Patients who are more engaged in their care don’t just feel better about their healthcare experience – studies show they achieve better health outcomes. Yet a new survey of 2,000 UK patients, commissioned by Semble for Patient Safety Day (17th September), reveals a serious barrier: unclear, inconsistent, or delayed communication is adversely impacting health with 61% of patients reporting that their mental health has been negatively affected.
Poor communication – which is often out of clinicians’ hands due to administrative constraints – can lead to a lack of engagement and fundamentally highlights a critical gap in trust, which is core to patient safety.
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Poor levels of communication don’t just frustrate patients, they compromise overall safety and undermine the proven benefits of involving people in their own care.
Lack of communication can quickly erode trust, and the survey shows where this leads: more than a third of patients (38%) feel uncomfortable raising information they’ve found online with their clinician, while only 13% feel “very comfortable” doing so. Without open dialogue, patients risk leaving concerns unaddressed and misinformation unchallenged.
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When asked what would improve their safety as patients, the majority emphasised simple but vital priorities. Indicative of today’s patients’ want and need for a partnership, top of the list was the ability to ask questions at any time (63%), followed by access to medical information on demand (51%). Clear guidance on side effects or warning signs was also highly valued (51%), along with timely reminders about follow-up care (44%).
When asked how collaboration could be improved, more time in consultations (31%) topped the list, followed by opportunities for follow-up (26%) and easier access to data (25%).
Consultant cardiologist Dr Matt Balerdi, of Humber Health Partnership NHS, as well as Spire and Bupa, said: “For me, patient safety is inseparable from trust. It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. Semble enables me to keep those promises – and patients notice. They feel supported, and that sense of security is fundamental to safe care.”
Christoph Lippuner, Semble's CEO and Co-founder, added: “Patient safety is fundamentally about preventing harm. Building real trust and openness between patient and clinician is a crucial part of that – and something that patients are telling us they want more of.”
Looking ahead, patients identified clear priorities for making healthcare safer over the next five years. The strongest response was a call for better staffing levels to reduce workload and minimise errors (26%). This was followed by using technology for earlier problem detection (18%), supporting the current shift towards preventative healthcare, and by improving patient–staff communication through digital tools (16%).
“When technology works quietly in the background, it gives clinicians more time to focus on their patients. This highlights an important chance to improve safety by providing tools that free up time for better communication. To achieve this, healthcare professionals need systems they can trust, not just to protect data, but to support daily tasks that make quality care possible,” Lippuner added. “Patient safety means preventing harm, but also building trust, and the right tools help keep human connection at the centre of care.”
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Ahead of World Patient Safety Day on 17th September, Semble is highlighting how cutting through admin gives doctors the clarity and headspace to focus on what matters most: safeguarding patient journeys and delivering truly joined-up, human-centred care.
