Quality & Patient Safety

UK's chief medical officer urges fines for medical errors, infections

Patient Safety Monitor: Global Edition, December 25, 2007

Sir Liam Donaldson, UK's chief medical officer, recently proposed that hospitals be fined when patients acquire healthcare-associated infections or are harmed by medical errors, reports The Times (London).

Taxpayers should not pay for hospital-associated infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphyloccoccus aureus, Donaldson said. The proposal will be brought before the Health Minister in an ongoing review of the National Health Service.

Donaldson said set tariffs for medical mistakes or healthcare-associated infections were a strong "lever for change," according to The Times. Under the proposal, hospitals will have a portion of their budget withheld to cover the cost of any patient harmed by the hospital.

To read the full article, click here.

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