Safety Express: a strategic health authority's approach.

The Safety Express programme is a national workstream within the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme that is designed to improve health outcomes and quality care, as well as reduce costs associated with the following four patient harms: pressure ulcers, falls, urinary tract infections in patients with catheters and venous thromboembolism (VTE). NHS London developed a pilot project to implement Safety Express across London. This paper presents case studies of the outcomes of the Safety Express pilot in three locations in London. Findings from the pilot showed that the proportion of patients who were harm-free from pressure ulcers, falls, urinary infections (in patients with a catheter) and new VTE compares favourably with the national average, with an overall decrease in all four.