Light needs to be shone on adverse events

The Green Party is repeating its call for mandatory reporting and publication of all adverse events in New Zealand hospitals in the wake of the Health and Disability Commissioner's hard-hitting report into system failures at Capital and Coast District Health Board that led to a patient's death.

"In the absence of mandatory reporting we don't know whether this is an isolated case or a symptom of a much wider problem in our hospitals today. What we do know is that adverse events are costing the health system an estimated $870 million a year and that many are preventable. Each adverse event costs an estimated $10,200," Green Party Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley says.

"Our health system has been so preoccupied with meeting financial bottom lines and trying to cut waiting lists that the fundamentals of patient safety and quality care are not getting the attention they deserve. This is costing us not only financially but also in human lives.

"Patient safety and reducing the number of adverse events in our hospitals should be the top priority for every hospital in New Zealand. Publishing adverse events helps to focus the attention of the system on putting procedures in place to improve safety. Without mandatory reporting and publishing of this data, we're all in the dark," Ms Kedgley says.