When safety does not sell (HSJ, 16 February 2026)

Summary

In the past month, three things happened that should not be read separately. Imperial College published its latest Global State of Patient Safety report, a coroner issued another report into the preventable death of a child following a medication error, and The Guardian reported that, despite 24 years of warnings, medical negligence in England continues at scale, costing billions and harming thousands of patients each year.

Together, they expose an uncomfortable truth: we have become very good at talking about safety, but far less good at changing the conditions that allow predictable harm to persist.