When looking after patients, there is no room for error. Every decision counts.
As a healthcare professional, managing all the risks involved with patient care is vital. Only by weighing up all the ifs, buts and maybes associated with your services can you ensure you fulfil your legal obligation to put patients first.
However, doing this can sometimes be easier said than done. So, we’re here to talk you through the process.
In this guide, you will learn about clinical risk management and how to create an effective strategy that protects you and your patients.
What is clinical risk management?
Clinical risk management is a structured and systematic approach that healthcare providers use to identify, assess and address risks within their workplace.
It aims to improve the quality of patient safety by proactively addressing any potential hazards or vulnerabilities. In doing so, this minimises the likelihood of adverse events, such as medical malpractice or negligence incidents.
The NHS defines risk management as “the implementation of robust systems that can understand, monitor and minimise the risks to patients and staff, and to learn from their mistakes.” It also recognises it as one of the 7 Pillars of Clinical Governance, highlighting its importance in modern-day healthcare.
Why is clinical risk management important within healthcare?
Healthcare professionals must be ready to deal with the unexpected, which is why managing identifiable risks is essential.
A suitable risk management strategy means demonstrating your commitment to delivering high-quality care and reducing your overall risk of potential patient claims and reputational damage.
However, these aren’t the only benefits of an effective strategy. It can also ensure:
- Improved patient safety: The main aim of clinical risk management is to protect patients’ health, safety and wellbeing. Clinical risk management allows you to mitigate the likelihood of adverse events and enhance your overall quality of care by identifying and addressing potential risks.
- Regulatory compliance: Prioritising clinical risk management principles is essential to ensuring complete regulatory compliance in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare regulations, guidelines and standards.
- Continuous refinement: Clinical risk management is a catalyst for ongoing improvement within healthcare. By systematically analysing all the processes, procedures and potential outcomes, you can more easily identify areas of concern and implement improved measures to optimise delivery.
- Reputational protection: An effective clinical risk management strategy can contribute to and protect the overall reputation and trustworthiness of yourself and your healthcare organisation. It’s vital today when patients are more prepared to take legal action.
How to create a clinical risk management strategy
Now that we have established what clinical risk management is and its importance, how do you create an effective strategy? The answer depends on the type of healthcare organisation you work for and the care you provide.
Large hospitals, for example, will have a much more significant and diverse set of clinical risks to consider than a specialist private practice. They must ensure their strategy encompasses all aspects of the care process.
That said, all sound clinical risk management systems should be shaped around the following four stages:
Stage 1: Identification
The first step to creating an effective strategy is to systematically assess your entire patient care process, questioning everything you do.
You must go through each clinical procedure, piece of equipment, administrative process and communication protocol you offer. You’ll then be able to identify all your potential sources of risk.
Stage 2: Assess
Once you have identified the potential risks in your practice, you must examine each one and assess its significance.
To do this effectively, you must ask two principal questions. First, how likely is it to occur? Second, how significant would its impact be if it did?
Stage 3: Control
The next stage is finding effective ways to manage the significant risks you’ve identified.
You must have well-thought-out procedures should any identified risks become a reality, whether they be implementing new safety protocols during a surgical procedure, refining your patient consent process before administering treatment or adding an extra emphasis on staff training.
Stage 4: Monitor
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to clinical risk management. Just because you have risk control measures doesn’t mean your strategy is complete.
Healthcare is always changing, and improved technologies. are constantly being implemented. Effective clinical risk management requires continuous vigilance: you should always search for further potential risks.
What makes an effective clinical risk management system?
According to the World Health Organization, an effective clinical risk management system improves healthcare services’ quality and safety by identifying the circumstances and opportunities that put patients at risk of harm and acting to prevent or control those risks.
To do this effectively, its guidelines state that all healthcare professionals must:
- Keep accurate and complete healthcare records
- Participate regularly in risk management meetings
- Identify areas prone to errors
- Respond appropriately to patients and their families after adverse events
- Respond appropriately to complaints
- Maintain a safe clinical working environment
This advice corresponds with the ‘Leadership and Management Guidance’ set by the General Medical Council – the UK’s independent regulator of doctors. The guidance states:
“All doctors must take part in regular reviews and audits of the standards and performance of any team you work in, taking steps to resolve any problems. [You should also] be familiar with, and use, the clinical governance and risk management structures and processes within the organisations you work for or to which you are contracted.
“All doctors must also follow the guidance set in ‘Good medical practice’ and ‘Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety’ when you have reason to believe that any systems, policies, procedures or colleagues are, or may be, placing patients at risk of harm.”
What are the main challenges?
Identifying the principal risks is just one part of the battle. When shaping an effective strategy, you should consider several other hurdles, especially what’s realistic. For example:
- Resistance to change: Healthcare professionals accustomed to a particular way of doing things may feel reluctant to change existing practices and processes.
- Resource constraints: Depending on the time and resources available, it can be challenging to implement and sustain all the clinical risk management activities you need.
- Complexity: Managing complex healthcare systems and processes, often involving numerous variables, can make managing potential risks feel overwhelming.
- Maintaining momentum: Once you have adequate risk management strategies, it can sometimes prove costly and difficult to sustain.
- How indemnity insurance can help clinical risk management
At THEMIS, we understand the importance of clinical risk management better than most. We are proud to have helped numerous healthcare professionals find the support they need to mitigate and manage their overall risk.
Through our range of tailored personal and corporate indemnity insurance policies, we use our medico-legal expertise to teach you how to prioritise patient safety. We also offer high-level financial protection should you ever need it.
We can provide you with:
- Financial protection: Indemnity insurance protects you against any potential liabilities arising from clinical negligence claims, helping reduce the potential economic impact.
- Legal support: If you receive a patient claim, indemnity insurance provides access to expert legal assistance, giving you complete reassurance and support throughout the legal process.
- Peace of mind: Knowing you are covered by indemnity insurance means you can return to practising confidently and doing what you do best: delivering high-quality care to your patients.
- Risk management resources: A policy with us provides access to multiple risk management resources and educational materials to help you identify and minimise any clinical risks in your practice.
By understanding the principles of clinical risk management and using our team’s expertise, we can help you navigate the complexities of patient care with confidence and competence. Simply contact us today to find out more.
