A petition is calling for the establishment of an independent Patient Safety Commissioner to prevent harm in the health system. 

It's got the backing of former Health New Zealand board chair Rob Campbell. 

The Health Consumer Advocacy Alliance is leading the push, saying the idea is to improve patient safety and reduce the amount of preventable harm. 

Co-founder Sue Claridge says while ultimately it would benefit health consumers, it also benefits health professionals. 

"Because they often feel the brunt of harm that occurs in the health system. It affects them, they're left to pick up the pieces, they're left to treat people who have been harmed." 

Claridge says at the moment at the system is not working, far too many people are seriously harmed and something has got to change. 

She says what they're asking for doesn't replicate what's already happening with the likes of ACC and the Health and Disability Commissioner - but rather would work in harmony with the existing agencies. 

Claridge says a Patient Safety Commissioner would be a proactive force, and ensure there's a timely, cohesive and concerted response to evidence and patterns of harm. 

Campbell says the existing agencies clearly aren't enough -- and adopting something like this would have a positive impact. 

"When you deal with something only on the basis of complaints, you often get a bit of skewed version of things -- where as a commissioner can focus on systemic issues, not just on individual event issues, and that's something that would be welcomed by clinicians as well as patients." 

Campbell says this would be about lifting our game from just reacting to things that have gone wrong, to sensing where things might go wrong and trying to prevent that happening. 

Claridge says there's a lot of different types of harm they could address, and one such example is surgical mesh. 

"In that situation a Patient Safety Commissioner could see evidence of harm early on in the process, investigate that, look at the statistics, look at what needs to be done, and make recommendations. 

She says another example is the harm that occurs to babies in utero caused by anticonvulsant medication taken by their mothers during pregnancy. 

Claridge says it took years for people whose children had been harmed in this way to see it recognised. 

"A Patient Safety Commissioner in this case could pick up on reports of harm, investigate, look at what's happening internationally, do research, provide recommendations and action could be taken sooner. 

"Currently, things only change in the system regarding patient safety when there are enough complaints to the health and disability commissioner, or there are enough claims lodged with ACC but it takes a long time for those entities to see patterns of harm and do anything about it." 

Claridge says there's a Patient Safety Commissioner in England, who they've had discussions with, and what they're wanting is modelled on this. 

She says we can't afford to go any further without someone in a role like this. 

Claridge says a 2020 OECD report on the cost to the health system of preventable harm was around 8.7 percent of health expenditure in developed countries. 

She says we could run the office of the Patient Safety Commissioner for a fraction of that. 

The petition closes today and will be handed over at Parliament tomorrow. 

Danica MacLean is an Auckland-based News Director and Senior Reporter for Newstalk ZB, with a focus on health stories. She joined NZME in 2017, initially working for the Northern Advocate before switching to radio. She has previously worked for Stuff in Northland.