Spire Harpenden Hospital

We looked for evidence that safety was a priority for everyone and that leaders embedded a culture of openness and collaboration. We checked that people were protected from avoidable harm, neglect, abuse and discrimination, and that systems and processes supported the delivery of safe care.

At our last assessment we rated this key question as good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

Across medical care and surgical services, effective systems were in place to identify, manage and mitigate risks to patients. Staff understood their responsibilities for keeping people safe and worked collaboratively to deliver care in line with evidence-based practice. There were processes to identify and respond to deteriorating patients, and staff took appropriate action to reduce the risk of avoidable harm, including falls, pressure damage and venous thromboembolism.

Medicines were managed safely, and staff followed procedures to support the safe delivery of care and treatment. In surgical services, robust safety processes were used before procedures commenced to ensure the correct patient received the correct treatment. Across both services, patients were protected from abuse, neglect and discrimination, and staff understood how to raise concerns and report incidents.

Leaders promoted a culture of learning and continuous improvement, using governance and oversight processes to monitor safety and support learning when things went wrong.