PLANS to set up a new agency which will boost patient safety in the NHS have been welcomed by Warrington's health bosses.

The National Patient Safety Agency will run a compulsory reporting system for logging all failures, mistakes, errors and near misses across the health service. It will introduce a streamlined approach to dealing with errors and mistakes and ensure that lessons are learnt and spread throughout the health service.

Details of the agency which was recommended by Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson are revealed in a new NHS report entitled 'Building a Safer NHS for Patients.'

The report recommends an improved system for handling investigations and inquiries across the NHS, ensuring they are no longer commissioned on an ad-hoc basis, which can lead to lack of consistency and duplication of work.

Simon Banks, chief officer of Warrington Community Health Council said: "This agency will affect the whole healthcare system and will complement the work of the new body that is replacing the CHC.

"We will have for the first time a national database which should enhance safety for patients, but it will need to be very robust. This is a great step forward to ensure lessons are learnt and its independence should mean it will be transparent and accountable."

Hugh Lamont, head of communications for the NHS Executive North West said: "The new agency will be quite separate from the body which will replace the CHC. Medical errors can occur as in all walks of life. The agency will ensure that lessons are learnt, improve practice and reduce medical errors. All mistakes will be recorded, logged, studied and circulated."