Blame-Free Culture Policy
Purpose
This document is intended to outline the principles of a blame-free culture; provide the policy itself, and establish how the policy should be incorporated to best effect within the Practice.
What is a Blame-Free Culture?
A blame-free culture within the workplace is where there is an established confidence from staff members that management will be fully supportive of their efforts in working to the Practice mission statement; enabling them to perform their duties to the best of their ability without fear that mistakes made will be held against them.
In order to promote a working environment where talent can flourish, staff members must be allowed to learn from mistakes, reflect on and examine errors made, and be encouraged to establish new ways of working which will support and promote best-practice; reducing the likelihood of further occurrences.
A blame-free culture, however, does not negate the need for professional and regulatory control or clinical accountability. These systems should be put into effect over and above the processes and procedures of a blame-free culture, as necessary.
Staff members should already understand the professional and regulatory constraints under which they operate, and under which circumstances events and incidents must be reported to the appropriate outside bodies.
The Practice follows the guidelines suggested in the revised version of the GMC document “Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety”, effective 12 March 2012, a copy of which can be downloaded here:
http://www.gmc-uk.org/Raising_and_acting_on_concerns_about_patient_safety_FINAL.pdf_47223556.pdf
With this in mind, staff members need to be aware that their safety, and that of all patients and visitors to the Practice, is dependent on a comprehensive series of systems, policies, protocols and procedures, along with well maintained and professionally operated equipment.
Policy
This document is intended to outline the principles of a blame-free culture; provide the policy itself, and establish how the policy should be incorporated to best effect within the Practice.
What is a Blame-Free Culture?
A blame-free culture within the workplace is where there is an established confidence from staff members that management will be fully supportive of their efforts in working to the Practice mission statement; enabling them to perform their duties to the best of their ability without fear that mistakes made will be held against them.
In order to promote a working environment where talent can flourish, staff members must be allowed to learn from mistakes, reflect on and examine errors made, and be encouraged to establish new ways of working which will support and promote best-practice; reducing the likelihood of further occurrences.
A blame-free culture, however, does not negate the need for professional and regulatory control or clinical accountability. These systems should be put into effect over and above the processes and procedures of a blame-free culture, as necessary.
Staff members should already understand the professional and regulatory constraints under which they operate, and under which circumstances events and incidents must be reported to the appropriate outside bodies.
The Practice follows the guidelines suggested in the revised version of the GMC document “Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety”, effective 12 March 2012, a copy of which can be downloaded here:
http://www.gmc-uk.org/Raising_and_acting_on_concerns_about_patient_safety_FINAL.pdf_47223556.pdf
With this in mind, staff members need to be aware that their safety, and that of all patients and visitors to the Practice, is dependent on a comprehensive series of systems, policies, protocols and procedures, along with well maintained and professionally operated equipment.
Policy
- All incidents must be reported immediately by each person directly involved, or present at the time, and reported to the Practice Manager who will make an initial review.
- The Practice Manager should list and carry out any emergency actions required immediately in order to correct the situation.
- If the Practice Manager considers that there may be regulatory or other significant reporting issues involved, they may suspend the normal review process and seek advice from external bodies and/or the GP partners as appropriate.
- If, after the initial review, the Practice Manager regards that the normal review process applies, s/he will speak with the staff members involved and initiate the following:
- Ask each staff member involved to make an open and honest report of the incident and the circumstances leading up to it.
- Ask staff members to identify problems in systems, policies protocols and procedures that may have contributed to the incident.
- Request that staff members suggest possible changes / additions to systems, policies protocols and procedures so that further incidents are less likely to occur.
- Invite staff involved to identify any additional training / mentoring which would assist them in safeguarding against further incidents.
- The Practice Manager should then review all staff suggestions, make additional contributions where necessary, then document all the additions / changes to be made.
- All additions / changes should then be agreed by the practice partners.
- The Practice Manager, in conjunction with staff members and GP partners, should compile an action plan to implement any changes / additions. Details must be given on what is required and within which particular timeframe. The group should highlight where changes will be implemented and how this will be rolled-out.
- The Practice Manager should also agree a review period with GP partners and other staff members in order to reflect on whether changes made have been correctly implemented, and establish what their impact has been on staff working practices and the practice itself.