(UK) NHS staff told to say 'I am sorry' to patients for medical blunders

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/29/nhs-staff-sorry-patients-medical-blunders



Professor Terence Stephenson, GMC chairman said: ‘Saying ‘I am sorry’ is intuitive. You want to avoid saying, for example, ‘my trust regrets’ or ‘the organisation that I work for regrets’.’

NHS staff told to say 'I am sorry' to patients for medical blunders
Denis Campbell
Sunday 28 June 2015 19.02 EDT

Doctors, nurses and midwives will have to offer patients face-to-face apologies and say they are personally sorry about medical blunders under tough new rules designed to make the NHS more honest.

The 920,000 members of those three professions must now offer a prompt and heartfelt apology and explanation to the patient when things go wrong under new guidance being published on Monday.

It applies to all the UK’s 234,000 doctors and 686,000 nurses and midwives. The guidance should mean that those injured by mistakes during treatment, such as being given the wrong drug, are told immediately what happened and what harm they have suffered or may suffer as a result.

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates doctors, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council think that genuine, personal apologies will help patients overcome their anxiety and distress.