Sentinel enables Sedgefield PCT to log incidents online

Sedgefield Primary Care Trust is reported to have seen a dramatic increase in the reporting of patient safety incidents since the introduction of a web-based reporting tool twelve months ago.

Since the PCT started using a web-based incident reporting and reporting tool called Sentinel it has seen a 500% increase in patient safety incident reporting. PCT staff are now using the web- based reporting software to more easily report and analyse patient safety incidents and improve clinical governance.

Karen Conway, clinical governance lead at Sedgefield PCT said: "Sentinel has proven to be invaluable in helping us change the culture within the PCT, to acknowledge any mistakes, learn from them and take action to put things right. Comprehensive use of Sentinel also ensures we can meet NHS legislative requirements."

Sedgefield was the first PCT using Sentinel to be connected to the National Patient Safety Agency’s (NPSA) new National Reporting and Learning system. The system has helped the PCT to comply with guidelines and recommendations from the NPSA and the National Health Service Litigation Authority

Vantage Technologies, the manufacturer of Sentinel, say the software has helped the PCT’s clinical governance team to meet mandatory reporting requirements and provide more effective risk management. The system is said to have enabled a coordinated approach to incident reporting and analysis. Incident data can now more easily be shared and analysed, and is held in a central repository to improve knowledge and reduce risks to patients.

In total 333 PCT staff now use the patient incident reporting software, including district nurses, speech and language therapists, podiatrists, health visitors, school nurses, specialist nurses and dieticians. The system has been rolled out to 11 GP practices across the PCT.

Previously the PCT used a paper-based reporting mechanism run by the local acute NHS Trust, which meant there was little local ownership or availability of data. As a result members of staff did not always have available a systematic means of sharing information and learning from adverse events across the organisation.

Vantage says that Sentinel is also supporting the PCT to change culture, promoting a safety culture that is open and fair for sharing information and ensuring lessons are learned from patient safety incidents.