Cardiff University named WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Learning and Improvement

Cardiff University’s Division of Population Medicine, School of Medicine has been officially designated as the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Learning and Improvement, under the leadership of Professor Andrew Carson-Stevens, Professor of Patient Safety

The new Centre at Cardiff University will play a pivotal role in advancing WHO’s global work to strengthen patient safety. Its technical remit is to support WHO in learning from Member States’ implementation of the WHO Global Patient Safety Action Plan (2021-2030) and in its work supporting the implementation of patient safety incident reporting and learning systems. 

Professor Carson-Stevens and his team have previously supported WHO in  producing the most recent Global Patient Safety Report 2024

WHO Collaborating Centres are institutions designated by the Director-General of WHO to support the organisation in delivering its international health priorities. Centres contribute expertise, strengthen capacity in countries, and help WHO translate evidence into practice by supporting the implementation of global health policies and programmes.

The Collaborating Centre was formally launched on World Patient Safety Day (17 September 2025), which this year had a global theme of ‘Safe care for every newborn and every child’.

At the launch, in the spirit of the theme for World Patient Safety Day, Cardiff University researchers shared their latest findings on the role of parents in protecting children from harm in healthcare settings. Their recent study published in the British Journal of General Practice analysed national patient safety incident reports involving children. The study revealed that in nearly 77% of cases, parents took proactive steps, such as identifying medication issues, chasing delayed referrals, or raising concerns, to protect their children from harm. Parent actions helped avert or reduce harm in more than half of the incidents reviewed.

The research underscores the vital role parents play as partners in safer care, particularly as children are more vulnerable to healthcare-related harm and depend on parents and caregivers to advocate on their behalf. The study calls for greater collaboration between healthcare providers and parents to co-design safer systems and improve patient safety outcomes for children.

Professor Wendy Larner, Vice Chancellor of Cardiff University, said “This is a moment of great pride and of responsibility for Cardiff University: to continue advancing knowledge, improving healthcare systems, and achieve safer care worldwide, as well as to continue our close collaboration with the World Health Organization. The University is already home to the WHO Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development, and with the addition of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Learning and Improvement, our aim to find solutions to grand challenges in health, as outlined in our university strategy 'Our future, together', is further strengthened.”