A palpable sense of frustration with NHS patient safety culture development

NHS patient safety culture development efforts over the years can be likened to a revolving door. As one patient safety report or policy is published and fades into obscurity, another one is quickly ushered in and takes its place – and so the process continues. As I have said frequently in my BJN columns, the NHS has been no sloth when it has come to publishing excellent patient safety reports and policies.

The sloth analogy best describes the slow progress of NHS patient safety policy implementation and uptake in the NHS. It is taking far too long.

Several patient safety crisis investigation reports over the years have shown serious lapses of care taking place, which has resulted, in some cases, in avoidable deaths and serious injuries. Patient safety lessons from these events seem to have gone patently unlearnt in some quarters of the NHS.

Two recently published reports from the charity Patient Safety Learning (2024) and the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee (HCHSCC) Expert Panel (2024) highlight once again the chasm that exists between NHS patient safety policies and practice.