Keeping Patients Safe: Criminal Prosecution Is Not the Way

Achieving a restorative Just Culture through the patient safety incident response framework

“…The 2022 Radonda Vaught trial in the US emphasized the degree to which organizational responses to harm can predispose staff behaviors, such as protests, attrition, and anxieties due to broken trust and inadequate healing after an event. 9,10…”

“…The 2022 Radonda Vaught trial in the US emphasized the degree to which organizational responses to harm can predispose staff behaviors, such as protests, attrition, and anxieties due to broken trust and inadequate healing after an event. 9,10 The recent independent investigation into maternity and neonatal services in two NHS hospitals in East Kent highlighted with shocking clarity how patients, family members, and staff can feel invisible, insignificant, disposable, powerless, and alienated after a patient safety incident. 11 The event response efforts taken at the time were characterized by mistrust and defensiveness, ultimately compromising the ability to learn from an event and to put meaningful actions in place to improve patient safety.…”