A HOSPTAL patient was seriously hurt when they fell out of a window.

The incident happened on the ground floor of a department at Worthing Hospital.

It was later discovered the window had not been restricted properly, leading to the patient falling out.

Details of the case emerged in a recent report to the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust board.

The report said the patient had suffered “significant harm” as a result.

The case was classed as a “never event” by the trust and an investigation was launched.

Never events are incidents which are so serious, they should never happen.

The trust board was told a further six incidents were classed as serious and in need of further investigation in September.

Three patients suffered fractures as a result of falls and another case was followed by the death of a patient.

Any incidents that are reported as causing significant, moderate or severe harm or resulting in the death of a patient are notified immediately to the senior team in trust.

This includes the chief nurse and the chief medical officer, who are given at least weekly updates on progress.

Trust nursing director Maggie Davies said: “We are recognised as a learning organisation with honest, transparent and robust procedures that help us to understand the root cause of incidents.

“We always share our findings with relevant staff members to ensure any necessary improvements are made.

“Where appropriate, we offer to share details with the patients and family members involved in the investigation.

“The trust’s outstanding Care Quality Commission (CQC) report commends our open and honest attitude.

“It also recognises our embedded culture of learning from incidents.”

The CQC report, published last year, said staff were encouraged to have an open and honest attitude towards reporting mistakes.

Inspectors said there was strong evidence of learning from incidents both locally and across the organisation, including St Richard’s in Chichester and Southlands in Shoreham.