Fostering a learning environment both within and across organisations

Learning from patient safety events (LFPSE)

Independent providers continued to engage with LFPSE throughout 2025 and fully support the principle of learning from patient safety events at a national level to facilitate ongoing patient safety improvement programmes and the patient safety agenda more widely.

During 2025 we worked collaboratively with providers and NHS England to gain clarity on data definitions and alignment with other existing national reporting, such as statutory notifications (SN) to the CQC. Publication of the recorded data dashboard to include independent sector data was paused by NHS England in 2025 to enable further engagement with the sector.

Share and Learn

The IHPN Share and Learn Community of Practice enables members to share patient-safety learning in a confidential environment. In its fourth year in 2025, it has shifted towards understanding why incidents happen and taking practical steps to prevent them.

During 2025 the group considered areas including faster recognition and escalation of deterioration, the use of rapid learning reviews, and creating safe spaces for staff to debrief and share learning. Members also highlighted the value of involving families throughout investigations and communicating clearly during Duty of Candour processes.

The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF)

The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), developed by NHS England and introduced in 2023, is now embedded in patient safety governance across independent healthcare. Replacing the 2015 Serious Incident Framework, PSIRF moved organisations away from process-heavy investigations and towards proportionate, system-based learning focused on improvement. While the independent sector has embraced PSIRF, members report that commissioners and regulators have yet to fully embed the new approach in their systems.

PSIRF is a contractual requirement for NHS-funded care in England. IHPN members have gone beyond this to implement the framework for all payor groups. Members in Scotland and Wales have also adopted PSIRF-aligned approaches, working with Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) to support consistency in learning and safety culture across the UK.

Patient Safety Specialists

The NHS Patient Safety Strategy requires all organisations delivering NHS-funded care to designate a Patient Safety Specialist (PSS). This role remains central to fostering a proactive safety culture and supporting the implementation of national patient safety priorities.

At the end of 2025, there were 83 Patient Safety Specialists recorded on the national database across independent healthcare providers, community interest companies, mental health providers and other independent sector services, of which 28 IHPN member organisations had a named Patient Safety Specialist in post alongside our own PSS.