UCLPartners announces participants for its unique human factors programme

UCLPartners has selected four organisations from across the region to join its unique new programme that will support partners to develop in-house human factors expertise.

Human factors, often referred to as ergonomics, is an established scientific discipline used in many safety critical industries. The principles and practices of human factors focus on optimising human performance through better understanding the behaviour of individuals, their interactions with each other and with their environment. By acknowledging human limitations, human factors offer ways to minimise and mitigate human weaknesses, in turn reducing medical error and its consequences.

Participants on the programme will gain an in-depth knowledge of human factors and team-working, with the aim of supporting further training in their own organisations and, for some, becoming part of the UCLPartners Human Factors Faculty. The ultimate objective is to improve outcomes for patients, to ensure that ‘Safe by Design’ becomes every day practice.

Over the ten-month programme participants will:

• Attend a week-long training course
• Take part in workshops
• Have four site visits which will also include 1:1 coaching
• Develop as a network of like-minded people to build a community
• Access wider communities of improvements, such as the UCLPartners Improvement Network and Q

Organisations will benefit not only from the development of their participants, but will also build in-house capability for human factors.  This will give organisations better access to great ideas, other opportunities and talent from across the system, which can then be harnessed and deployed for wider benefit.

Kate Hall, Director of Capability Development at UCLPartners, said:

“We are delighted to be offering this new programme to our partners; and the high number of applications received shows that organisations are increasingly aware and understand the importance and value of human factors in the health and social care setting. I hope this programme will enable participants to feel more able to personally reflect on, and influence others to learn more about, the impact human factors have on staff and patient experience and outcomes.”

The participating partner organisations include:

• Essex Hospitals (Basildon and Thurrock Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust)
• London Ambulance Service
• North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
• University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Read more about participants here.