The National Patient Safety Agency is said to have issued 57 safety alerts in 2004, out of which only 2 have been followed by every trust in England. The data was brought out by an independent charity, ‘Action Against Medical Accidents’, after they sought some information by making the use of RTI act.

These patient-safety alerts were being ignored time and again, the trust found. The west Hertfordshire hospital bosses, however, assert that these warnings are not being ignored, denying the seven failures found out by the charity.

The seven alerts include vaccine storage, standardizing identity wrist bands, bed mattresses, catheter insertion techniques, suicide risk of curtain rails and hoists for lifting disabled patients, tourniquets left on fingers and toes after surgery. Though none of them is said to have been shut down by the trusts, they argue than none of their patients are at a risk.

The trusts and the NHS organizations are supposed to report to the Department of Health’s central alert system after the implementation of these alerts. “The trust has a very strong culture of promoting patient safety and robust systems in place to ensure timely implementation of safety alerts”, said Colin Johnston, Medical Director and Director of patient safety for the West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust.