Safety, Openness and Culture

An open culture towards safety and reporting has long been recognised as fundamentally important for healthcare. 

Key developments in the sector this year have been marked by three interrelated themes: 

• Supporting staff to speak up 

• Fostering a learning environment both within and across organisations  

• Building a culture of greater transparency and openness 

For historic reasons, a small but important number of regulations for independent providers have been similar but slightly different to those that apply to NHS providers. There are differences in definitions of harm, reporting thresholds and reporting routes. Taken together, these differences create confusion and work against efforts to share learning and build greater transparency. 

We therefore strongly welcome the intentions signalled by organisations such as the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and others to move towards a single set of definitions. We note, however, that as things currently stand, the vision described in the NHS Patients Safety Strategy of aligning priorities, polices and requirements, is yet to be achieved. As a sector, we call for a greater focus to move faster towards tangible change.