The Government has commissioned an independent review of patient safety organisations. This was one of the recommendations PHSO made in its 2023 Broken Trust report.
The Dash Review, carried out by Penny Dash, will assess whether six organisations deliver effective leadership, listening, learning, and regulation to the health and care systems in relation to patient and user safety. Those included in the review are Healthwatch England and the Local Healthwatch network, the National Guardian's Office, the CQC, the Patient Safety Commissioner, NHS Resolution and the Health Services Safety Investigation Body.
PHSO will work with the review, where relevant, to support any recommendations.
In response to the commissioning of the Dash Review, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Rebecca Hilsenrath said:
“In 2023, we published our Broken Trust report about avoidable deaths in the NHS and highlighted concerns about the complex and overcrowded patient safety landscape.
“In our report, we called for the Department of Health and Social Care to commission an independent review of what an effective set of patient safety oversight bodies would look like to make sure there is clear leadership on safety, defined roles, accountability, and public clarity.
“With too many oversight bodies, there is a risk that patient safety concerns fall between the cracks and that when things go wrong, patients and their families don’t know who to turn to. Listening to patients well and learning from mistakes is crucial for patient safety.
“We welcome this new stage of the Dash Review and look forward to working with the team to make sure there is effective leadership and listening across patient safety organisations to support the provision of quality care and restore users’ trust in the system.”