Serious adverse patient care incidents rose 55% in four years, figures show

Scottish Labour have accused the SNP of “mishandling” the NHS after figures revealed the number of serious adverse patient care incidents has risen 55% in four years.

Figures obtained by the party under Freedom of Information showed more than 3,600 significant adverse event reviews were carried out across health boards and the Scottish Ambulance Service between 2020 and 2024.

A significant adverse event is an incident that could have caused or did cause harm to a patient, staff member or visitor.

The number of such incidents rose from 533 in 2020 to 824 in 2024, according to Scottish Labour analysis.

Reviews within gynaecology rose from eight in 2020 to 21 in 2024, while in neonatal care they rose from 13 to 27, and in maternity/obstetrics from 44 to 65.

Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “These figures are a snapshot of the pressures staff and patients alike are under due to the SNP’s mishandling of our NHS.

“The failure to tackle delayed discharge is turning hospitals into pressure cookers with thousands of Scots each week spending more than 12 hours in A&E.

“Meanwhile, frontline teams are stretched to their limit with no relief in sight given the SNP’s failure to recruit and retain staff.

“The SNP must urgently look into this alarming trend and ensure that lessons are learned.

“That starts with ending the culture of secrecy and ensuring that the number of Significant adverse event reviews are published so that health boards can be held accountable, and patients can go into hospital knowing they will receive the highest professional standard of treatment.”

Since 2020, NHS boards have been required to notify Healthcare Improvement Scotland when they have commissioned a significant adverse event review for a category 1 adverse event.

Scotland’s Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Patient safety is our first priority and our thoughts are with everyone affected by these incidents. We are committed to transparency, improving standards, and learning lessons when something goes wrong.

“Scotland’s patient safety programme was the first to be launched on a national scale anywhere in the world. Since 2008 it’s helped to save lives and continues to drive improvement across the country.

“Learning from significant adverse event reviews must be used to prevent similar events and contribute to continuous improvement across healthcare services.

“We are taking a range of measures to ensure our health service is as resilient as possible over the next few months and that our committed health and social care staff are supported.

“We know that staff members work tirelessly to provide excellent care to all those who need it and as always, I’d like to thank them for their continued dedication.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service has been approached for comment.