BASILDON Hospital’s chief executive has been chosen to head a Government safety drive.

Clare Panniker will chair a panel focusing on six million patients across Essex, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and some parts of London.

It is part of a national programme, launched by Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for health, to tackle the main causes of avoidable harm to patients.

The local panel, which will be led by UCL Partners, a not-forprofit academic, health and science partnership, will initially prioritise sepsis and acute kidney injury, which are both major yet under-recognised causes of avoidable mortality.

Issues covered could also include reducing pressure ulcers, falls or medical device errors.

Bosses at UCL Partners, which works with NHS organisations to bring about improvements in healthcare, first met Mrs Panniker 18 months ago, when they began working closely with Basildon Hospital.

Experts have been arming doctors and nurses with essential skills to recognise the early warning signs of deteriorating patients.

The partnership has led to a reduction in death rates, halved avoidable cardiac arrests, and improved training.

Mrs Panniker said: “Patient safety is an absolute priority for everybody at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

“Our work with UCLP has already had a demonstrable impact on the quality and safety of care our patients receive.

“Healthcare organisations should always be learning from each other and sharing best practice – that’s what this collaborative is about. I amdelighted to be chair of this group and look forward to driving these improvements forward even further.”

Basildon Hospital has had a successful year after being brought out of special measures in June.

Health regulator Monitor lifted a string of conditions from its licence after the Care Quality Commission gave the trust an overall ‘good’ rating.