Government takes steps to reduce annual burden of medication errors in England

Medication errors lead to an estimated 712 deaths in England every year and could be a contributory factor in 1700 to 22 303 deaths a year, concludes a report from the Universities of York, Manchester, and Sheffield.1 In response to the report the health and social care secretary, Jeremy Hunt, announced steps to improve patients’ safety. Speaking at the Global Patient Safety Summit in London on 23 February, he said, “Part of the change needs also to be cultural: moving from a blame culture to a learning culture, so doctors and nurses are supported to be open about mistakes rather than cover them up for fear of losing their job.” The report, funded by …