Building upon the achievements of the Safer Patients Initiative, the Safer Patients Network supports leading acute trusts to continue testing and developing ways to make care safer. We are developing new approaches to safety in maternity and community services and primary care, and Safer Clinical Systems is exploring how to improve reliability. We also support the Clinical Human Factors Group in their work to enhance health professionals’ knowledge about human factors and how to manage human error.
We are investigating the link between flow, safety and costs, encouraging health services to share learning and influence the policy climate, and national players, to make safety a priority. We also support the safety infrastructure by working with four strategic health authorities, and have supported each of the national safety initiatives pursued by Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.
Case studies
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Learning international lessons in quality improvement
Jason Leitch was a Quality Improvement Fellow in the USA in 2005. He is now helping lead the Scottish Patient Safety Alliance in overseeing Scotland’s first national patient safety programme.
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Using leadership to improve patient safety
Patient safety is literally at the top of the agenda at NHS Tayside. Rather than finance or performance management, safety is the first issue discussed at the executive team’s weekly meeting.
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International patient safety lessons
The Health Foundation's Quality Improvement Fellowships aim to develop leaders to promote quality improvement nationally. Dr Noeleen Devaney worked on a research project in the US that looked at how to get doctors involved in improving quality and is now back in the UK working with other hospitals to help them to improve patient safety.
Publications
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Patient safety snapshot
This ‘snapshot’ gives a brief overview of our work across patient safety. It includes background information, our work in this area, our learning so far, key priorities and how to get involved.
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Snapshot: safer mental health services
This publication is a summary of the experiences and learning from this programme so far. It includes background information, the teams' programme of work and their learning so far.
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Evidence in brief: How safe are clinical systems?
While the knowledge that poor systems can cause harm is not new, this report provides groundbreaking evidence of the extent to which important clinical systems and processes fail, and the potential these failings have to harm patients.
Current activities
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Clinical human factors group
The clinical human factors group aims to enhance the knowledge of all healthcare professionals about ‘human factors’ and how to manage more successfully human error. The group has no political or policy agenda other than to define and encourage best practice.
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Flow, Cost, Quality
Poor systems deliver poor results – for patients, NHS staff and taxpayers. This programme aims to understand the relationship between patient flow, cost and quality.
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Improving patient safety in mental health
The aim of the ‘Improving patient safety in mental health’ programme is to support four organisations across the UK to improve the reliability of care in order to reduce harm and raise safety awareness throughout their organisations. Participating organisations will aim to produce a tested set of change packages replicable across other mental health care providers.
Features
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Tackling patient safety through team working
Torbay hospital is one of 20 hospitals selected to join the Safer Patients Initiative. The hospitals are working in pairs with five teams covering leadership, critical care, perioperative care, medicines management and the general wards.
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Stopping needless deaths in hospital
Every year, thousands of NHS patients suffer unintended harm from their treatment in hospital. Luton and Dunstable hospital is using an Early Warning Scorecard and critical care outreach to reduce their number of adverse events.
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Safety is the key for change
Hugh Ross is at the helm of one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, with responsibility for over 13 500 staff and a turnover of £625 million. His experience in Bristol has made him a tireless advocate for patient safety.
Latest news
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‘Put patient safety at centre stage’, says Stephen Thornton
Stephen Thornton, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, tells Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, to ‘put patient safety centre stage’ in a speech delivered at the Patient Safety Congress.
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SPI site awarded Small Trust of the Year
Dr Foster has named Airedale NHS Trust Small Trust of the Year, recognising their excellent contribution to quality care in the NHS. Airedale General Hospital is one of 20 sites involved in phase 2 of the Health Foundation’s Safer Patients Initiative.
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NHS urged to prioritise safety
The Health Foundation's response to the Health Committee’s inquiry into patient safety urges the NHS to make patient safety its top priority.