Patient Safety

WELCOME to our special supplement on patient safety, produced by HSJ in association with the National Patient Safety Agency.

The coming months will see a step change in the sophistication of the tools and techniques available to managers when considering their approach on this issue.The centre piece of the supplement is a panel discussion with the five assistant directors of patient safety for the NPSA, who will be leading the work at local level.

They give a fascinating insight into what the national agenda will mean for individual NHS organisations.

Accompanying this discussion we set out the 'seven steps to patient safety'- a guide to what best practice means in real terms.From building a safety culture from the bottom up to promotion of reporting and through to implementing solutions to avoid harm, this toolkit makes valuable reading.