• NHS Improvement national director of patient safety Dr Aidan Fowler has set out proposals to halve types of avoidable harm over the next five years.
• These avoidable harms include medication errors and Never Events.
• Dr Fowler seeks to develop a 'just culture' for the NHS where frontline staff are supported to speak up when errors occur.

Responding, the head of policy at NHS Providers, Amber Jabbal said: 

"We welcome this commitment to patient safety and to developing a culture of learning which ensures that staff feels confident to speak up when errors occur.

"It is right to consult with the frontline staff who deliver care daily to patients on where the focus needs to be to develop a coordinated approach to patient safety across the NHS.

We welcome this commitment to patient safety and to developing a culture of learning which ensures that staff feels confident to speak up when errors occur.

"Trusts already prioritise patient safety, but we should acknowledge that more can be done by joining up efforts and sharing lessons learned across all NHS organisations to make sure that patients are protected at all stages of care.

"To do this we must involve staff and patients to provide greater insight into the causes of incidents, improve learning and build a more transparent and just culture in responding when harm occurs.

"We look forward to working with Dr Aidan Fowler and trusts to develop a patient safety strategy which is consistent across the NHS and deliverable by trusts and their local partners."