New ‘troubleshooting’ line at Weston General gets top prize at Royal Society of Medicine Awards

The honour was given to doctors in the Trust in recognition of their innovative approach to patient safety. 

The new ‘troubleshooting’ line (a formal reporting system that uses established practice from the aviation industry), means that staff can get action on things that they’ve picked up when out and about on wards and departments – however big or small. 

Importantly it also exists to track problems which in isolation may be minor, but if left unidentified could potentially become larger issues. What makes the formal reporting line even more unique is that medics at Weston took safety principles normally used in airplanes and for air travel and adapted them for use in the hospital instead. 

Many improvements have been implemented as a direct result of the troubleshooting line.  One example is the development of a more efficient transport system carrying blood samples from the hospital’s Emergency Department to its laboratory for testing. As a result waiting times for blood test results have been reduced, meaning doctors get a quicker diagnosis and have more time to spend caring for their patients. 

The programme is now playing a key role in safety improvement at the hospital. In the six months since the initiative launched at Weston, there has been a 60-fold increase in its use. 

Dr David Crossley, Consultant Anaesthetist and Director of Patient Safety at the Trust, said: “Our troubleshooting model is based on aviation safety theory, which suggests that for every incident there are multiple opportunities to highlight and possibly prevent that event from ever happening. 

 “We’ve encouraged our staff to use the system to report any potential incident, big or small, and that’s helped to increase reporting across the hospital. By flagging any concerns, our staff are helping to continually improve our existing patient safety standards.” 

Judges at the Royal Society of Medicine Awards, which recognise and celebrate contributions to improving patient safety , were so impressed that they awarded doctors at Weston the top prize in the category of ‘New Perspectives in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement’. 

Dr David Crossley adds: “We’re delighted that our initiative has been recognised by Royal Society of Medicine. Our team of doctors had to present their case against some really stiff competition, so to win first place is fantastic. 

“The Trust has really embraced the project and reporting has already increased significantly. We believe this lead to a safer culture which will only benefit our patients.”