Leicester team lands £25m funding share for patient work

Prof Armstrong says the research will help to guide policy around patient safety

A team of researchers has been awarded a share of £25m to collaborate on research into patient safety.

The University of Leicester team will work with other universities, including Nottingham and Manchester, to look at safety challenges in the health and care system.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is funding the work.

NIHR said it wanted to address the issues that mattered to patients.

'Key priority'

The team is one of just six in England to be awarded the funding from 2023 to 2028.

The collaborations will cover issues such as improving the culture and practice in organisations to promote patient safety.

Prof Lucy Chappell, chief executive of the NIHR, said: "Patient safety is about maximising the things that go right and minimising the things that go wrong for people receiving healthcare.

"We are... ensuring we are addressing the issues that really matter to patients.

"This new round of funding gives the best researchers the opportunity to assess innovations and approaches that could shift this balance for the better."

Prof Thompson Robinson, pro Vice-Chancellor, head of the college of life sciences and dean of medicine at the university, said: "I am delighted the University of Leicester has been invited to be part of this exciting new collaboration."

Natalie Armstrong, professor of healthcare improvement research, said: "Organisational safety culture is a key priority and commonly implicated in patient safety failings.

"Our research will guide policy and practice in improving organisational safety culture."

Carolyn Tarrant, professor of health services research at Leicester, added: "Our research will focus on supporting staff from ethnic minority groups to speak up about safety, understanding different meanings of safety across health and social care settings, and helping organisations navigate the complex landscape of safety guidance."