In the February 2022 edition of Clinical Risk Insights, Dr Cathal O'Keeffe, Head of Clinical Risk, reflects on the recent surge in the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and its impact on the delivery of healthcare, and highlights some of the key themes from the SCA's Quality, Clinical Risk and Patient Safety series which took place throughout 2021.

The recent surge in the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has again presented significant challenges to the delivery of healthcare, challenges that carry with them risks to patient safety, both in terms of the direct effects of COVID-19 and its indirect effects on non-COVID-19 care. Once more the SCA commends the resilience and dedication of health and social care workers in the face of these challenges.

Due to COVID-19, the SCA’s Quality, Clinical Risk and Patient Safety conference was converted in 2021 to a series of webinars, examining the theme of “Implementing and sustaining change” in the context of COVID-19. In the series we learnt how adaptable and resilient the health and social care sector can be in the face of challenges such as COVID-19. We heard from the HSE about the rollout of Attend Anywhere, the HSE’s telemedicine platform, and how clinicians adapted to the challenges of the pandemic by transforming their practice to deliver care virtually. We also learnt how COVID-19 generated greater synergies between services through more integrated care, and the potential that more integration holds for higher quality and safer care.

Central to the success of such initiatives are communication and teamwork. Teams that communicate well internally and externally can achieve extraordinary things; healthcare teams that do so provide safer care.

In this edition of the newsletter we present an overview of some of the common factors and features that arise in the course of claims management; deficiencies in communication are recurring features. The advice presented in the article, if acted on, will, we believe mitigate the risk of claims occurrence.

We hope you find the articles in this edition of benefit in your practice.