Health & Safety News Brief
Occupational Health & Safety Information Service
Patient Safety: Surrey University launches timely new MSc in Systems, Safety and Ergonomics
The University of Surrey has taken a timely lead in launching a new programme aimed at improving safety in the health sector and other safety critical industries. Only last week a report from Parliament's public accounts committee showed that one in 10 patients admitted to NHS hospitals is unintentionally harmed and almost a million safety incidents, more than 2,000 of which were fatal, were recorded last year. Now, the new programme on offer at Surrey’s Robens Centre for Health Ergonomics provides a unique opportunity for senior managers and others to receive professional training in the design and management of safe systems.
Professor Peter Buckle, head of the Robens Centre for Health Ergonomics, said “the need for a programme like this has been evident for some time but the University of Surrey has been the first to respond. Designing and managing safety at the systems level, including organisational issues, purchasing, risk management and training, is a major challenge. Unless the health service tackles these issues it is difficult to see the system improving to the level that is required.”
Dr. Janet Anderson, Programme Director, added that “it is important that people in well established careers, with experience in the health care system have the opportunity to gain skills in system safety. The MSc has been specifically designed for busy professionals in that it has a flexible, modular format. Students complete modules of study at the University at their own pace, with ongoing support and discussion using distance learning technology. This combination provides high quality face to face interaction with experts from across the U.K. and the ability to study at the most convenient times.”
The University is well placed to deliver such programmes as its patient safety research team were recently awarded the Ergonomics Society’s President’s Medal for its excellent work.
The University of Surrey is one of the UK’s leading professional, scientific and technological universities with a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Ground-breaking research at the University is bringing direct benefit to all spheres of life – helping industry to maintain its competitive edge and creating improvements in the areas of health, medicine, space science, the environment, communications, defence and social policy. Programmes in science and technology have gained widespread recognition and it also boasts flourishing programmes in dance and music, social sciences, management and languages and law.
The 2006 Guardian University League Table placed the University of Surrey 12th overall for its undergraduate programmes (out of 122 UK universities), which along with recognition from The Sunday Times for being ‘The University for Jobs', underlines UniS' growing reputation for providing high quality, relevant degrees.
University of Surrey
Guildford
UK
www.surrey.ac.uk
Stuart Miller, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689314 or
Email: s.e.miller@surrey.ac.uk