Forum for Quality: Patient and staff safety is key

- This first meeting, for us, was very important, because, in my opinion, it showed not only a lot of interest, but also the enormous energy that is being generated in the community around the quality law and around quality in health care. It is worth noting the voices in the discussion that said: it is good that we have a chance to talk. It's good that everyone has a chance to voice their opinion. It's a pity that it's so late, and it's a pity that it's forced by what's going on outside," stressed Lukasz Jankowski.

The Forum for Quality and Patient Safety is an initiative of the Alliance of Medical Organizations (POL). Its establishment is the aftermath of the Parliament's rejection of the Law on Quality in Health Care and Patient Safety. Representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Patient Ombudsman, patient organizations and representatives of the medical profession were invited to participate in the Forum. Deputy Minister Piotr Bromber represented the Health Ministry at the first meeting. Patient Ombudsman Bartlomiej Chmielowiec also participated in the talks.

Recall, on Tuesday (9.05.) Health Minister Adam Niedzielski announced a new look at the issue of quality in health care. This is to involve the development of two separate laws on quality and the medical event compensation fund. However, a separate issue, excluded from these acts, is to be the no fault rule, which will be discussed among experts.

- There are voices urging us to make such a bill, quickly vote on it and then just improve it later. But we know that stopgaps unfortunately have the longest life in our country. There are a number of postulates that show how many circles have knowledge, have experience to pass on with regard to quality and safety, which are necessary to create a regulation that serves our society," noted Jacek Krajewski, head of the Zielonogórski Association.

In the opinion of the forum participants, it should not be forgotten that inextricably linked to patient safety is also the safety of the profession. Quality should be an inalienable element in this system.

- Without guaranteeing safe conditions of employment for medical and non-medical personnel, no quality can be developed," noted the head of the National Board of the All-Polish Physicians Trade Union, Grażyna Cebula-Kubat.

Sebastian Goncerz, chairman of the Residents' Agreement, drew attention to issues related to monitoring quality and rewarding facilities that care about it.

- The ministry wants to monitor and pay employees for quality. Maybe let's first make sure we monitor the right things before paying for them. The point is not to accidentally create some kind of pathology, an artificially driven indicator that doesn't really lead to quality," said Sebastian Goncerz.

Forum participants declare readiness for further meetings. In their opinion, the work on good solutions for quality requires months of hard work.