Introduction
Every year, World Patient Safety Day brings together voices from across the globe to champion safer healthcare for all. In 2025 the campaign focuses on “Safe Care for Every Newborn and Every Child”, a theme that resonates deeply with clinicians, families and health leaders alike. At Akeso we are proud to contribute to this vital conversation through our latest podcast, which features expert perspectives and lived experiences from the UK and beyond.
The Panel
- Mike Durkin: Senior Advisor on Patient Safety and Leadership at Imperial College London, Akeso and World Health Organisation.
- Sarah Pinto-Duschinsky: Managing Partner at Akeso
- James Titcombe: CEO of Patient Safety Watch, Patient Safety Advocate and Campaigner
- Philippa Styles: Director of Investigations, Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB)
- Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou: Head of Health Finance, World Health Organisation
- Peter Lachman: Consultant Paediatrician, Director of the PMSF Global Patient Safety Fellowship and WHO Patient Safety Flagship
Why Patient Safety for Children and Newborns Matters
As highlighted by our panel, the safety of newborns and children is not just a clinical imperative, it is a moral and societal one. Newborns and children are among the most vulnerable in our communities, unable to advocate for themselves and profoundly affected by the quality of care they receive. Harm at this stage can have lifelong consequences, impacting not only individuals but families and society as a whole.
Dr Kalipso Chalkidou from the World Health Organization reminds us that “patient safety should never be treated as an optional extra or a competing priority. Safety has to be understood as a foundational prerequisite, a precondition for delivering care to everyone in every setting.” The direct and indirect costs of unsafe care are staggering, with 62% of neonatal deaths attributed to lack of quality care. Improving safety can save up to a million newborn lives each year.
Five Goals for Safer Care
The WHO has identified five actionable goals for World Patient Safety Day 2025, each discussed in depth by our podcast guests:
- Engaging Children, Parents, and Families: Parents are often the first to notice when something is wrong. By listening to families and involving them in decision-making, clinicians can detect problems early and build trust. Children themselves, when supported appropriately, can also contribute to their own safety.
- Enhancing Medication Safety: Children are especially vulnerable to medication errors due to age- and weight-based dosing and the lack of child-friendly formulations. Accurate dosing and improved access to suitable medicines are essential.
- Improving Diagnostic Safety: Timely and accurate diagnosis is vital, as children often present differently from adults. Listening to families’ concerns and strengthening clinical assessment can prevent delays and misdiagnoses.
- Preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections: Standard precautions, early recognition of sepsis, and evidence-based protocols are key to reducing avoidable harm.
- Reducing Risks for Small and Sick Newborns: The most vulnerable patients require safe practices in neonatal intensive care, timely interventions, and team-based approaches, including Kangaroo mother care.
The Moral Imperative of Safe Paediatric Care
As Peter Lachman powerfully shared in our podcast, “The future of any society starts with children, and to me the most important thing in healthcare is maternal and child health. If you had to say where would we have to invest, it is maternal and child health, from a medical point of view, a moral point of view and a human rights point of view.”
Peter Lachman emphasised that safe care for every newborn and child is not just a clinical goal but a fundamental right enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. He highlighted that unsafe care affects children in both high and low income countries, and that social determinants, such as where you are born and live, play a critical role in outcomes. Peter Lachman and Mike Durkin discuss the importance of empowering parents and caregivers, advocating for shared decision-making between clinicians and families. Mike Durkin emphasised that the cardinal elements of safety that are consistently failed in every nation in the world are: transparency, engagement, communication and respect for patients and members of the caregiving team to breakdown some of the hierarchies that exist.”
“This year’s theme is probably the most important theme. The future of society depends on what we do with our newborns and children, and they are the most vulnerable.”
Leadership, Learning, and System Change
Sarah Pinto-Duschinsky, Managing Partner at Akeso, emphasises the importance of data, transparency, and leadership behaviours in driving change. “If you don’t have visibility, if you don’t have transparency of the data you’re collecting, it is very hard to understand what impact you’re having and to make the right decisions. We need more openness about safety concerns and the courage to learn from mistakes.”
Philippa Styles, Director of Investigations at HSSIB, highlights the need to address systemic issues: “Unless we really understand and address those systemic issues, we will continue to see the whole system firefighting across the country.” Her team’s work underscores the importance of national structures, local governance, effective investigations, and robust education and training.
Listening, Restorative Practice, and Compassion
James Titcombe, patient safety advocate, shares his personal journey and the concept of restorative practice: “When harm occurs, there are needs for patients, families and staff. Compassionate engagement through investigations and listening to people’s needs is essential for healing and recovery.” The Harm Patient Pathway, developed with Action Against Medical Accidents, is an example of how organisations can support those affected by unsafe care.
A Call to Action
World Patient Safety Day is a moment to reflect, learn and act. As our podcast guests agree, prioritising the safety of newborns and children is a litmus test for the wider health system. It demands collective responsibility from clinicians, leaders, policymakers and communities.
At Akeso, we are committed to supporting safer care for every newborn and every child. We invite you to listen to our podcast, explore the WHO campaign, and join us in advocating for change.
Listen to the podcast:
Learn more about World Patient Safety Day 2025: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-patient-safety-day/2025