Patient Safety Information
Healthcare quality and safety and clinical governance are interlinked. Standards of practice for ophthalmic care are available from the College and the National Institute for Health Clinical Excellence (NICE) and in position papers from the College’s Professional Standards Committee. The maintenance of such standards in ophthalmology at organisational level is achieved through adequate staffing levels, proper facilities and appropriate managerial support. Strict attention to detail and careful consideration of the patient pathway is needed to maintain and to enhance ophthalmic patient care and service delivery.
The Professional Standards Committee or its Quality and Safety Group regularly issues clinical statements or advice for ophthalmologists and related professionals to help enhance patient safety or share information.
NHS England publishes New safety standards published for invasive procedures 7 September 2015
The National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs) were published in September 2015 to support NHS organisations in providing safer care and to reduce the number of patient safety incidents related to invasive procedures in which surgical Never Events can occur. The NatSSIPs cover all invasive procedures including those performed outside of the operating department.
Check Lists:
Surgical checklists represent a relatively simple and promising strategy for addressing surgical patient safety worldwide. The RCOphth/WHO cataract surgery checklist has been in use for some time and is often adapted for local use.
Many centres have also adapted the checklist model for other procedures and some have kindly agreed to share these examples via the College website for others to use or adapt:
- WHO/NPSA Surgical Checklist
- Cataract Surgery Checklist
- Bolton NHS Foundation Trust IOL Selection and IOL Theatre Checks Prior to IOL Insertion
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Macula Service Theatre Checklist – October 2014
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Laser checklist
- Moorfields Eye Hospital Surgical Safety Checklist Example
- Moorfields Eye Hospital Collecting a patient specific intraocular lens
- Moorfields Local SSIPs
Members wishing to contribute to other examples or have any thoughts on similar resources that it might be useful to share regarding local documents pertinent to patient safety, please send them to the College’s Quality and Safety Group via beth.barnes@rcophth.ac.uk
Related documents
- Quality and Safety Group Terms of Reference
- Generic Latanoprost Prescribing
- Preventing venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing ophthalmic procedures
- Review of the Ocular side effects of Topiramate
- Ocular side effects of Topiramate: Frequently asked questions
- Ophthalmic Special Order Products Aug 2016 The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and the UK Ophthalmic Pharmacy Group have updated the Ophthalmic Specials Guidance document to reflect changes to the products list. The guidance is primarily for healthcare professionals, but patients are also encouraged to ask their doctor, consultant or pharmacist about the medicines that they are prescribed, both licensed and unlicensed.
Related links
- Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers – getting the medicines right
- MHRA reporting adverse incidents involving medical devices
- MHRA Yellow Card Reporting suspected side effects to any medication including vaccines
- NHS Patient Safety NRLS
- NRLS Ophthalmology
- NRLS Patient Safety Incident Reporting