The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) are an Arm’s Length Body of the Department of Health and are responsible for helping improve patient care. Their vision is to lead and contribute to improved, safe patient care by informing, supporting and influencing healthcare organisations and individuals working in the health sector.
The work of the NPSA is divided into three areas:
Reducing risk
The NPSA work with other health agencies and organisations, at a local and national level, to identify risks and develop recommendations to reduce risk based on best practice.
NHS staff report incidents that did or could have impacted on patient safety to the national reporting system which the NPSA then assess and analyse. From this information, they develop recommendations by consulting people and organisations which are in the best position to give good quality advice. Recommendations are then passed to the NHS to use as good practice.
Clinical assessments
The National Clinical Assessment Service, a division of the NPSA, provides advice, assessments and support to healthcare organisations and healthcare staff to make doctors' and dentists' work safer for patients.
The service achieves these things by working closely with deaneries and colleges and keeping up a strong programme of audits, assessments and research.
Ethical research
The National Research Ethics Service encourages ethical research in the UK. Ethical research is research that protects the rights, safety, dignity and wellbeing of the people who take part.
The National Research Ethics Service makes the processes for reviewing research ethics more efficient and effective. The service provides support for research ethics committees throughout the UK, who assess and oversee research projects, and provides systems they can use to help them with their work.