A WORCESTERSHIRE health trust responsible for a range of community services has been ranked in the top 17 per cent of nationally for its commitment to learning from mistakes as well as its open and transparent culture.

Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust is ranked 37 out of the 230 trusts nationally and received a “good” classification in the first ever “learning from mistakes” league table published by health regulator NHS Improvement.

Each of the trusts was given a rating ranging from outstanding, good, cause for significant concern or poor reporting culture. Just 18 trusts fell into the top sector with 102 (including Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust) attaining a good classification. There were 78 trusts giving cause for significant concern and 32 with a poor rating.

The league table scored providers based on the fairness and effectiveness of procedures for reporting errors; near misses and incidents; staff confidence and security in reporting unsafe clinical practice; and the percentage of staff who felt able to contribute towards improvements at their trust.

The data for the first report was drawn from the 2015 NHS staff survey and from the National Reporting and Learning System.

Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust runs the county’s five community hospitals and provides community nursing, therapy and mental health services across the county.

Sarah Dugan, chief executive at the trust, said: “The ‘good’ rating we have received in this league table is a reflection of the leadership skills in all our staff and teams who work with integrity to ensure that we continue to develop an open and learning culture in our trust.

“Although our services are effective and meet expectations the majority of the time, it’s important that on those occasions when we fall short that we’re honest about that and commit ourselves to learning and improving as a result.”

NHS Improvement will work with providers at the bottom of the league to assist them with improving their openness and transparency.

Mike Durkin, National Patient Safety director at NHS England said: “Learning from mistakes saves lives. In order to properly learn from mistakes we need to create a culture with openness and transparency at its heart.

“By letting trusts know how well they are doing compared with their peers, we want to start a conversation involving clinicians, managers and supporters of the NHS about what we can all do to make all parts of the NHS as safe as they can be.

“One of the most important duties of us all as clinicians, managers and supporters of the NHS is to cultivate an environment in which learning is at the heart of all we do.

“This goes far beyond education and training - important as they both are - and it can all too easily be forgotten as we wrestle with the day-to-day challenges of providing care.

“We would like all providers to reflect on the data. We know that data cannot ever tell the whole story and that is true even of data that is rooted in the insights of staff. But it can start a discussion, and a process of learning.

“In that spirit, we are keen to emphasise that this is a first attempt at a ‘Learning from mistakes league’. We also want to learn and improve and would be open to suggestions from colleagues about how we might make this better in future.”

• Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust is ranked 219 with a rating of “cause for significant concern” in the same league table.