Quality strategy: The conversation has shifted (15 July 2026)

Summary

The article from Suzette Woodward argues that patient safety in England is at a crossroads, with national attention shifting from dedicated safety science toward broader quality‑management agendas driven by the Dash Review and the new National Quality Strategy. Suzette warns that an emphasis on oversight, dashboards and performance management risks sidelining core safety disciplines such as human factors, systems thinking and resilience engineering. She highlights persistent cultural problems—hierarchy, poor psychological safety, and leaders failing to hear frontline concerns—and stresses the urgent need to capture early warning signals from staff before harm occurs.