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At Patient Safety Learning we believe that sharing insights and learning is vital to improving outcomes and reducing harm. That’s why we created the hub; providing a space for people to come together and share their experiences, resources and good practice examples. We have collated 15 resources relating to men's health, including information about male cancers, men's mental health, how to engage men earlier and insights around the impact of traditional ideas of masculinity on patient safety. *Trigger warning: some of the content below focuses on suicide. 1 Men's Health Strategy for England This document sets out the government’s 10-year strategy for men’s health in England. It details the government’s vision for men’s health over the next 10 years and actions they are taking now to improve the health and wellbeing of all men and boys in England. 2 Men’s Health: How to improve health outcomes, knowledge, and behaviours This report sets out the findings of new research conducted by Healthwatch England to inform the Government’s first-ever men’s health strategy for England. They commissioned a nationally representative poll of 3,575 men aged 18+ in June 2025 and also drew on local Healthwatch engagement, with men from diverse backgrounds, spanning a wide range of ages, ethnicities, occupations, and areas. 3 Men’s health: The lives of men in our communities Men in England are facing “a silent health crisis”, dying nearly four years earlier than women, while suffering disproportionately higher rates of cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a report by the Local Government Association. They are urging the Government to implement a men's health strategy similar to the women's health strategy of 2022. It wants men’s health to be recognised as “a national concern”. 4 Overcoming the barriers to engaging with prostate cancer Orchid is the UK’s leading charity for those affected by male cancer. In this interview, we speak to Ali Orhan, Chief Executive and Director of their Overcoming the Barriers to Engaging with Prostate Cancer project. Ali tells us how they are working alongside a network of volunteer community champions to improve awareness, support better outcomes and reduce health inequalities. 5 Prostate Cancer UK: risk checker Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, but most men with early prostate cancer don’t have symptoms. Use this risk checker to find out what you should do. 6 Samaritans Handbook: Engaging men earlier: a guide to service design This handbook from the Samaritans provides a set of principles upon which wellbeing initiatives for men should be based, drawn from what men have said is important to them. By following these principles, wellbeing initiatives are more likely to be effective for, and appeal to, men going through tough times before reaching crisis point. 7 Infopool prostate cancer patient resource This patient resource created by Prostate Cancer Research aims to equip patients and the public with information about prostate cancer. It contains information on testing and diagnosis, treatment choices, living with side effects, and clinical trials. 8 Men's Health - How can we take action? Here are our top 5 things to know and do Top tips for men on keeping healthy and advice on prostate and testicular cancer. 9 Prostate Cancer UK: Best practice pathway Developed to support healthcare professionals at the front line of prostate cancer diagnosis and care, Prostate Cancer UK's Best Practice Pathway uses easy to follow flowcharts to guide healthcare professionals deliver best practice diagnosis, treatment and support. 10 HSSIB report: Management of acute onset testicular pain This investigation reviewed the diagnostic and treatment pathway for testicular torsion. There was a predominant focus on delays and the human factors associated with the pathway. The investigation identified system-wide recommendations designed to prevent delays to the identification and treatment of testicular torsion happening in the future. 11 Prostate cancer: getting information and support This leaflet helps signpost people to support and information about prostate cancer, both nationally and regionally. 12 Why harmful gender stereotypes surrounding men’s approaches towards their feelings need challenging This blog explores men's mental health – how men are reluctant to seek support when they are struggling, why the suicide rate is so high, what initiatives exist to encourage men to seek help and what more could be done. 13 King's Fund blog: Inequalities in men’s health: why are they not being addressed? Almost half of England’s population is male, yet inequalities in men’s health seldom get specific attention. The women’s health strategy for England shone a light on the health care needs of girls and women through their life course, highlighting areas specific to their health – such as maternity and the menopause – and inequalities in health outcomes. But the wide, and widening, health inequalities experienced by men also require focus. 14 The incredibly obvious thing you should do about painful testicles Watch this short film about what to do if you experience pain in your testicle/s, by Cardiff Fertility Studies and the British Fertility Society, made in partnership with Orchid. 15 An Unfilled Prescription: Tapping Pharmacy's Potential to Boost Men's Health This report from the Men's Health Forum examines the role of community pharmacy in improving men’s health in the UK, the theme of Men’s Health Week 2026. The report sets out a five-point plan that pharmacies should adopt to become a male-friendly pharmacy, which encourages more men to engage. Share your insights and experiences Have you, or a loved one, experienced any of the issues raised in this blog? Would you like to share your insights to help improve outcomes in men's health? Perhaps you work in men's health and can share some of the barriers to safe care and what you believe needs to change to improve outcomes. You can share your thoughts in the comments below (sign up first for free) or email our team at [email protected].

This toolkit is a co‑designed set of materials created with researchers, people with personal experience of suicide and self-harm, and healthcare professionals. Inspired by the family of Jaymie Mart, known as Jay, who died by suicide in 2012 at the age of 32, the toolkit—which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)—offers clear, practical guidance to help adults create and review personalised safety plans. Safety plans are structured tools that support people experiencing self‑harm or suicidal thoughts by helping them identify strategies to stay safe during a crisis. The resource is designed for families, friends, wider support networks, individuals themselves, and health and social care professionals. In this toolkit you will find: A guide through each step of the safety planning journey, from starting a plan to reviewing and updating it. Examples from people with experience of suicide and self-harm. Links to further resources and support information. You can use it to: Guide safety planning conversations. Support training. Encourage reflection and learning. This prototype toolkit is based on research evidence and was co-designed with people who have lived experience, alongside health and social care practitioners. It has been developed to support good-quality, personalised safety planning in practice. It follows national guidance, including recommendations from NICE and the NHS. This toolkit is dedicated to Jaymie, who sadly died by suicide. You can listen to Jaymie’s mother, Paula, share Jaymie’s story and explain why she believes personalised safety planning is important here.

Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event which aims to raise awareness and promote open conversations about mental health.  In this Top picks, we’ve pulled together resources, blogs and reports from the hub that focus on improving patient safety across different aspects of mental health services and also supporting staff with their own mental health and wellbeing. 1 World mental health today: latest data (WHO, 2025) This World Health Organization (WHO) document draws on the latest information available to outline the state of mental health and mental health systems in the world. It shows that mental health conditions remain highly prevalent, with more than a billion people worldwide living with a mental disorder. This report provides essential data to guide national and global dialogue. It highlights where progress is being made – and where critical gaps persist. This report should serve as a vital tool for policy-makers, implementers and advocates alike. 2 Jay’s Personalised Safety Planning Toolkit: A guide to support meaningful safety planning for self-harm and suicide This toolkit is a co‑designed set of materials created with researchers, people with personal experience of suicide and self-harm, and healthcare professionals. Inspired by the family of Jaymie Mart, known as Jay, who died by suicide in 2012 at the age of 32, the toolkit—which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)—offers clear, practical guidance to help adults create and review personalised safety plans. 3 Harry’s story: Acute Behavioural Disturbance In December 2022, Harry Vass died after experiencing Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) and a complex disturbance in normal physiology. Harry’s death was found to be avoidable as carers were not fully aware of this condition associated with acute psychosis. In this blog, Harry’s mother Julie describes the barriers they faced in getting the right support and care for Harry before he died and highlights the need for healthcare staff to have a greater awareness of ABD and the associated risks of a medical emergency. You can also read a second blog by Julie, where she explains more about Acute Behavioural Disturbance and the changes she believes are needed to make sure patients like Harry are cared for appropriately. 4 Life Beyond the Cubicle: eLearning to support working well with families during mental health crises A set of eLearning modules designed to educate and update clinicians on the importance of involving families wherever possible during mental health crises to improve patient care, avoid harm and reduce deaths. They were developed as a partnership between Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Making Families Count, with funding from NHS England South East Region (HEE legacy funds). The resources have been co-produced by people with lived experience as patients, family carers and clinicians, supported by an Advisory Group drawn from a wide range of expertise, tested in eleven NHS Trusts and independently evaluated. 5 Mental health crises: how to improve care In May 2024, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Evidence held a webinar on care for adults in mental health crisis. The webinar shared research findings on what works in community crisis care, how acute day units compare to crisis resolution teams and whether peer-supported self-management can reduce acute readmissions. This Collection summarises the 3 research projects presented at the webinar. It includes video clips from the speakers and incorporates quotes from the day. The information will be useful for anyone involved in commissioning or delivering mental health crisis services. 6 Self-harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence This new guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) covers assessment, management and preventing recurrence for children, young people and adults who have self-harmed. It includes those with a mental health problem, neurodevelopmental disorder or learning disability and applies to all sectors that work with people who have self-harmed. The guideline sets out some important principles for care and treatment. For example, it states that self-harming patients treated in primary care must receive regular follow-up appointments, regular reviews of self-harm behaviour and a regular medicines review. 7 Hope Virgo: What needs to happen to stop people with eating disorders being failed by the healthcare system? In this blog, Hope Virgo, author and Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eating Disorders, examines the crisis that continues in eating disorder services in the UK and the devastating impact this is having on patients and their families. She highlights how failures in services lead to avoidable deaths. Hope shares the key recommendations from a new report by the APPG and calls for adequate funding and attention to ensure people with eating disorders receive the help they need to recover. 8 Designing paediatric wards to support mental health Blog from the Health Services Safety Investigations Board (HSSIB) authored by Saskia Fursland, Senior Safety Investigator. She talks about her visit to a newly opened paediatric ward where its design has carefully considered children and young people with mental health needs. Saskia reflects on the learning which could support other paediatric wards to improve their environments. 9 Zero Suicide Alliance training The Zero Suicide Alliance is a collaboration of NHS trusts, charities, businesses and individuals who are committed to suicide prevention in the UK and beyond. Their website offers free online training courses to teach people the skills and confidence to have potentially life-saving conversations with someone they’re worried about. They offer short online modules covering general suicide awareness, social isolation and suicide in veterans and university students. 10 How can our team move past a traumatic event? After an extreme traumatic event there are things that you can do to help yourself, and your colleagues, to move on. Fiona Day, medical and public health leadership coach and chartered coaching psychologist, Stacey Killick, consultant paediatrician at Glan Clwyd Hospital, and Lucy Easthope, professor in practice at Durham University’s Institute of Hazard, Risk, and Resilience and adviser on disaster recovery give their tips in this BMJ article. 11 Trusted information collection: severe mental illness (Patient Information Forum) The Patient Information Forum (PIF) have launched a series of new collections to help people find trusted resources. Each collection only features resources that have the PIF TICK. That means they are easy-to-read, evidence-based and easy to understand. Topics include: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis. 12 Vicarious trauma: The invisible epidemic In healthcare, an insidious epidemic lurks beneath the surface, affecting the very individuals tasked with providing care: vicarious trauma by empathy. Despite its profound impact, this phenomenon remains largely unrecognised and under-discussed within the sector. As leaders, it is imperative that we shed light on this invisible trauma and acknowledge it as one of the greatest challenges facing our industry, as Margarida Pacheco explains in this blog. 13 Beyond stereotypes: A lived experience guide to navigating support for disordered eating Disordered eating can affect anyone, but it can be confusing to understand and recognise it in our own personal experiences. This guide, published by East London NHS Foundation Trust, is a snapshot of how adults in East London have navigated those experiences of uncertainty while seeking support for disordered eating. For many of the contributors, preconceptions about what an eating disorder is (or isn’t) have previously acted as a barrier to seeking or receiving support. It also contains advice on how to seek support for disordered eating. 14 “The alarming rate of suicide among healthcare workers should be a wake-up call in the urgent need to support them” Frontline19 was established at the start of the Covid pandemic as an urgent response to support frontline workers who were under extreme pressure and experiencing significant mental health challenges. Psychotherapist Claire Goodwin-Fee is the founder and CEO of Frontline19. In this blog, Claire explains how systemic pressures and stigma around mental health are continuing to leave healthcare staff extremely vulnerable. 15 Blog: Why harmful gender stereotypes surrounding men’s approaches towards their feelings need challenging This blog explores why men are reluctant to seek support when they are struggling with their mental health and why the suicide rate is so high. It looks at initiatives that exist to encourage men to seek help and highlights what more could be done to support mens’ mental health. 16 Time for a rebalance: psychological and emotional well-being in the healthcare workforce as the foundation for patient safety In this editorial for BMJ Quality and Safety, Kate Kirk explains why staff well-being is the foundation to improving patient safety. 17 Top tips and key actions for successful collaborative partnership working across mental health services These top tips and key actions have been co-developed to support effective collaborative partnership working in the planning and delivery of community mental health services. They recognise that every heath and care system will experience challenges in relation to partnership working given the statutory and cultural differences of organisations working across the mental health pathways and that there will be different arrangements to frame local partnership working, including for example a Section 75 agreement. 18 Balancing care: The psychological impact of ensuring patient safety In this blog, Leah Bowden, a patient safety specialist, reflects on the impact her job has on her mental health and family life. She discusses why there needs to be specialised clinical supervision for staff involved in reviewing patient safety incidents and how organisations need to come together to identify ways we can support our patient safety teams. 19 NHS England: Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management This guidance supports the government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. It promotes a shift towards a more holistic, person-centred approach rather than relying on risk prediction, which is unreliable because suicidal thoughts can change quickly. Instead, it recommends using a method based on understanding each person’s situation and managing their safety. 20 The Motherhood Group: Black maternal mental health report UK The Motherhood Group has launched a landmark report on Black maternal mental health in the United Kingdom, shining a light on the urgent need for safe spaces, culturally competent peer support, digital access, and community-driven, anti-racist solutions. This report centres the lived experiences of Black mothers and highlights systemic barriers to quality, affordable mental healthcare. By leading this research, The Motherhood Group places Black mothers’ voices at the forefront of national conversations, providing policy-makers, health services, and communities with the insights needed to drive meaningful change. 21 Mental Maintenance at NEAS: a proactive approach to staff mental health The North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) provides emergency medical and patient transport services to a population of 2.7 million people in the North East region, employing over 3,400 staff members. Exposure to traumatic events, the demands of shift working and an uncertainty of what’s in store each day, can impact ambulance staff mental health. Read how North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust created a campaign to provide proactive staff mental health support. 22 Mind: The big mental health report 2025 Mind’s 2025 Big Mental Health Report explores the state of mental health, and mental health services and support across England and Wales. It builds on the insights from their 2024 report and gives a comprehensive picture of mental health to date, serving as a crucial guide that anyone can use. It explores the latest evidence on the nation’s mental health including how well services are supporting mental health in England and Wales. 23 Making sense after a suicide: living with blame, uncertainty, and the need for answers. You are not alone Each year, more than 700,000 people die by suicide worldwide. In the UK, it is around 7,000 – making it the biggest cause of death for people aged 20–34 and for men under 50. Making Families Count have created this resource to offer some comfort, recognition, and companionship in the aftermath of bereavement by suicide, whether it seems the person intended to take their own life, or their intention was unclear. The resource consists of a booklet and three short films of people’s stories of their bereavement by suicide. Written by Dr Rachel Gibbons, with contributions from a group of bereaved families, Dr Karen Lascelles, and comments and suggestions from other affected people and those who work with them. 24 National Audit of Eating Disorders Service Mapping Report 2025 The National Audit of Eating Disorders (NAED) is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and funded by NHS England as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme. In 2025 the NAED team conducted a comprehensive mapping of eating disorder service provision across England. This report provides an in-depth overview of NHS-funded and independent sector services for children, young people, and adults. 25 Mental health crisis care: legislative challenges in emergency departments (HSSIB) The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) published two reports 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 first 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. 26 Mental health: attempted suicide while under the care of community services (HSSIB) The second HSSIB investigation used the patient safety incident investigation (PSII) report template and Patient Safety Incident Review Framework (PSIRF) tools to investigate an attempted suicide in the community mental health setting. Findings and areas for improvement are listed for the organisations that were involved in this incident. However, the learning may be relevant to other organisations. Have your say Do you have any stories, insights or resources related to mental health? We would love to hear from you! Comment below (register for free here first) Get in touch with us directly to share your insights.

Bereavement by suicide can be especially painful, complex, and isolating. Join Making Families Count for a new series of lunchtime online seminars for families, carers, and health professionals. These free one-hour sessions bring together expert speakers with family carers to explore key issues in mental health care, patient confidentiality, suicide bereavement, and patient safety. Each event will include the opportunity to submit questions in advance. Whether you are supporting a loved one, working in health services, or seeking to better understand these issues, these sessions aim to provide practical insight, clearer understanding, and greater confidence. Led by: Dr Rachel Gibbons Respondent: Dorit Braun Bereavement by suicide can be especially painful, complex, and isolating. This session will explore: Why suicide bereavement can is so complex relative to other forms of grief. What suicide-bereaved people may need. How professionals, families, and communities can respond better to suicide bereaved people. This session is for both those with lived experience and professionals who want to respond more helpfully and compassionately. Register

On Tuesday 19 May, a new toolkit to support adults at risk of self-harm or suicide will be launched at The University of Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery, as part of a free and interactive event open to all. Jay’s Personalised Safety Planning Toolkit, co-designed by researchers, people with lived experience, and healthcare professionals, is an evidence-based, practical guide that offers a more personalised approach to safety planning within health and care settings, offering meaningful support to help save more lives. The Safety Planning Toolkit can be used by: Individuals themselves Families, friends, and wider support networks Health and social care professionals The launch event is open to anyone with an interest in safety planning for self-harm and suicide prevention, including practitioners from across health and social care, as well as individuals who may use safety planning themselves, along with family, friends and other support people. Book your place here.

Phil Ross is the Chair of the Design in Mental Health Network, Co-Founder of Safehinge Primera, and a Trustee at the Centre for Mental Health (UK). In this blog, Phil describes a collaborative Quality Improvement project that aimed to ensure a door alarm system acted as a trusted safety aid, not a constant distraction. When it comes to service user safety in mental health settings, every second counts. That’s why Aspen Wood, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust’s new 40-bed low secure unit for people with learning disabilities, installed 67 full-door ligature alarm systems. The system that invisibly transforms the entire door into a weighing scale, detecting any sustained load and triggering an alert for staff to proactively intervene and save a life. However, frontline NHS teams using full-door ligature alarms and other full-edge systems shared a challenge: frequent false alarms. These alarms are disruptive, distracting, and desensitising. For staff already stretched, these alerts became a barrier to the calm, therapeutic environments we’re all working to create. Not one to shy away, we listened. Then we acted and together, co-launched a Quality Improvement (QI) initiative to solve the issue. The cost of constant alarms in mental health wards Imagine being a nurse on a mental health ward where an alarm sounds 10-20 times every day. Each alarm demands immediate attention – a possible ligature attempt – yet almost every time it turns out to be a false alert. Front-line caregivers were understandably anxious that alarm fatigue – the desensitisation to alarms due to overexposure – could undermine patient safety. The false alarms were also distracting staff from providing care. Alarm fatigue is not a trivial inconvenience; it’s a well-documented clinical risk. In healthcare settings, when clinicians face an overload of alarms, they can become desensitised, leading to slower responses or ignored alerts.[1] In the context of mental health, the stakes are especially high – an ignored alarm could mean a patient death by suicide. Recent findings in the UK have highlighted this danger: an NIHR review noted that “‘alarm fatigue’ associated with surveillance technology use can even have fatal consequences”.[2] Tragically, this was echoed by a real-world incident in Essex, where an 18-year-old patient was found unresponsive after staff failed to respond for over 52 minutes to a bathroom sensor alert. The inquest revealed that staff had grown so accustomed to frequent alerts on their digital monitoring system that “alert fatigue” had set in.[3] Aspen Wood’s alarm challenge: 600+ alerts and a team determined to help At Aspen Wood, the alarm overload soon after installation quickly became recognised as an urgent patient safety and operational issue. The Trust’s leadership moved swiftly, bringing us in to discuss the issue and creating a cross-functional working group to explore ways to resolve it. Around the table were clinicians from the wards, Estates managers, the Trust’s risk and patient safety leads, our team of experts from Safehinge Primera, who developed the full-door anti-ligature alarm, and Pinpoint, who provide the staff attack alarm system that relays door alerts to staff devices. This collective approached the problem to try and understand the issue in greater detail and explore ways to solve it. Everyone agreed on a critical point: expecting zero alarms wasn’t realistic, but we should aim to get as low as possible (there will always be some incidents or tests). The team set an initial target: roughly one ligature alarm per day across Aspen Wood – ambitious yet attainable with the right improvements. Collaborative problem-solving Several concrete solutions emerged from the discussions and subsequent development work: ● Adjusted sensitivity threshold: When the QI team discussed weight sensitivity, the Trust’s Risk team highlighted that the door alarm was much more sensitive than other safety devices within the room - the load release curtain tracks released around 20 kg. Our full door alarm was set to a 7 kg weight threshold, unnecessarily sensitive. Here, the adjustable weight threshold became a big advantage for the Trust, changing to 15 kg for this user group (with the benefit of keeping lighter weight sensitivity when used for people with eating disorders). This change sharply cut false positives without compromising safety (indeed, the team carried out a series of lab tests based on a range of different previous ligature attempts). ● Firmware enhancements and battery life: Our team also rolled out a new approach to greatly improve battery life. The new firmware also introduced smarter data logging – essentially enabling the system to be more intelligent about what triggered it, so that staff could get feedback if improper use of the door was causing alarms (like wedging the door open or hanging objects). These behind-the-scenes tweaks enhanced the system’s robustness and reduced nuisance triggers by providing helpful feedback for staff. ● Localised and silent alerting: Initially, a door ligature alarm at Aspen Wood would broadcast an alert across the entire hospital network via the staff attack alarm system. This meant a single bathroom incident could set off alerts on multiple wards, needlessly alarming staff beyond the affected area. The system was reconfigured so that door ligature alarms now alert only the local ward. This change empowers the ward staff to quickly verify and respond, and, if it is a serious incident, staff can still escalate using their Personal Infrared Transmitter (PIT) alarm. The result is fewer interruptions hospital-wide and a more scalable response protocol. The Mersey Care team had always opted for silent alarms to prevent disrupting service users with learning disabilities, an approach we’re seeing adopted nationally across all care pathways. ● Staff training refreshers: We worked with the Trust to co-create simplified support materials to ensure staff felt confident managing the alarm system. A quick-reference poster was designed (with input from Aspen Wood’s clinical team) to support new or bank staff on how to swiftly reset a door alarm after an incident. Training sessions were scheduled, including hands-on practice using our mobile training unit. This conscientious approach acknowledged that technology is only as effective as the people using it. ● Stronger interface and support: Both Safehinge Primera and Pinpoint also recognised that closer integration and joint support when complex technical issues arise would help Mersey Care’s Estates team resolve issues quickly and easily. We also worked together to create a joint troubleshooting guide for the Aspen Wood team, so any issues could be quickly pinpointed (no pun intended) and resolved. By improving the interface between the two systems and clarifying responsibility, the Trust gained confidence that “issues” would no longer fall into a void between different suppliers, but instead, a collaborative team of experts. Results: from 600 alarms to just 6 – a transformative difference The results were even better than we’d hoped for…not 30 alarms per month, but just 6 alarms. When the stakeholders reconvened at the end of April 2025, our door alarm dashboard evidenced that alarm rates had plummeted. This has restored the alarm system to its intended role: a trusted safety aid, not a constant distraction. Reliability through the system's continual monitoring (avoiding the costly daily check requirements from push-bar, door edge type alarm systems) and adjustable weight sensitivity meant the alarms were keeping staff focused on time to care, whilst ensuring service user safety too. “The current pressure on frontline teams is huge, so when the built environment adds noise instead of support, it’s a problem that Estates are asked to resolve quickly. What made this initiative work was the openness on all sides. Together, we made the Safehinge Primera full-door ligature system smarter and safer for everyone, and something that we hope will help other NHS Trusts across the country.” Chris Murphy, Assistant Director of Estates and Facilities, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust A model for best practice: hopeful lessons beyond Aspen Wood The journey at Aspen Wood carries hopeful lessons for mental health facilities everywhere. Alarm fatigue in an inpatient mental health setting is not an insurmountable fate; it’s a challenge that can be overcome through empathetic, curious, and determined collaboration. Mersey Care didn’t shy away from flagging the problem, and in partnership with suppliers, they created the space to carry out an analysis and co-create solutions. The outcome made our alarm smarter, more user-friendly, and tailored to the ward’s needs. In doing so, they upheld a core principle of patient safety: technology must augment, not hinder, the human care process. This story also underlines a broader point in NHS mental health services: collaboration and continuous improvement are key. Just as we strive to co-produce care with service users, here we see collaboration between clinicians, engineers, and estates teams. The result – a dramatic reduction in alarms and a safer, calmer ward – speaks to the power of being conscientious (putting service user and staff needs first) and determined (not giving up on a good idea, even when it hits bumps in the road). By staying curious (asking “Why is this happening? How can we fix it?”) and maintaining a positive mindset that a solution would be found, the Aspen Wood team exemplified the best of NHS innovation culture. Looking ahead, Mersey Care’s Aspen Wood can serve as a model of best practice that we’re actively rolling out with other mental health Trusts. References 1. HSSIB. Investigation report: The impact of staff fatigue on patient safety. 2025. (Accessed online 11.02.26). 2. Griffiths JL, Saunders KRK, Foye U et al. The use and impact of surveillance-based technology initiatives in inpatient and acute mental health settings: a systematic review (preprint). 2024. (Accessed online 11.02.26). 3. BBC News. Essex mental health patient died despite staff alarm – inquest. (Accessed online 11.02.26) Further reading Reiter-Millard B. Tackling Alarm Fatigue. Safehinge Primera. 2025. (Accessed online 11.02.26) Opinions expressed in blogs and other content are those of the author. Patient Safety Learning welcomes sharing content and opinions that promotes safer patient care and for the reduction of avoidable harm. The views expressed on the hub however do not necessarily represent Patient Safety Learning's views or values. References to a specific product or service does not imply a recommendation or endorsement.