NHS Patient Safety Syllabus training programme
When patients are harmed, it has an impact on them, their loved ones, our staff, and others who work in the healthcare system. It is crucial that all staff, whatever our roles, see safety not just as our collective responsibility, but as a key priority. We all need to think differently about what patient safety means and how we can make improvements.
Overall, we can make healthcare even safer by:
- Dealing with risks before they can cause harm
- Working to create a positive patient safety culture
- Building safer systems
- Recognising everyone’s role in patient safety
Click here to access the NHS Patient Safety Syllabus training programme.
For details of how to access the programme please scroll down to the ‘How to Access’ section.
More information
The NHS Patient Safety Strategy will help us deliver the changes we need. The Strategy includes a patient safety syllabus and training programme for the whole NHS. This is designed to help everyone who works in the NHS take all the necessary steps to ensure our patients are safe while they are in our care.
This training has five levels, which build on each other, please click on the boxes below to find information about each level.
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Level one - Essentials for patient safety
Level one - Essentials for patient safety
Level One – Essentials for Patient Safety (estimated completion time 30mins)
Is the starting point for all NHS staff, and includes sections on:
- Listening to patients and raising concerns
- The systems approach to safety, where instead of focusing on the performance of individual members of staff, we try to improve the way we work
- Avoiding inappropriate blame when things don’t go well
- Creating a just culture that prioritises safety and is open to learning about risk and safety
- There is no skills assessments in Levels 1 although a certificate of completion will be received.
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Level one - Essentials of patient safety for boards and senior leadership teams
Level one - Essentials of patient safety for boards and senior leadership teams
Level One – Essentials for Patient Safety for Boards and senior leadership teams (estimated completion time 30mins)
Additional session for senior leaders and executive teams, covering:
- The human, organisational and financial costs of patient safety
- The benefits of a framework for governance in patient safety
- Understanding the need for proactive safety management and a focus on risk in addition to past harm
- Key factors in leadership for patient safety
- The harmful effects of safety incidents on staff at all levels
There is no skills assessments in Levels 1 although a certificate of completion will be received.
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Level two – Access to practice
Level two – Access to practice
Level two – Access to Practice (estimated completion time 45mins)
Access to practice is intended for all clinical and non-clinical staff who have an interest in understanding more about patient safety or who want to go on to access the higher levels of training. There are two sessions:
The first introduces systems thinking (how the way we work can be used to reduce error and improve safety) and risk expertise (how we can identify and manage risk to keep patients safe).
The second session looks at human factors (the science of work and of working together in safely designed systems) and safety culture (the significance of a true learning culture, free of inappropriate blame).
Level two Access to Practice includes an assessment, which on completion staff will receive a certificate and will have access to the sector specific sessions covering Mental Health, Primary Care, Maternity Care, Acute Care, and Management and Administration.
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Level two - Sector Specific Sessions
Level two - Sector Specific Sessions
Level two – Sector Specific sessions (Accessible following completion of Level two Access to Practice)
On completion of Level 2 Access to Practice all staff will have access to five patient safety sector specific sessions covering good practice, human factors, risk management, systems thinking, and safety culture. Each of these sessions can be completed by individuals or used as part of a group discussion. These sessions aim to highlight the learning from Level 2 – Access to Practice. The sessions cover:
- Mental Health
- Primary Care
- Acute Care
- Maternity Care
- Management and Administration
A certificate of completion is available following completion of each session.
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Levels three to five
Levels three to five
Levels three to five
Levels 3-5 are in development and expected to be available from Autumn 2023.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements of assistance developing the training modules
We would like to acknowledge those who have helped review these training modules as they were developed. This included members of key stakeholder organisations and over 50 frontline clinical staff.
We would like to acknowledge the support and guidance offered by members of the following organisations represented on our Advisory Group for development of the syllabus.
- Allied Health Professions Federation
- Academic Health Science Network
- Care Quality Commission
- Council of Postgraduate Medical Deans
- Council of Deans of Health
- Department of Health Northern Ireland
- General Medical Council
- Heath and Care Professions Council
- Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch
- Health Education England
- Health Education and Improvement Wales
- Lay representatives
- Medical Schools’ Council
- National Association of Clinical Tutors
- NHS Clinical Commissioners
- NHS Education for Scotland
- NHS Employers
- NHS England and Improvement
- Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- Royal College of Midwives
- Royal College of Nursing
- Royal College of Physicians including its Chief Registrar Programme
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society
- Society & College of Radiographers
- UK Foundation Programme
Patient Safety Development Team
Professor Peter Spurgeon
Syllabus author, Project Lead, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Professor Emeritus Health Services Management, Warwick Medical School
Dr Steve Cross
Syllabus Author, Associate in Patient Safety, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
Dr Rose Jarvis
Policy Lead Academy of Medical Royal CollegesSam Illingworth
Director of Education Quality and Reform, HEEMarie Moore
Quality Transformation Manager and Patient Safety Lead, HEESemone Boyal
Programme Manager, HEEJames Nicholls
NHSE/I comms leadChristian Brailsford
Senior Responsible Officer for patient safety, Regional Head of Nursing and Midwifery, HEE South WestDr Aidan Fowler
National Director of Patient Safety in England, NHSE/IDr Matt Fogarty
Deputy Director of Patient Safety, Policy & Strategy, NHSE/IAlastair Henderson
CEO Academy of Medical Royal CollegesCarl Jessop
Communications Programme Manager, Corporate Accountability and Engagement Directorate, HEEJoan Russell
Head of Patient Safety, Policy and Partnerships NHSE/I
NHSE elfh team members
Nicole Beckford
Senior project manager, NHSE elearning for Healthcare
Karen Walker
Lead learning designer, NHSE elearning for Healthcare
Charlotte Howell
Learning designer, NHSE elearning for Healthcare
Scott Tyrell
Animator, NHSE elearning for Healthcare
Rebekka Campbell
Programme manager, NHSE elearning for healthcare
How to Access
In order to access any elfh programme, you will need an elfh account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below.
To view the NHS Patient Safety Syllabus training programme, select the View button below. If you already have an account with elfh, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.
If you already have an account with elfh, then you can enrol on to the NHS Patient Safety Syllabus training programme by logging in to the elfh Hub, selecting My Account > Enrolment and selecting the programme. You can then access the programme immediately in the My e-Learning section.
NHS healthcare staff in England – ESR
The NHS Patient Safety Syllabus training programme is also available to NHS healthcare staff via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Accessing this e-learning via ESR means that your completions will transfer with you throughout your NHS career.
Further details are available here.
Registering large numbers of users
If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the NHS Patient Safety Syllabus training programme, please contact elfh directly.
Organisations wishing to use their own LMS
For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.
More information
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