Independent Patient Safety Council

The Independent Patient Safety Council was appointed by the Minister for Health, Simon Harris and held its inaugural meeting on 27th January 2020. The Council provides advice and guidance to the Minister for Health from a broad range of perspectives on the development of patient safety policy. Patient safety is a global and Irish health priority. Patient Safety aims to prevent and reduce risks, errors and harm that occur to patients and service users during the provision of health care. Engaging a broad range of perspectives in patient safety policy, including the patient and service user perspective, will lead to enhanced policy making. The Council members bring a wide variety of expertise and experience from their various perspectives including citizens, education, patient safety, health policy, healthcare leadership, and many more.

Press release for the Launch of the Independent Patient Safety Council, 27 January 2020

The Independent Patient Safety Council is chaired by Noeline Blackwell, CEO of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. The Council meets 2 to 3 times per year and agrees an annual work programme with the Minister for Health. In 2020, the Council was asked to present the Minister with recommendations on a National Policy Framework for Open Disclosure in Healthcare in Ireland, to assist organisations and clinicians to apply the principles of open disclosure to communicate with patients when healthcare does not go to plan. Open Disclosure in healthcare is the open discussion that the healthcare provider has with patients or service users, their families or support people when something goes wrong that has harmed or had the potential to cause harm to a patient or service user.

In January 2021, the Council provided the Minister for Health with its Recommendations on a National Policy Framework for Open Disclosure in Healthcare in Ireland. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly welcomed the Recommendations as a significant step forward in developing, fostering and embedding a culture of open, honest and transparent communication across the health sector, in particular for patients, service users and their families when something goes wrong that has harmed or had the potential to cause harm to a patient or service user. On foot of these recommendations and high-level implementation approaches, the Department of Health will develop a National Policy Framework for Open Disclosure in Healthcare in Ireland.

The report produced by Crowe - Evidence to Support the Independent Patient Safety Council for the Development of Recommendations on a National Policy Framework for Open Disclosure in Healthcare in Ireland (2021), is attached as an appendix to the Independent Patient Safety Council’s Recommendations.

National survey on a Framework for Open Disclosure in Healthcare in Ireland

In preparing their recommendations, the Independent Patient Safety Council requested the Department of Health to commission an independent evidence review and national stakeholder and public consultation to provide them with the necessary background. A national survey was conducted in 2020 and further information on this survey can be found here. Crowe Consultants were commissioned in 2020 to conduct this exercise.

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The collaborative expertise from the ministerially appointed Independent Patient Safety Council provide valuable advice and guidance to inform policy direction in relation to patient safety policy and works in support of the promotion of a culture of patient safety throughout the health services.

This has included Council oversight to the commissioning of research in 2023 which was undertaken by Crowe Consultancy, to identify the culture and values which should underpin a successful, patient-focused, patient safety incident management process.

A set of recommendations on Principles and Culture for Patient Safety Incident Management in Healthcare in Ireland have been produced, based on the evidence provided in the Crowe report to the Independent Patient Safety Council. It is intended that the high-level principles and recommendations outlined in the report will support a coherent approach from to support policy and legislative development around patient safety incident management in healthcare in Ireland.