In 2002, the Health Care Protection Program’s provincial Risk Management Committee identified the need for better ways to identify, respond to and learn from adverse events and other safety issues occurring across the BC healthcare system. A feasibility study was undertaken and the groundwork for the BC Patient Safety & Learning System (BC PSLS) was laid.
In 2003, the BC Patient Safety Task Force (PSTF) was established to identify and examine patient safety issues and lead change initiatives aimed at making healthcare safer for British Columbians. The PSTF championed the concept of a provincial adverse event reporting and management system and made BC PSLS one of its key initiatives.
In 2008, the PSTF was decommissioned and the BC government established the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (BCPSQC) to enhance patient safety, reduce errors, promote transparency and identify best practices to improve patient care. BCPSQC has supported BC PSLS since its inception.
BC PSLS Central Office was established in 2008 under the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) to provide centralized support to the province during implementation and to manage ongoing operations. With funds from the BC Ministry of Health Services, the BC health authorities and the BCPSQC, provincial rollout of BC PSLS began in February 2008. A Central Implementation Team staffed by Deloitte worked alongside Central Office to offer expert guidance to BC health authorities during implementation.
Today, all BC Health Authorities across all care settings are using BC PSLS to report and learn from safety events, making healthcare safer for British Columbians.
BC PSLS is the first province-wide system of its kind in Canada and we respectfully acknowledge the efforts of everyone who contributed to this tremendous achievement.