Board Leadership

The quality of board leadership is vital in creating a culture in which patient safety improvements can be made and sustained. This category looks to identify and reward a board that has a clear and transparent commitment to patient safety, which has resulted in demonstrable improvements and cultural change throughout the whole of the organisation.

Specific entry criteria

• A clear strategic framework for safety has been developed;
• Patient safety is a clear and visible priority for the board and the wider organisation;
• There are strategic priorities and goals in place to improve patient safety, which are regularly monitored and reviewed;
• There is a demonstrable leadership culture at board level that builds the will to improve quality and patient safety and provides an environment where continuous improvement in harm reduction becomes routine throughout the organisation;
• The board has established and uses a set of system-level quality and safety measures and actively enables a culture of measurement throughout the organisation.

Evidence of impact

• The board can demonstrate how it has led the achievement of clear and measurable outcomes specific to patient safety;
• There is evidence of staff understanding of and commitment to patient safety throughout the organisation;
• The success of the project in improving patient safety can be demonstrated,