Throughout September, we’ve explored what patient safety means from a range of perspectives, including insights from Semble’s own Clinical Safety Officer, healthcare professionals and even members of the public.
Now, we’re turning to the experts who champion patients’ rights every day. UK charity The Patients Association is dedicated to amplifying the patient voice, working to improve care and influence vital healthcare policies.
In this blog, Emma Sheffield, Communications Manager for The Patients Association, tells us what patient safety means to those The Patients Association supports and how genuine partnerships, built on six key principles of patient care, can create safer, better healthcare for all.
Every patient who walks into a hospital, GP surgery or community service places enormous trust in the healthcare system and the hard-working professionals within it. Patients expect to receive safe care, to have their concerns heard and to be treated with dignity and respect. When that trust is broken, the consequences can be profound; for those who have lived through such failures, patient safety is not an abstract policy issue, but something deeply personal.
Patients often tell us that what makes them feel unsafe is not just the clinical mistake itself, but the way their concerns were handled before, during and afterwards. Too often, patient feedback is not fully heard, complaints are unresolved, or the process feels more supportive of the institution. These experiences reflect a broader power imbalance within the system, where patients can feel voiceless in decisions that affect their lives.
Poor communication remains the most common reason for complaints, underlining how far there is still to go. The 10-Year Health Plan for England recognises this, promising to 'bring patient voice in house' by creating a new National Director of Patient Experience. This role will be tasked with overseeing the collection of more informed feedback from patients and carers and making it publicly available.
Trust and communication lie at the heart of patient safety. The recent survey of 2,000 UK patients commissioned by Semble for Patient Safety Day revealed that 61% said unclear or inconsistent communication had negatively affected their mental health. More than a third said they felt uncomfortable raising information they’d found online with a clinician. If patients do not feel able to speak openly, safety will always be compromised.
The same survey showed what patients value most. They want to be able to ask questions freely, access their own medical information, receive clear guidance on warning signs and side effects, and have timely reminders about follow-up care. These are not luxuries, rather they are the building blocks of safe, compassionate care.
We believe patient partnership is the key to improving safety. When patients are actively involved in their care, outcomes improve. Patients notice when promises are kept, and feel the difference when time is taken to listen, and their concerns are acted on. Patient partnership is not a “nice to have”, it is a proven way to enhance patient safety and build the trust that underpins all good healthcare.
So what does genuine patient partnership look like? Through extensive engagement with patients and partners across health and care, we identified six key principles:
These principles are simple but transformative. The more we involve patients in their own care, the more likely we are to deliver services that are safe, trustworthy and effective. Listening, learning and acting on what patients tell us is not just the right thing to do, it is the only way to build a safer healthcare system for the future.