UCLPartners launches human factors programme to help tackle safety issues

This week UCLPartners is launching a unique programme to support its partners in addressing patient safety challenges through human factors and team working. This comes in the same week as NHS England’s Medical Director, Sir Bruce Keogh, highlighted “significant safety problems” in the NHS, which are putting patients’ lives at risk.

Human factors, which is often referred to as ergonomics, is an established scientific discipline used in many other safety critical industries. It is estimated that up to 80% of accident causes in the industrial sector could be attributed to a breakdown in human interaction and in the health sector, professionals are increasingly recognising the role that human factors play in safety outcomes for their patients.  Human factors approaches underpin current patient safety and quality improvement science, offering an integrated and evidence based approach to patient safety and improvement.

The UCLPartners Human Factors Programme provides the opportunity for up to five organisations within the region to develop in-house human factors expertise.  Successful applicants will have access to high quality training and development; coaching; peer support and a community of dedicated and likeminded colleagues.  Delivered by experts in human factors, participants will learn about the importance of human behaviour and team working and how these influence patient safety outcomes.  The training sessions will enable participants to take their learning back to their own organisations through delivery of further in-house training and we hope that a number of participants will join the UCLPartners Improvement Network and become part of a UCLPartners Human Factors Faculty.  Participating organisations will gain access to great ideas, 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: “I am thrilled to introduce the Human Factors Programme to our portfolio of work at UCLPartners.  It is such an important area and is something we know is vital to improve patient safety.  We’ve had a great response to our other capability programmes and we hope the addition of this Human Factors Programme will be equally as interesting and engaging for those with a passion for improvement.”

Organisations within the partnership are invited to apply to join the programme, which starts in February 2018.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Tuesday 21 November 2017 and interviews with shortlisted applicants will take place on 18 December 2017.

For further details, please click here.