Investigation launched after ‘never event’ at Shropshire hospital's eye department
A patient safety investigation has been commissioned by Shropshire’s major hospitals trust after an incident in ophthalmology.
The board of the Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals Trust (SaTH) was told that the incident happened in May this year and is classified as a ‘never event'.
They are defined as serious incidents that are wholly preventable.
A SaTH spokesperson said patient confidentiality considerations meant no further details would be made public.
The incident was reported to Thursday’s (July 10) trust board meeting under “matters of concerns, gaps in assurance or key risks to escalate to the board”.
Information released in the board papers said the issue was raised at a meeting of the trust’s Quality & Safety Assurance Committee (QSAC) Key Issues Report on May 27.
The report read: “There was a never event in ophthalmology this month: a patient safety incident investigation has been commissioned.”
SaTH’s ophthalmology department works across the county, with outpatient departments in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
There are also outreach clinics in Whitchurch and Welshpool.
Complex eye surgery is performed at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, and the trust has its own dedicated cataract suite for routine cataract surgery.
Paediatric eye surgery is carried out in the Princess Royal Hospital Day Surgery Unit and there are specialised clinics for the treatment of macular degeneration at both RSH and PRH.
