Safety Management System
A Safety Management System (SMS) consists of a set of measures for achieving safety objectives. In 2004, the chairman of the board of Royal Dutch Shell wrote a report on patient safety at the request of the Dutch health minister. In this report, he named four features that must be part of a Safety Management System.
In this section of our website you will find information on the “building blocks” used by UMC Utrecht to build the SMS.
1. Risk assessment
This is about seraching for ways that things can go wrong before they go wrong. One method we use for this is Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA).
2. Safe reporting system
Safe reporting means that staff members know they will not be penalized for reporting an incident.
3. Incident analysis
Since 2004, the UMC Utrecht has been using Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to analyze incidents.
4. Managing improvement measures
The Board of Directors and managers must visibly take responsibility for creating a just culture and continuously work to spread the message of the importance of safety. Improvement measures that have been identified must be acted upon.