In 2021 Harmed Patients Alliance, in collaboration with AvMA, announced our project to co design a Harmed Patient Pathway, to support an approach to responding to patients and families that is aligned with Restorative Values and Principles and supports healing and restoration, as well as learning, after harm.

The pathway is intended to promote ‘care’ of harmed patients and families by listening to their experiences of harm, the impacts it has had, and the needs that have arisen for them, and to respond to those needs in ways that demonstrate responsibility taking and a genuine desire to put things right wherever possible. This approach is intended to prioritise healing (of people, trust and the relationships under strain because of what has happened) as well as organisational learning.

An advisory group was formed that included those with personal lived experience of healthcare harm and after harm processes, charities that support harmed patients, leaders in the area of patient and family engagement and representatives from NHS trusts , tasked with developing a set of commitments for trusts to make to those that come to harm within their organisation. The commitments document and associated guidance for implementation is intended to support trusts to achieve both top down commitment and bottom up implementation approaches. The HPP is aligned with PSIRF and Restorative Just Culture. 

The consultation document for the draft Pathway commitments was launched on 10th September 2024 for 12 weeks until 2nd December 2024.

To respond to the consultation visit www.avma.org.uk/hppconsultation

For more information about the pathway project, including how you might get involved in further development work, contact info@harmedpatientsalliance.org.uk and make the subject ‘Harmed Patient Pathway’