Celebrating 5 years of the Patient Safety Management Network

Summary

This month marks the fifth anniversary of the Patient Safety Management Network (PSMN)—a significant milestone for a community that has grown into a vital space for connection, shared learning and peer support across the patient safety landscape. What began as a small group coming together to make sense of complex challenges has evolved into a thriving network, bringing together people from across organisations, roles and sectors to learn from one another and improve care.

A key part of strengthening that shared learning has been understanding what difference the network makes in practice. We are delighted to share the findings from research led by Elsa, a Masters student at University College London (UCL), who has recently completed an in-depth evaluation of the PSMN. Her work offers important insights into how networks like this support those working in patient safety and how learning is translated into action.

Patient Safety Learning doesn’t have the resources to undertake a full evaluation of the PSMN and is very appreciative of the support from UCL and Elsa is undertaking this small scale but invaluable work.

Content

Why this review matters

Patient safety work is rarely the responsibility of one person, team or organisation. People working in patient safety are expected to learn from problems, improve systems and share good practice, but reports and procedures cannot answer every question that comes up in real work. People also need opportunities to compare experiences, hear how others approach similar challenges and think through difficult issues with those who understand the pressures involved. That is why the PSMN is worth engaging with and supporting, and why we wanted to examine how well its meeting its ambition for shared learning, engagement and driving improvement.

This evaluation explored what members gained from the PSMN, how it supported learning and connection, and why useful learning did not always lead to visible local change.

What the evaluation looked at

The evaluation was based on interviews with 15 PSMN members, supported by background information about how the network operates. It looked at what members valued or found difficult, how taking part shaped the way they thought about patient safety work, and what helped or limited the movement of learning from network discussions into everyday local practice rather than staying within meetings.

Findings

For many members, the value of the PSMN lay not simply in the information exchanged, but in recognising that others were wrestling with similar problems.

Patient safety work can feel lonely, especially when people were trying to influence complex systems from different roles or levels of authority. In that context, hearing familiar concerns and suggestions voiced by others helped some members feel less isolated; one described it as a sense that “you’re kind of all in it together.”

Taking part, however, did not always mean speaking often. Some members contributed regularly, while others listened, followed the chat or came along when the topic felt close to their own work. This quieter involvement still seemed meaningful. It suggests that the network’s value should not be judged only through the most visible contributions, but also through the perspective, reassurance and connection it made available.

Another important part of the PSMN’s value was the discussion that happened around patient safety issues. Formal information and presentations were useful, but members often seemed to gain just as much from hearing how others made sense of similar problems in practice. These examples helped broad ideas feel more concrete and easier to connect with their own local settings. 

The value was not simply in picking up tips or ready-made solutions, it was also in comparing interpretations, noticing different ways of framing the same issue, and understanding why a problem might look different across roles or organisations.

In this way, the PSMN seemed to help members turn general patient safety ideas into more usable forms of understanding. The learning it supported was not only practical, but also reflective and interpretive.

Why useful learning doesn’t always become change

Useful learning did not, however, move straightforwardly from the network into local practice. Members could leave PSMN with new ideas, reassurance or a clearer way of thinking about a problem, but what they were able to do with that depended on their local context. Some PSMN members had the authority, time or relationships to share examples, adapt ideas or use the discussion to support conversations in their own organisations. Others had fewer opportunities to act, particularly where workload, seniority or organisational priorities limited what felt possible.

As one member put it, “it’s very difficult to just learn something in the network, take it, go into your organisation, do it, and that’s it.” This matters because it challenges a simple view of learning as something that moves directly from discussion to implementation.

The PSMN could help members think through problems and sometimes give them the language or confidence to approach them differently; however, it could not remove the local conditions that shaped whether learning became action. Therefore, its influence was useful, but uneven and often indirect.

Even when the PSMN did not lead to immediate action, members could still leave with something useful. For some, this was more reflective than practical: the network helped them name a problem, recognise that it was shared or think about what might be possible later. Although this kind of value is less visible than a new project or policy change, it may still shape confidence, judgement and readiness to act.

What this means for practice

For the PSMN and networks like it, the findings suggest that value lies not just in the material shared, but in the kind of discussions the network makes possible. Networks may need to preserve space to talk honestly about the realities of patient safety work, including uncertainties and frustrations that formal guidance cannot always address. Importantly, this also positions the PSMN as a valuable bridge between frontline practice and the wider patient safety system, helping national bodies such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) and NHS Resolution better understand ‘work as done’ and supporting more informed policy and improvement approaches.

At the same time, learning is more likely to become useful beyond the meeting when people have time, support and realistic ways to adapt ideas in their own settings. Participation also needs to be understood broadly. Some members may contribute by listening, reflecting or taking ideas back later, rather than by speaking often.  Therefore, the practical task is not simply to generate more activity, but to protect the conditions that make learning usable.

This evaluation drew on interviews with members who chose to take part, so it cannot reflect every possible experience of the PSMN. It focused on how members described the network’s value and influence, rather than measuring direct changes in patient outcomes. Still, the findings suggest that spaces like PSMN may matter by helping people discuss, interpret and sometimes act on patient safety work that might otherwise feel harder to navigate alone.

As we celebrate five years of the PSMN, Elsa’s research gives us a valuable opportunity to reflect, not just on what the PSMN has achieved, but on why it matters. It highlights the importance of creating spaces where people can come together openly, share uncertainties as well as successes, and build collective understanding.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to, supported and shaped the PSMN over the past five years. Whether you have shared experiences, asked questions or simply joined to listen and reflect, your involvement is what makes this community so powerful. The continued growth of the PSMN reflects a shared commitment to learning and improvement and ultimately to safer care for patients.

How to get involved

Are you working in patient safety and interested in joining the PSMN? You can join by signing up to the hub today. When putting in your details, please tick ‘Patient Safety Management Network’ in the ‘Join a private group’ section. If you are already a member of the hub, please email [email protected].