Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Safer Patients Initiative

About the Safer Patients Initiative

Based in London, England, The Health Foundation is an independent charity that aims to improve health and the quality of health care for the people of the United Kingdom. The Foundation selected the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to design, promote and implement the Safer Patients Initiative, one of the Foundation’s quality and performance improvement programmes.

Following a highly competitive UK-wide selection process, 20 hospitals representing the four countries of the UK have joined The Health Foundation’s prestigious Safer Patients Initiative. The hospitals will work in pairs on the safety improvement work and will receive technical assistance from IHI. The teams will build on and learn from the impressive progress being made by the four hospitals already involved in the initiative.

England
Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Working with	Airedale General Hospital, Airedale NHS Trust
Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust		York Hospital, York Hospitals NHS Trust
Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust		Torbay Hospital, South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust
Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust		Bristol Royal Infirmary, United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust
Royal Free Hospital, Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust		The Royal London Hospital, Barts and The London NHS Trust
Wales and England
Maelor Hospital, North East Wales NHS Trust		Countess of Chester Hospital, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Wales
University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust		Royal Gwent Hospital, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust
Scotland
Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, NHS Dumfries and Galloway		The Ayr Hospital, NHS Ayrshire and Arran
Northern Ireland
Antrim Area Hospital, United Hospitals Health and Social Services Trust		Causeway Hospital, Causeway Health and Social Services Trust
Royal Victoria Hospital, Royal Group of Hospitals and Dental Hospital Health and Social Services Trust		Mater Hospital, Mater Hospital Trust

The Original Four Hospitals in the Safer Patients Initiative

In October 2004, four hospital sites won Safer Patients Initiative awards. Their awards last for four years. The hospital sites are:

Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust (Wales)
Down Lisburn Health and Social Services Trust (Northern Ireland)
Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust (England)
NHS Tayside (Scotland)

Aims of the Initiative

About The Health Foundation

The Health Foundation’s Safer Patients Initiative (SPI) is a four-year award scheme (two years with IHI content management) that began in October 2004. The initiative focuses on key elements of safety work including Critical Care, Perioperative, General Ward, Medicines Management, and Culture and Leadership.

Through its programs, activities, and investments, The Health Foundation seeks out and supports leaders in health; promotes innovation in the delivery of health services; enhances the capacity for new knowledge through research; and disseminates evidence for changing health policy and practice.

Visit The Health Foundation website for more information about their work.

Learn more about the latest materials from The Health Foundation, including featuring opinions, best practices and new publications.

For More Information

Please address inquiries about the Safer Patients Initiative to Simona Arena, Business Manager, The Health Foundation, at simona.arena@health.org.uk or Yael Gordon, Project Manager, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, at ygordon@ihi.org.

Related information on the Safer Patients Initiative: