Safety Fundamentals for Teams

Key points about Safety Fundamentals

• An activity which focuses on strengthening behaviours that impact safe and quality care
• When effectively implemented and regularly evaluated they have the potential to deliver quick and measurable gains
• Associated with a positive impact in staff and patient experience

Additional resources

• Going Home Checklist
  • Taking the time to pause and reflect on what has happened during the day can prepare you to leave work at work.
• Be a voice for safety
  • Early identification of emerging risks is essential. Voicing  these risks early will have a direct impact on your safety and delivery of safe care to our patients.
• Leadership during times of high pressure
  • 5 strategies to help leaders focus and provide clear direction during COVID-19.
• Safety Huddles – COVID-19
  • Continuing to practice Safety Huddles during COVID-19 may require staff to make changes to usual Safety Huddles practices.
• Wellbeing – FACECOVID-19
  • FACE COVID is a set of practical steps you can follow to best cope with the very normal feelings of fear and anxiety you may be experiencing in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
• Key thoughts for teams and leaders to help under pressure
  • This document was developed by the UK Clinical Human Factors Group (2020) to provide tips around teamwork, leadership and communication when working under pressure.
• Optimising staff preparedness, wellbeing, and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic response
  • This document was compiled by UK and international subject matter experts and provides guidance around the psychology of staff wellbeing for staff and senior executive from clinical areas likely to get hit hard by COVID during the various stages of the pandemic.
• Safe care for patients during COVID-19
  • Using the Safety Fundamentals for Teams to promote behaviours to be harnessed during times of high stress and beyond to maintain safe person-centred care.
• Psychological safety for managers and team leaders
• This document describes how frontline and those in middle management roles can role model the ideal behaviours that enable psychological safety in others.

Safety Fundamentals Webinar

These presentations will provide you with the background to the development of the Safety Fundamentals for Teams and how you can implement them within your workplace.

• Introduction to Safety Fundamentals for Teams
• A way to prioritise Safety Fundamentals for Teams
• Safety Fundamentals for Teams – How They Work

Safety Fundamentals for Teams

Effective teamwork and communication are foundational elements in a culture of safety and are key elements of high reliability organisations. Our inability to communicate effectively within teams and with patients and their carers is directly linked to patient harm.

Safety Fundamentals are practical tools, most of which require a short implementation time and have the potential to bring quick measurable gains.

There are eight Safety Fundamentals:

• Safety Huddles
• Leadership WalkArounds
• Quality Learning Boards
• Multidisciplinary Team Rounds
• Intentional Rounding
• Morbidity and Mortality Meetings
• Take 2 - Think, Do
• What Matters to Me? (Staff Focus)

Information for Clinicians & Health Professionals
Safety Fundamentals for Teams

For further information contact the Capability & Culture team.