NHS Lanarkshire will raise the profile of patient safety during a week of special events and activities to engage and inform staff.

Patient Safety Week will be held from 24 October, marking the launch of a refreshed Prioritised Patient Safety Plan following two years of successful work by the Patient Safety Reducing Harm Collaborative.

During Patient Safety Week, and throughout October, all staff will be offered the opportunity to share their thoughts by completing the patient safety culture survey.

The survey is a repeat of the first patient safety organisational assessment in March 2014, which gave a baseline view of the safety culture.

NHS Lanarkshire wants as many staff as possible to complete the survey – on paper, electronically or at the information stalls during Patient Safety Week.

Jane Murkin, NHS Lanarkshire’s head of patient safety and improvement, said: “One of the major commitments of the patient safety plan is the development of a patient safety culture.

“We got just over 1000 responses to our initial survey, and since then we have worked hard to develop our local safety culture. We are hopeful that more staff will be empowered to complete the survey this time.

“The results will help NHS Lanarkshire’s commitment to being the safest healthcare system in Scotland. They will allow us to assess ongoing improvements and identify areas of focus for further work.”

So what is a “safety culture” and why is it important?

In organisations with great safety cultures, everyone takes responsibility for patient safety and takes action when necessary. An open and transparent commitment to sharing information can be seen and leaders demonstrate consistency in behaviour, expectations and messages across the organisation.

There is a growing emphasis on action to improve organisational safety culture and staff attitudes toward safety.

Look out for forthcoming information on Patient Safety Week.