Patient safety
for shared learning between industry and healthcare providers, recognising that neither holds all the answers. Professionalising patient safety is another
recurring theme. Without dedicated expertise, clear leadership accountability and consistent standards, safety risks are too easily deprioritised amid operational pressures. The report calls for greater investment in patient safety roles, including human factors specialists, and for safety to be embedded visibly at board and system level.
Equity, sustainability and safety for all patients Avoidable harm does not affect all patients equally. Evidence shows that differences in access, communication and service design can compound risk for already marginalised groups. Recognising and addressing these variations is essential if health systems are to deliver safe care for all patients. Designing for safety therefore also means designing for inclusion. The report highlights the importance of building a strong and diverse clinical evidence base, applying inclusive design standards, and ensuring patient information is clear, accessible and appropriate for different populations. It recognises the opportunity for HealthTech to support more equitable access to safer care, particularly as services move closer to home and care models become increasingly personalised.
Sustainability is an important consideration
too. Environmental impact is now widely recognised as a factor in quality, resilience and long-term system safety. The report calls for a life-cycle approach to sustainability that aligns environmental responsibility with patient safety, workforce wellbeing and value-based care, supporting a health system that is safer, more efficient and fit for the future.
Regulation, leadership and international opportunity The report also addresses the role of regulators and system leaders in creating the conditions for safer care. Regulation must remain rigorous and responsive, but also proportionate and supportive of innovation. Post-market surveillance, transparency and shared learning are critical to identifying emerging risks early. At a system level, leadership is needed to
move from fragmented initiatives towards a coherent safety management approach. Data must be used not just for reporting, but for proactive risk identification and improvement. Finally, the report makes a clear case for
the UK to position itself as a global exemplar in patient safety. By sharing learning internationally
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I March 2026
and adopting best practice from other sectors and countries, there is an opportunity not only to improve domestic outcomes, but to demonstrate leadership on the world stage.
Conclusion: safety as a foundation, not an afterthought If healthcare systems are serious about reducing avoidable harm, patient safety must become a foundational principle, designed in, not bolted on after harm has occurred. The NHS 10-Year Health Plan provides a rare opportunity to make that shift, but only if safety is embedded into reform from the outset. HealthTech has a vital role to play in this
journey, not as a peripheral supplier, but as a partner in building safer systems for patients and healthcare workers alike. By combining technological innovation with systems thinking,
SCAN ME About the author
To view the full report, scan the QR code
Jonathan Evans is the Director of Communications for the ABHI, the UK’s leading industry association for health technology (HealthTech). ABHI supports the HealthTech community to save and enhance lives. Members, including both multinationals and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), supply products from syringes and wound dressings to surgical robots, diagnostics and digitally enhanced technologies. It represents the industry to stakeholders, such as the government, NHS and regulators. HealthTech plays a key role in supporting delivery of healthcare and is a significant contributor to the UK’s economic growth.
www.abhi.org.uk
transparency and patient engagement, there is a genuine opportunity to move from reacting to harm towards preventing it. The challenge now is not whether change is possible, but whether the system is willing to act collectively to make patient safety everyone’s responsibility, and everyone’s priority.
CSJ
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