Human Factors

I have long admired Martin Bromiley of the Clinical Human Factors Group. His experiences around the death of his wife could have led him to sue the hospital where she died. Instead he used his background as an airline pilot to help the hospital and to set up a group to develop an awareness of human factors in healthcare.

Martin Bromiley believes that "Healthcare culture often inadvertently conceals systemic problems and in the past has laid the 'blame' on certain individuals.  But to me this is fundamentally flawed thinking.  It wasn’t the clinicians that failed; it was the system and training that failed them."

This understanding has been fuelled by a profound understanding of human factors. Dr Ken Catchpole, a human factors expert who has done much work in healthcare, defines clinical human factors as: “Enhancing clinical performance through an understanding of the effects of teamwork, tasks, equipment, workspace, culture, organisation on human behaviour and abilities, and application of that knowledge in clinical settings.”

From that background, I was delighted to see that the CHFG had contributed to the 'DH Human Factors Group Interim Report and Recommendations for the NHS', chaired by Sir Stephen Moss.

Then I read his blog on the Health Foundation website.

"Firstly, I’m particularly cautious of that old question often asked at the top of the NHS: ‘What’s the one thing we could do that would make the difference or gives us the biggest bang for our bucks?’ I hate that question because, to my mind, it misses the point. Culture change isn’t about doing one thing – it’s about doing lots of little things consistently and with purpose (whilst maintaining coordination).

"Secondly, we’re concerned that we’ll be seen as talking about a minority interest. The National Quality Board will say ‘nice presentation, now let’s get on with the real business of improving efficiency and saving money’. But of course, this is about the real business."

These are desperately sad comments. If true, they suggest an attitude at the Department of Health suggestive of Taylor's attitude. with thinking that could jeopardize the push for quality care that we should strive for. I hope the National Quality Board will listen instead to quality professionals.