Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly TD endorses and launches first National Clinical Guideline: National Early Warning Score

Today, Monday 18th February 2013 the Minister for Health Dr. James Reilly launched an important new patient safety initiative – the first National Clinical Guideline – the National Early Warning Score for Ireland. National Clinical Guidelines will help to further improve the quality, safety and cost effectiveness of healthcare across Ireland.

This National Clinical Guideline – the National Early Warning Score clearly sets out how to recognise and respond to patients whose condition is deteriorating. This guideline has been designed for adults in acute hospitals and is based on international evidence of what is known to work best.

The Minister said “It is clear that recognising patients whose condition is deteriorating and responding to their needs in an appropriate and timely way are essential to safe care and the launch of this National Guideline is an important patient safety initiative

The guideline was developed through the collaborative work of frontline clinical staff, patient groups and key patient safety experts led by the Acute Medicine Programme of the HSE.

The Minister also commended the Acute Medicine Programme of the HSE in being to the forefront internationally in this patient safety initiative and on Ireland being the first known country to agree a National Early Warning Score.

Launching the National Early Warning Score as the first National Clinical Guideline for Ireland the Minister thanked the National Clinical Effectiveness Committee for its role in quality assuring and recommending to him the endorsement of this important guideline.

Dr James Reilly, the Minister for Health stated “that the implementation of the National Clinical Guideline: National Early Warning Score for Ireland is a priority for the Irish health system”.