Safety for All: Patient and healthcare worker safety – two sides of the same coin (20 October 2021)

Summary

This white paper sets out the symbiotic relationship between healthcare worker safety and patient safety. It makes the case for a new focus on improvements in patient and healthcare worker safety, and on the relationship between them, to prevent safety incidents and deliver better outcomes for all.

It has been published by the Safety for All campaign, set up by the Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network (SHBN), an independent forum focused on improving healthcare worker and patient safety, including Patient Safety Learning and the Association of British HealthTech Industries.

Content

The Safety for All campaign is calling for improvements in patient and healthcare worker safety to prevent safety incidents and deliver better outcomes for all, through:

• improved understanding and advocacy of the mutual benefits of improved healthcare worker and patient safety, and of the common risks, factors and interventions across patient and healthcare worker safety.
• the application of shared learning and best practice between workplace and patient safety and, where appropriate, aligned or integrated synergistic solutions in safety systems, standards, governance and preventive measures.
• resources, leadership and staff committed to a stronger, reciprocal patient and workplace safety culture, with safety as a core purpose for both, underpinned by better education and training.
• greater support for staff following patient safety incidents including support to speak up, a safety care pathway for both patients and staff and ingraining a just culture.
• improved risk management and reporting of safety incidents, learning and communication across patient and healthcare worker safety.

Related reading

Patient Safety Learning, Why is staff safety a patient safety issue? (3 September 2020)

Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network, The Safety for All Campaign and the Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network presentation (12 March 2021)

Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network and Patient Safety Learning, Staff safety and Wellbeing in the NHS: The difference between vision and reality (19 March 2021)