NHS England launch “Being Fair” tool for fair responses to safety incidents

NHS England has launched the “Being Fair” tool to help organisations respond fairly when safety incidents raise concerns about an individual’s conduct. This tool replacies the 2018 Just Culture Guide and it aligns with the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework and promotes a learning-focused, system-aware approach.

The tool has been developed with input from staff, regulators, and patients, it supports consistent, compassionate decision-making and helps strengthen safety culture.

NHS England have published the below:

The being fair tool: Supporting staff following a patient safety incident

Patient safety incidents are usually signs of underlying systemic issues that require wider system-level action. Action singling out an individual is rarely appropriate.

By treating staff fairly, the NHS can foster a culture of openness, equity and learning where staff feel confident to speak up when things go wrong.

Supporting staff to be open about mistakes allows valuable lessons to be learnt and prevents errors from being repeated.

However, in rare circumstances a learning response may raise concerns about an individual’s conduct or fitness to practise. It is in these specific circumstances that the being fair tool can help you decide what next steps to take.

Source: NHS England » Being fair tool