Summary
In February, Public Policy Projects (PPP) hosted its annual Patient Safety Forum in partnership with Patient Safety Learning. Held at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London, it was attended by senior healthcare leaders, patient safety experts, representatives from the HealthTech industry, frontline healthcare professionals and patients.
To share the insights and conversations that emerged from and beyond the day itself, Patient Safety Learning has published a series of blogs (links to blogs below) following this year’s event. From artificial intelligence (AI) and productivity, to culture, systems and the patient voice, this series evidences the breadth of knowledge, energy and experience in the room.
Helen Hughes, Chief Executive of Patient Safety Learning, reflects on the series of blogs and the Patient Safety Forum that shed light on some of the key challenges in patient safety today.
Content
Patient voice, safety and the NHS 10 Year Plan
Over the past decade there has been an increasing recognition that patient safety is not only about systems, processes and data, but also about listening carefully to those who use health services.
In this blog, we relect on the expert panel discussions at this year’s Forum about the ambitions set out in the 10 Year Plan Health Plan for England and what this means for patient voice and patient safety. While the Plan places a strong emphasis on patient choice, agency and feedback, it is less explicit about patient innovation, co-production and the experiences of harmed patients.
Panellists considered these issues alongside proposed structural changes as part of the bill, with the creation of a new Directorate of Patient Experience and the abolition of Healthwatch England. At the heart of the discussion was a simple but important question: are patients truly at the centre of the system, and how do we make sure their voices lead to meaningful change?
Designing AI with patient safety at its core
From AI-enabled ambient scribing tools that reduce the burden of administration, to predictive systems capable of detecting early warning signs before harm occurs, AI has significant potential to improve patient care and outcomes. Yet, alongside these benefits come risks—algorithmic errors, data bias, and challenges in maintaining trust, governance and oversight.
In this blog, we highlight key points from a lively panel discussion about this topic, including:
- AI as a tool for predicting and preventing harm.
- The importance of having accurate data informing AI technologies in use.
- The need to get regulation right.
The 10 Year Health Plan aims to “make the NHS the most AI-enabled care system in the world”. Against this context, ensuring patient safety considerations are hardwired into the implementation of new AI technologies will only increase in importance over time.
Since the Forum took place there have also been further developments in this space, particularly when it comes to regulation. Following a public call for evidence, the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare has now published findings from their recent call for evidence on this topic.
Safe systems and cultures formed an integral theme throughout panel sessions and keynote speeches at this year’s Forum. Across the discussions, one message stood out clearly—safety cannot be something we focus on only when inspections are approaching or when things go wrong. It has to be built into everyday practice.
In this blog, we reflect on the recurring theme of safe systems and safe cultures. This included conversations around staff fatigue and its impact on patient safety and the importance of creating environments where staff feel safe and speak up about safety concerns.
As the results of the most recent NHS Staff Survey indicate, a fear of speaking up and a lack of confidence that concerns will be acted upon still persist in too many organisations. We see these same issues highlighted time and time again in our Speaking up for patient safety interview series.
Inside the NHS quality debate: Key takeaways from Penny Dash’s keynote
Another major topic of discussion at this year’s Patient Safety Forum was the NHS Quality Strategy, which at the time had not yet been published. The focal point for this was a wide-ranging keynote conversation between Penny Dash, Chair of NHS England, and the PPP Chair, the Rt Hon. Stephen Dorrell.
In this blog, we reflect on key takeaways from this lively debate on the priorities, pressures and realities of improving care across the NHS. This included audience members pushing back against a framing that in recent history the NHS has prioritised safety over other aspects of quality.
Since the event took place, the long-awaited new Quality strategy for NHS-funded care in England has been published. Informed by these conversations, and reflecting on the initial content of this strategy, we have published our early reflections..
Aligning patient safety with productivity
Against a backdrop of long waiting lists and increasing financial pressures, improving productivity is a priority for healthcare leaders, commissioners and providers. In this blog, we reflect on the key takeaways from a thought-provoking discussion about the relationship between productivity and patient safety.
Panellists considered how a safer health system can be a key driver of productivity, alongside tackling the inherently inefficient costs and consequences of unsafe care. They cited examples of specific productivity initiatives, the need not to lose sight of patient outcomes, and questions about how best to measure and assess productivity improvements.
Join us next year
Patient Safety Forum will be returning in 2027 and is already shaping up to be a collaborative and impactful day.
To join us in person at next year’s event, please keep an eye out for updates by staying connected:
In the meantime you can get involved with more discussions about these topical patient safety issues through joining our growing range of informal peer networks hosted on the hub. Find out more about these here.
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