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Patients, service users, their loved ones and carers have the right to raise concerns about the care they receive under the NHS in Wales. This can be done through the Listening to People NHS Wales Complaints, Incidents, and Redress process. Raising a concern can be difficult and distressing. People often come forward because something has had a real impact on them or their loved ones. This guidance explains what support you can expect and what will happen when you raise a concern. A concern can include a complaint, patient-safety incident or any other issue relating to an organisation’s health services. Responsible bodies, which are organisations that are legally responsible for your care, have a duty to listen to, act on, investigate and respond to concerns, and to learn from them to improve care and reduce the risk of harm re-occurring in the future. Responsible bodies can be an NHS organisation, a GP practice, dental practice or an Independent Provider delivering NHS funded care. Raising a concern often follows upsetting or traumatic experiences and NHS organisations in Wales aim to respond in ways that are compassionate, respectful and sensitive to the impact on you and your loved ones.  Further reading on the hub: How to make a complaint

Making Families Count (MFC) held two listening events for families in November 2025, to give traumatically bereaved and seriously harmed families the chance to shape their priorities. Since then, MFC have established a Families Panel and held online meetings for families. This report summarises what MFC learnt from families.

This case study is one in a set of patient safety ‘how we acted on patient safety issues you recorded’ case studies which show the direct action taken in response to patient safety events recorded by organisations, staff and the public, and how their actions support the NHS to protect patients from harm. As part of its core work to review recorded patient safety events, the National Patient Safety Team carried out a thematic review of incidents where patients were entrapped in beds, bed rails and ancillary devices. The review identified emerging risks that could lead to these incidents happening, because of issues including changes to ways of working due to COVID-19, patient flow and capacity, and new devices and equipment coming to market. Incident reports described fatal asphyxiation and other injuries associated with the use of bed rails and the interface between beds (including extra width beds) and: trolley frames mattresses automatic turning devices bed levers specialist sleep equipment The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency used the insight from reported cases to update guidance and support a National Patient Safety Alert issued in August 2023. This included giving staff additional guidance on risk assessment, selection and suitability of appropriate equipment and ongoing monitoring.

Sling the Mesh in collaboration with researchers at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Science are conducting a survey of people with pelvic complications. Participation involves an online survey that will take approximately 30 minutes. You are eligible to participate if you were implanted with any type of pelvic mesh (incontinence, bladder leaks, rectopexy) in a UK facility after 1 January 1998 and have experienced any pelvic mesh related complication. Find out more from the link below.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) five-year strategy marks an exciting new chapter for the organisation.  It's built around three priorities: driving public service improvement improving user experience  raising awareness and trust. The new strategy sets out how PHSO will take a more active role in using complaints data and evidence to identify risks, prevent harm and strengthen accountability across the NHS and government. The strategy has two big ideas: To make sure mistakes stop happening. To make public services better for everyone. Goals: Goal 1 is to make an impact on public services. Goal 2 is to make sure people who use the service have a good experience. Goal 3 is to raise awareness of PHSO.

Corridor care has become one of the most significant patient safety challenges within the NHS, exposing individuals to avoidable harm and compromising their privacy, dignity, and overall clinical safety. This guide has been developed by NHS England to support clinical and operational leads by outlining the practical steps required to minimise and ultimately eliminate corridor care. Central to achieving this ambition is the adoption of GIRFT Clinical Operational Standards, which provide a consistent, trust-wide framework for timely clinical decision-making, improved patient flow across the urgent and emergency care pathway, and a reduced reliance on corridor care. It recognises the challenges trusts face in achieving this and acknowledge that elimination of corridor care is a longer-term ambition. Achieving sustainable reductions will require health and social care systems to work collaboratively to establish clear, accountable action plans. Responsibility for delivery should rest with the acute hospital Chief Executive and executive triumvirate (Chief Operating Officer, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Medical Officer). Supporting resources: GIRFT Clinical Operational Standards Principles for providing patient care in corridors NHS England The Model ED NHS England The Model Acute Pathway NHS England » Extended emergency medicine ambulatory care (EEMAC) operating principles

The government has launched the refreshed Women’s Health Strategy and Sling the Mesh are deeply upset to see no mention of mesh injured women and mesh centres in the media announcements from Government nor of the need for pelvic floor physiotherapy education for girls in school – despite a pledge for better education around periods. A brief reference to the postcode lottery of mesh centres appears on page 61 as Action 63. However, the Sling the Mesh community expected that their advocacy, particularly on highlighting how women’s voices are dismissed within healthcare – to be given far greater prominence. Its absence sends a deeply troubling message: that the experiences and needs of women harmed by mesh are no longer considered a priority. YET, it was the 2020 First Do No Harm report, the formidable Baroness Julia Cumberlege and Sling the Mesh campaign which highlighted for the first time how women’s voices were not being heard – and as forerunners called for urgent action to address this. Sling the Mesh have written to Wes Streeting, MPs and journalists. Read their letter at the link below.

An article about the many mistakes that were made by healthcare staff after a patient's adverse reaction to an antidepressant. This article emphasises that mistakes in healthcare are not only still prevalent, but some can only be picked up through the patient's experience. Most of the healthcare professionals in the story never realised they made a mistake. These mistakes cultivated a loss of trust between patient and healthcare professional, among other negative consequences. The story highlights the importance of the patient perspective in patient safety.

French actor / theatre director and hernia mesh advocate Arnaud Dennis is in an assisted dying clinic in Belgium. In this powerful interview the 42 year old speaks about how he is awaiting approval for euthanasia after devastating complications from a hernia mesh that destroyed his life. In this final public appeal, he denounces the major health scandal of mesh, giving his last thoughts to the hundreds of implant victims he has represented in France and warns of systemic medical and institutional failures – as well as the conflicts of interests /payments from industry to surgeons, which continue to help fuel the lucrative mesh machine.

This Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) report is intended for healthcare organisations, policymakers and the public to help improve patient safety in relation to safety issues identified for people experiencing a mental health crisis who come into contact with urgent and emergency care services. This report focuses on the significant legal, policy and safety gap in the care of people in emergency departments (EDs) in mental health crisis. During consultation on this report, concerns were shared with HSSIB about the current challenges in relation to the resourcing and configuration of mental health services that exacerbate challenges faced in the ED. This is the first of two reports. In October 2025 HSSIB launched two investigations that explore the safety issues for people experiencing a mental health crisis who come into contact with urgent and emergency care services. This interim report was produced due to the early identification of a significant legal, policy and safety gap in the care of people in emergency departments (EDs) in mental health crisis. It is reported that around 3% of all ED attendances are mental health related. However, people experiencing mental health problems are twice as likely as other patients to remain in the ED for more than 12 hours. People in mental health crisis may need to be assessed for admission to a mental health hospital in line with the Mental Health Act 1983. Delays in these assessments being undertaken, and/or the lack of availability of mental health inpatient beds once a person has been recommended for admission, can lead to patients remaining in EDs for prolonged periods. Findings There is an absence of clear legal powers to lawfully prevent vulnerable individuals from leaving the ED while awaiting assessment or admission. This legal ambiguity exposes patients to increased risk of harm and/or being unlawfully deprived of their liberty, and places staff in a position of uncertainty when attempting to manage safety. For those requiring formal admission to a mental health hospital, an application under the Mental Health Act 1983 cannot be completed until a bed has been identified, which can take days. Staff and organisations reported they are often faced with choosing “the least harmful way to break the law” in order to try and keep patients safe. EDs are not designed to provide therapeutic mental health care and prolonged stays may worsen patients’ conditions and create challenges in maintaining a safe environment for everyone. HSSIB makes the following safety recommendations: HSSIB recommends that the Department of Health and Social Care urgently reviews the current legal framework and addresses the current legislative gaps in emergency care for people in mental health crisis and clarify the extension of legal powers for health professionals to hold someone in the emergency department. This will safeguard people who are currently arriving at the emergency department in a mental health crisis and the staff who care for them to support safe, consistent and legally compliant care. HSSIB recommends that the Care Quality Commission works with stakeholders to produce a position statement on existing legal powers, and the expectations for support for staff, for the care of people experiencing a mental health crisis in emergency departments (including mental health emergency departments and mental health crisis assessment services), who are not detained under a formal legal framework. This should include a review of current guidance and existing powers to help support safe, consistent, and legally compliant care in the absence of comprehensive legislation, while minimising harm and addressing the unique challenges of prolonged stays in the emergency department.

This paper from the Healthcare People Management Association looks at the impact of the disciplinary policies we follow on the employee under investigation. It also examines the impact on the people leading and supporting the process, including line managers, HR staff, witnesses and trade union representatives. It summarises recent research on the issue and identifies new ways of managing investigations which support and protect the wellbeing of everyone involved. Research shows that the way we manage investigations can have a negative impact on the culture of our organisations. This paper suggests ways of managing investigations which help to foster the positive working culture we all want to work in.