At RCSEd, we are proud to support World Patient Safety Day (WPSD), a global initiative that raises awareness, brings stakeholders together and drives collective action to make healthcare safer.
This year’s theme, ‘Safe care for noncommunicable diseases’, under the slogan ‘Safe care for life!’, focuses on one of the world’s most significant health challenges. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, affect billions of people worldwide and account for 74% of deaths globally.
These long-term conditions can affect people of all ages and often require ongoing care throughout life. Addressing NCDs is therefore a global health priority, reflected in the United Nations political declaration on NCDs and mental health, which calls for strengthened prevention and long-term management.
Achieving these commitments depends on ensuring access to safe, high-quality care. World Patient Safety Day 2026 provides an important opportunity to raise awareness of the risks associated with unsafe care and to promote action that improves safety for people living with noncommunicable diseases throughout their lives.
We would like to thank all those who have contributed their time, knowledge and expertise to the RCSEd World Patient Safety Day 2026 campaign.
World Patient Safety Day 2026 Resources
Safe Care of Patients With Noncommunicable Diseases: Operating as One to Deliver Safe Care for Life
For WPSD 2026, RCSEd explores what ‘Safe care for life’ means for people living with noncommunicable diseases. This blog highlights the importance of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, long-term management and care coordination, while emphasising patient involvement and collaboration across surgical, dental and wider healthcare teams.
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Safe Care for Life: Focus on Rare Congenital Conditions Transforming Transition & Lifelong Outcomes
People living with rare congenital conditions can face complex health needs throughout their lives. This blog explores the challenges of transitioning from paediatric to adult care and the importance of coordinated, multidisciplinary support, proactive surveillance and connected lifelong healthcare pathways.
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Safety Hurdles of the Head and Neck Cancer Pathway - Safe Care Strategy
Head and neck cancer care involves complex safety challenges from prevention and early diagnosis through treatment and lifelong follow-up. This blog outlines key risks and the coordinated actions across primary and secondary care needed to support safer treatment, rehabilitation, surveillance and long-term patient wellbeing.
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Safe Surveillance is a Systems Issue
Safe surveillance is a systems issue, not simply a clinical or administrative task. This blog explores how patients can be lost to follow-up across surgical pathways and how tools such as patient-initiated follow-up, remote monitoring and automated alerts can build safer, more reliable systems of care.
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How Could You Have Forgotten My Catheter Doctor, I Haven't
Urinary catheters are common but can cause significant harm when their ongoing need is forgotten. This blog explores how system failures contribute to catheter-related harm and examines practical approaches, including catheter passports, to ensure every patient has appropriate review, accountability and opportunities for catheter removal.
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Patient Safety in Major Joint Replacement Surgery
Major joint replacement surgery is highly successful but carries significant risks, from infection and incorrect implants to complications following surgery. This blog explores how patient selection, pre-operative optimisation, checklists, registry data, surgical experience and multidisciplinary teamwork can improve safety and outcomes.
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Safe Care for Life: Patient Safety in Cardiac Surgery is a Team Game
Cardiac surgery involves complex care across multiple teams, settings and handovers, with each transition creating potential safety risks. This blog explores how teamwork, communication, Human Factors and reliable systems can improve safety throughout the cardiac surgical pathway, from assessment through surgery, recovery and rehabilitation.
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Safe Care for Life: How Metabolic Bariatric Surgery is Changing
Metabolic bariatric surgery has evolved significantly, with GLP-1 therapies transforming the treatment of obesity. This blog explores what safe, effective obesity care looks like beyond surgery or medication, highlighting the importance of long-term follow-up, nutritional and psychological support, and coordinated multidisciplinary care.
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Safer Hernia Care for All: How We Can Prevent, Repair and Learn
Hernia is a common, progressive condition that can cause significant disability and avoidable harm. This blog explores how surgeons can improve hernia care through prevention, evidence-based repair, implant tracking and better access to surgery, helping patients return to work, family life and health.
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