
A trustee of charity Patient Safety Watch, James Titcombe, warned that unless the pace of improvement in maternity safety increases, the government risks missing its own 2025 targets.
Waiting Lists
Researchers also pointed out that increasing waiting lists affect patients with long-term conditions. Emergency services also feel the impact of longer waiting times.“Across all of these procedures, the average waiting time has either remained steady, or worsened. The UK is broadly in line with these trends,” the report said.
Waiting lists are affected by the shortage of doctors and poor retention of staff, Health and Social Care Committee officials warned last year.
Persistent understaffing of the NHS presents a serious risk to patient safety, MPs said, revealing that hospital waiting lists reached a record high of nearly 6.5 million in April 2022.
It showed that without immediate action, the NHS will face a workforce gap of more than 260,000–360,000 staff by 2036–37.
