Over 5,700 deaths ‘due to NHS errors’

Over 5,700 deaths and incidents of serious harm to patients occurred in the NHS from October 2008 to March 2009, it has been discovered.

New statistics released by the National Patient Safety Agency show that 459,000 safety mishaps involving patients occurred in England during this timeframe, reports the Times.

Although this represents an increase of 12 per cent compared to the previous six-month period, the agency argues that this is due to increased reporting and better communication in the industry.

“We have learnt from industries such as aviation that scrupulous reporting and analysis of safety-related incidents, particularly near misses, provides an opportunity to reduce the risk of future incidents,” explained Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS.

In other NHS news this week, the service launched a mental health checker that offers people information on symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression.