The Queen Elizabeth Hospital reimagined patient safety education this Wednesday by converting its annual awareness event into an immersive, hospital-wide exhibition. During Patient Safety Awareness Week, the institution opened its doors to demonstrate the intricate coordination between diverse departments that collectively safeguard patient welfare.
Sandra Beckles Hackett, Clinical Risk Manager at the hospital, emphasized the global significance of the initiative. ‘This international observance serves to educate our staff, patients, and the broader community about the critical importance of safety protocols within healthcare settings,’ Beckles Hackett explained. ‘Our objective was to visually demonstrate how every component—from clinical nursing and infection control to technical engineering and laundry services—interconnects to deliver optimal patient care.’
To enhance participation, the hospital organized a competitive booth challenge that prompted departments to develop engaging, interactive displays showcasing their specific safety measures. A judging panel assessed teams based on both their innovative approaches and their effectiveness in communicating how daily operations directly impact patient health outcomes. The competition results will be revealed on Friday.
Notable exhibits included the ambulance service’s emergency readiness presentation and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit’s live demonstration of ‘kangaroo care’—a technique involving skin-to-skin contact for newborn infants. The event functioned as a cornerstone of the hospital’s transparency initiative, seeking to clarify the sophisticated systems that operate synergistically to protect patients while promoting a pervasive culture of safety throughout the organization.