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Developed for the NHS by the NHS as a point of care survey instrument, the NHS Safety Thermometer allows teams to measure harm and the proportion of patients that are ‘harm free’ during their working day, for example at shift handover or during ward rounds. The NHS Safety Thermometer provides a ‘temperature check’ on harm and can be used alongside other measures of harm to measure local and system progress.

You can download a blank NHS Safety Thermometer from the Information Centre. There you will also be able to request guidance on how to use the tool and access a timetable for data submissions.

The Department of Health has published guidance to support the implementation of the NHS Safety Thermometer. NHS organisations are being encouraged to use the NHS Safety Thermometer in 2012/13 using a CQUIN incentive payment that rewards them if they collect data on the safety of the care they provide.

Click on the guide to download your copy now

To see the NHS Safety Thermometer dashboard and analysis for your organisation or region follow this link.

For some practical tips on how why we are measuring harm, how to use the NHS Safety Thermometer and how to bridge the gap from collecting data to making change there are a series of easy access WebEx recordings (online combined presentation and audio recordings) you can access. Each WebEx is between 5 and 15 minutes long and aimed at supporting staff in the implementation and practical use of the NHS Safety Thermometer and ‘Harmfree’ Care data. To access the recordings go to the resources section and ‘The NHS Safety Thermometer – 10 Steps to Success’.

There are also a selction of mini case studies on how NHS organisations have approached and implemented the NHS Safety Thermometer across their health economy. This is available on the Case Studies page: NHS Safety Thermometer In Action  .