Patient safety: tensions, challenges and opportunities

In all fields of academic study there are ‘seminal’ books, reports and policy documents that have been highly influential and change-making. We all have our own favourites and my top three are An Organisation With a Memory (Department of Health, 2000), the Francis report (2013) and Opening the Door to Change (Care Quality Commission (CQC), 2018). These reports all brought new knowledge and perspectives to patient safety and continue to influence policy direction. There are many other contenders for the category of the most influential patient safety reports—to choose one is an exercise of value judgement and personal preference, and a valuable one in terms of fermenting debate.

Another contender for one of my favourite influential patient safety reports is emerging: the NHS Patient Safety Strategy (NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2019). A 2021 update has recently been published, which shows the excellent work going on to implement the policy objectives set out in the original report. This update (NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2021) also refreshes elements of the national patient safety strategy and sets out new objectives.