This week saw the publication of the long-awaited Dixon Inquiry report. It tells the story of parents who were not listened to during Lizzies life, and persistently ignored, after her death, when what they were doing was advocating for their child, and other children’s safety and an end to dishonesty when things go wrong. Nadine Dorries described the response the Dixons received as ‘inhumane’ and we agree.
Our challenge now is to ask what next for the Dixons? Will there be humanity now? The system rightly has this crucial reports findings to learn from, but who will now also seek to understand the impact of the last 20 years of unimaginable stress und unrest on the Dixons physical, mental and psychological health and provide care to enable them to process the trauma they’ve suffered and begin to recover?
This case is yet another example of life changing second harm experienced as a direct result of the way the healthcare system often responds to failures in patient care. Harmed Patients Alliance believe that now is the time for the system to properly recognise this type of second harm as a serious patient safety issue. We can no longer ignore the experience of families like the Dixon’s. We can no longer allow the healthcare system to cause further significant damage to those already hurt when things go wrong.
The starting point must be redesigning the system so that when things go wrong, the priority is looking after and caring for the people affected as well as learning to make care safer for the future.
Our healthcare system must embrace and embed a clear duty of care to harmed patients and families. We need to end the scandal of avoidable second harm and doing so must now be an urgent and pressing priority.