Our response to the launch of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy

Responding to today’s (Tuesday 2 July) launch of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), said:

“I welcome the aims and ambitions set out in this important strategy. When something awful happens in health and social care, we know what people, their families and carers, really want to see is that it doesn’t happen to someone else’s loved one.

“The NMC is fully committed to working with NHS Improvement and NHS England to improve safety by moving away from a culture of unfair blame when things go wrong – and instead develop more effective ways of working that can better support the safety of people using services. This is at the heart of our new approach to fitness to practise.

“Today’s strategy highlights some of the key issues that need to be addressed in ensuring better, safer care for the future. Of course, a focus on improving systems, processes, frameworks and better sharing of information is vital. But we also need to make sure we have a workforce that is able to support people to raise concerns and for those concerns to be listened to and acted on swiftly, and with compassion and respect.

“As welcome as the strategy is, it is action that will make the difference for people using services who deserve good, safe care.

“I look forward to working with other regulators and our partners in contributing to the implementation of this important work.”

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