House of Commons · Westminster Hall
16 December 2021 · 2 other contributors · 9,437 words
Opened by Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Responding minister: Maria Caulfield
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Jim Shannon raised concerns about surgical fires in the nhs in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
The MP asks the Government to take steps to make surgical fires a 'never event', including mandating reporting, providing education on prevention, and implementing necessary safety measures.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
The MP is concerned about the incidence of surgical fires in operating theatres, which can cause severe physical and psychological harm to patients and staff. The expert working group's report highlights that some 96 surgical fires occurred between 2010 and 2018, while NHS Resolution claims to have paid out £13.9 million in damages and legal costs between 2009 and 2019. Only a limited number of trusts across the UK have specific protocols for preventing these incidents.
Surgical fires are a serious issue causing injuries to patients and staff, with common causes including skin preparation solutions not drying sufficiently. Between 2010-2018, there were 96 recorded surgical fires in England and Wales, resulting in significant harm to some patients. Data discrepancies suggest the actual number of incidents may be higher.
Stressed the seriousness of surgical fires, highlighting that they can cause serious harm and injuries. He noted a discrepancy in data with 96 recorded incidents from NHS England acute trusts compared to 37 reports identified through the National Reporting and Learning System between 2012-2018. Emphasized that fewer than 40% of healthcare organisations have specific protocols for surgical fire prevention, urging for national guidelines. He also brought up wider issues including a £9.2 billion repair backlog in NHS facilities leading to over 1,600 serious safety incidents due to estates and facilities causes.
Government Response
Maria CaulfieldIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Rees. I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this hugely important debate. Health is a devolved matter, so I can really only respond on behalf of the NHS in England to the issues the hon. Gentleman raised, but surgical fires are a priority area of concern in all the devolved nations. Patient safety is our absolute focus and we want to provide the public with the safest care possible. We have put in place a number of measures aimed at supporting the NHS, including establishing the health safety investigation branch which conducts independent reviews and investigations into any patient safety concerns, including surgical fires. We are also introducing a statutory duty of candour to ensure that NHS organisations are open and honest towards patients if an incident occurs, such as a surgical fire. Further work on surgical fire prevention is best developed alongside the wider national safety standards for invasive procedures led by the Centre for Perioperative Care. Work is ongoing to develop guidelines to minimise the risk of surgical fires happening in the first place and to advise the NHS on the issue. I am also keen that staff training is a priority, ensuring that their staff are trained properly in fire safety when new equipment comes in. The risk of surgical fire is taken very seriously by the Department and work continues in this field to ensure that the correct guidance is there to minimise the risk of surgical fires occurring.