Patient safety

What is patient safety?

One million people use the NHS each day – making sure they receive safe and reliable care is a massive challenge for health services. While the majority of people are treated without incident, it is estimated that one in 10 people admitted to hospital in the UK will experience some sort of harm during their stay. In nearly every case the problem is caused by unreliable healthcare systems and processes.

We know we need to make healthcare systems more reliable. People need to be sure they will receive the same high standard of care and safety whichever part of the NHS they access. But healthcare is complex and there are no quick fixes to improving patient safety.

Initiatives

England
In 2010, the Department of Health’s Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) Safe Care Strategy was launched with an ambitious three-year phased programme to deliver improvements in safety and productivity.

The Patient Safety First campaign called for all NHS staff and organisations in England to make the safety of patients their highest priority. The campaign aimed to change the culture within the NHS to one where no avoidable death or avoidable harm is acceptable.

Scotland
The Scottish Patient Safety Programme aims to steadily improve the safety of hospital care right across Scotland. This will be achieved using evidence-based tools and techniques to improve the reliability and safety of everyday health care systems and processes. 

Wales
In May 2010, NHS Wales launched 1000 Lives Plus. The programme, which builds on the 1000 Lives Campaign, aims to deliver changes that improve patient safety and the quality of all NHS services, including hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies.

Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland we support health and social care organisations to implement evidence-based interventions known to save lives and reduce harm, and work with individuals and organisations who continuously strive to make a difference for patients and clients.