Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Pledges its Commitment to ‘Being Open’
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) is a special health authority, which leads and contributes towards safe patient care. The NPSA has asked all NHS organisations to have a ‘Being Open’ Policy and that staff know about it.
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has a ‘Being Open’ Policy in place and staff are aware of it through our training schedule.
‘Being Open’ means that our staff will be open and honest with you about your child’s care and we will:
· Provide you with information when it becomes available
· Answer your questions honestly and as fully as possible
· Tell you if things go wrong and we will do what we can to learn lessons
The Trust Board at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust gives their full commitment to the Being Open Policy and the following Being Open Principles:
Acknowledgement
Keep you informed about your care and if something has gone wrong, we will tell you as soon as possible what has happened and what this means for you. We will also take action to learn from what has happened so that it doesn’t happen again.
Truthfulness, Timeliness and Clear Communication:
We shall be open and honest at all times and provide information in a way you can understand.
Saying Sorry to You
We will offer our apologies for any harm that has occurred.
Recognising those people involved and recognising your expectations
We will aim to keep you informed at all times and if you wish to meet with staff, we will arrange this.
Professional Support
We encourage and support our staff to report any unexpected or unintended events so that we can learn from them.
Managing risks and making improvements
The results of our investigations will help us to learn from the experience to improve the way we work.
Being Open is Everyone’s Responsibility:
We have a Being Open policy that applies to all of our staff involved in the care and treatment of patients.
Clinical Governance (Quality)
We have systems in place to find out why something has gone wrong. We will then make changes to prevent it happening again.
Confidentiality
If a concern is raised, we will only tell those people who need to know about it. In some circumstances, we may need to ask for permission from others to provide information.
Continuity of Care:
A patient or their family’s care will not be adversely affected if a concern or complaint is raised.
Who to Contact:
Please speak to a Ward or Department Manager if you would like to discuss ‘Being Open’ further, or if you have a concern you would like to discuss. If you do not wish to do this, or still have concerns, you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) who will offer support and advice. PALS can also provide you with information on the formal complaint procedure.
