Wayne Robson

The introduction of “Safety Science” into an undergraduate nursing programme at a large university in the United Kingdom

Abstract Implementing safety science {a term adopted by the authors which incorporates both patient safety and human factors (Sherwood, G. (2011). Integrating quality and safety science in nursing education and practice. Journal of Research in Nursing, 16(3), 226–240. doi: 10.1177/1744987111400960)} into healthcare programmes is a major challenge facing healthcare educators worldwide (National Advisory Group on the Safety of Patients in England, 2013; World Health Organisation, 2009). Patient safety concerns relating to human factors have been well-documented over the years, and the root cause(s) of as many as 65–80 % of these events are linked to human error (Dunn et al., 2007; Reason, 2005). This paper will describe how safety science education was embedded into a pre-registration nursing programme at a large UK university. The authors argue that the processes described in this paper, may be successfully applied to other pre-registration healthcare programmes in addition to nursing.

Patient safety: the journey towards safer radiotherapy

The report by Robert Francis into events at Mid Staffordshire Hospitals has ensured that patient safety is and should remain the number one priority for the National Health Service (NHS). Although the focus of the report relates to failings in care on wards, involving mainly nurses and doctors, there are also many lessons for radiotherapy services in terms of the effects of poor leadership, inadequate staffing levels, and an immature safety culture on keeping patients free from harm and ensuring they receive compassionate care.