In-person open disclosure training limited by capacity

The HSE is “satisfied” with the uptake of open disclosure training by medical staff, but in-person training is currently “limited by capacity”, this newspaper has been informed.

A HSE spokesperson told the Medical Independent the most recent data “demonstrates that the uptake of face-to-face training by doctors is continually improving”.

“We would like to increase the face-to-face training as it is invaluable for upskilling doctors, but this is limited by capacity,” commented the spokesperson. “We hope to increase our training capacity to help deliver on the requirements of the legislation and national open disclosure policy framework and Patient Safety Act, but it is dependent on funding.”

The Patient Safety Act, which was enacted on 2 May, introduced mandatory open disclosure for a specific list of notifiable incidents. The Act is expected to be commenced next year.

All healthcare staff are required to undertake module one training, which provides an introduction to open disclosure through e-learning. Module two and face-to-face training are intended for staff who will be leading open disclosure discussions, such as medical and senior nursing staff and managers.

There were 3,987 instances of module one training between January and September this year, compared with 3,613 in all of 2022. Approximately 1,223 instances of module two training took place between January and September compared with 1,477 in all of 2022. Between January and September, 397 instances of face-to-face training took place compared with 292 during 2022. The HSE noted the current data capture system does not determine if a clinician completed one or all three modules, therefore the figures measure “completion rather than the total number trained”.