Professionals and the Public: in partnership for patient safety

On Friday, 28 March, the PSA and the Patient and Client Council (PCC) hosted this joint event in Belfast. The focus was on how the public can be embraced as assets and how workplace culture can be developed to improve patient safety. 

Despite storms causing a postponement from January to March, the event was a resounding success. Members of the public, alongside leaders from the health and social care sectors, came together to discuss crucial topics such as the importance of openness, the duty of candour, and lessons from public inquiries. 

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with particular appreciation for the expertise of the panellists and speakers, including Helen Hughes from Patient Safety Learning, Independent Consultant Peter McBride, and Paul Whiteing from Action against Medical Accidents, to name a few. The event was especially successful in highlighting the patient voice, with valuable contributions from members of the public and the importance of reinstating the human element in these conversations.