Celebrating the theme of “Safe care for every newborn and child”, the RCPCH and NIHR PSRC Network (SafetyNet) are jointly running a webinar open to everyone involved in any aspect of paediatric healthcare. Aligning with WHO’s efforts to raise awareness, mobilise, and advocate for stronger research in this area, the webinar asks the question, ‘What are the challenges in paediatric patient safety, and how do we respond to them?’

World Patient Safety Day, observed annually on 17 September, is a global initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) that brings together patients, healthcare providers, policymakers, and the public to demonstrate their commitment to improving patient safety worldwide. In 2025, the focus is on paediatric patient safety to ensure safe care for every newborn and child.

With the slogan “Patient safety from the start!”, the WHO is encouraging parents, caregivers, healthcare professionals, leaders, educators, and communities to come together and take action to prevent avoidable harm in children’s healthcare.

United in this shared goal to better understand and improve paediatric patient safety, the RCPCH and SafetyNet – the National Institute Health and Care Research (NIHR) Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC) Network – are hosting a joint webinar to explore the question:

What are the challenges in paediatric patient safety, and how do we respond to them?

Both organisations are interested in both persistent and emerging safety issues. We know that avoidable harm is caused to children and young people by the complexity in the delivery of their care. The most common causes of avoidable healthcare harm are related to medicines, access to diagnosis and treatment related to service design, and challenges in recognising deterioration in sick children. 

This webinar is for anyone interested in paediatric patient safety to listen and contribute. You will hear from speakers including Dr Peter Lachman, Consultant Paediatrician and Patient Safety Expert who will talk about the work done to mitigate risk and the gaps remaining in research and practice.

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