Reporting system for medical errors

Responding to research (published in the British Medical Journal of 2 March 2001) led by Prof Charles Vincent of University College, London on adverse events (defined as ‘unintended injuries caused by medical management rather than the disease process’), the Department of Health (DoH) is setting up a compulsory national reporting system. A DoH statement says medical errors will no longer be treated as ‘one-off’ events, lessons will be learnt and shared throughout the NHS.