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Written question asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 January 2024, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 24 January 2024. It was answered by Lord Markham (Conservative) on Wednesday, 17 January 2024 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


Operating Theatres: Fires

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that all instances of fires in operating theatres across NHS England are reported to the Care Quality Commission.

Answer

Health and care providers in England are not required to report all surgical fires to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), except for those considered to be a serious incident. If the incident is serious, CQC is notified through the transfer of Strategic Executive Information System.

If CQC notes any fire safety concerns during an inspection, the provider gets referred to the local fire authority for them to take the appropriate action.

Any unexpected or unintended incident which could have or did lead to harm to one or more patients can be recorded on the Learn from Patient Safety Events service, to support local and national learning. This would include incidents caused by surgical fires or burns. Providers are encouraged to foster a positive safety culture among their staff, and ensure an appropriate local focus on incident recognition, recording, and response.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1463
Session
2023-24
Subjects
Fires Operating theatres
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk