Never Events are serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if the available preventative measures have been implemented.
A core list of Never Events was introduced by the National Patient Safety Agency for the NHS in April 2009. The Welsh Government have issued a
Welsh Health Circular WHC 2022(020) July 2022 with a Policy Statement and the list has been reviewed and is included
here.
Please note the following changes to the Never Event List July 2022:-
- Wrong tooth extraction is no longer a Never Event - The confirmation letter to the NHS from July 2021 is available here.
- Undetected oesophageal intubation is currently suspended from the list (see WHC link above).
- Administration of medication by the wrong route - the ‘intravenous administration of a medicine intended to be administered by the epidural route’ cannot be considered a Never Event during the transition period for NRFit™ devices.
Further reviews will be completed working with NHS England.