Founded in 2015
Funded by The Health Foundation, National Institute of Health Research and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Understanding and improving the safety of healthcare and other industries.
Our aim is to use research to both understand and improve the safety of healthcare and other industries. Members of the group have worked extensively in many clinical contexts. We have close links with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (community and mental health services) and clinical colleagues at Oxford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (acute hospitals).
Our work is currently focused on four broad areas:
(i) Improving the safety and quality of healthcare. With colleagues at Oxford Healthcare Improvement we are working to improve the safety and quality of mental health and community services and to build the capacity for improvement and organisational change in the NHS. We are also working with colleagues from University of Kent and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to study the development of integrated care systems in the NHS.
(ii) The benefits and risks of healthcare in the home. Healthcare is increasingly being provided in the home but this can pose considerable challenges as patients and families have to carry out complex clinical tasks which were previously only carried out by professionals. We are developing methods of providing training and support to parents caring for children with complex illnesses.
(iii) Safeguarding children at risk at home. We are working with Oxford County Council to evaluate a major new programme aimed at increasing family support and treatment and reducing the need for children at risk to be removed from home and placed in foster care.
(iv) Managing risk under pressure. Healthcare staff work under considerable pressure in many settings which poses considerable risks to patients and to the staff who care for them. Clinical staff are trained to manage clinical emergencies but there is little guidance or preparation for managing whole units or departments. We are studying and developing the strategies that healthcare staff use to maintain productivity and safety when under pressure.
Research vacancies
We welcome enquiries from students, researchers, or practitioners interested in collaborating with us. Please contact Charles Vincent in the first instance.
Resources
- Safer Healthcare: Strategies for the real world (Jan 2016) by Charles Vincent and René Amalberti - ebook is free to download
- Going into Hospital? A guide for patients, carers and families (Aug 2015) by Charles Vincent, Oliver Warren and Bryony Dean Franklin
- Close Calls: Managing risk and resilience in airline flight safety (March 2014) by Carl Macrae
- Patient Safety (June 2010) by Charles Vincent
- The Measurement and Monitoring of Safety (April 2013) by Charles Vincent, Susan Burnett and Jane Carthey
- The Berwick Review: A promise to learn - a commitment to act (Aug 2013) by the National Advisory Group on the Safety of Patients in England
- The Francis Report: Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry (Feb 2013)
Collaborators and external team members
Oxford Healthcare Improvement, Oxford Health NHS Trust
The Quality, Safety & Outcomes Policy Research Unit
NIHR Applied Research Collaborative Oxford and Thames Valley
Dr Helen Higham, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, and Consultant Anaesthetist, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
Mr Alex Lee, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
Dr Emily Harrop, Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Care and Medical Lead, Helen & Douglas House
Dr Arabella Simpkin, DPhil student, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford
Dr Jane Carthey, Human Factors and Patient Safety Specialist
Latest publications
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Assessing progress in managing and improving quality in nascent integrated care systems in England.
Journal article
Lalani M. et al, (2023), J Health Serv Res Policy
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Authors' reply to Wulaningsih and Dixon and colleagues.
Journal article
Black GB. et al, (2023), BMJ, 380
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Staff experience of a new approach to family safeguarding in Oxfordshire Children's Social Care Services
Journal article
Buivydaite R. et al, (2023), Child and Family Social Work
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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Global Delivery of Mental Health Services and Telemental Health: Systematic Review.
Journal article
Zangani C. et al, (2022), JMIR Ment Health, 9
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Correction to: Improving usability of Electronic Health Records in a UK Mental Health Setting: A Feasibility Study.
Journal article
Buivydaite R. et al, (2022), J Med Syst, 46
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Coproduced resources to support parents caring for children with gastrostomies
Journal article
PAGE B. et al, (2022), Frontline Gastroenterology