PATIENT SAFETY FIRST is an initiative with a difference. It is a voluntary campaign led by a Core Team of NHS clinicians and managers experienced in using contemporary patient safety improvement approaches to effect measurable changes in practice and culture.
With messages that strongly connect with staff, it focuses on five evidence-based interventions. The perioperative care intervention is designed to reduce surgical site infections and improve teamwork and communication through the implementation of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. The Patient Safety First “How to guide” for reducing harm in perioperative care, together with case studies and stories about how Trusts have implemented the perioperative intervention, are available at: www.patientsafetyfirst.nhs.uk Patient Safety First is sponsored by the National Patient Safety Agency, the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and The Health Foundation.
