This is a secondary driver for the Essentials of Safe Care “Effective and inclusive communication”
Change ideas
- Practitioner: Use of structured communication prompts to support speaking up, for example CUS or PACE
- Team: Reliably introduce new members of the team, including temporary staff
- Organisation: Opportunities to seek, understand and act to safety concerns in real time, for example site safety huddles
Tools and resources
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Tool: CUS.2023 [2025 Oct 7].
- Civility Saves Lives, Cup of Coffee Intervention/Second Messenger Systems. [Online] [2025 Oct 7].
- Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO), Speak Up Week. 2025 [2025 Oct 7].
- Psych Safety, PACE: Graded Assertiveness. 2024. [2025 Oct 7].
Evidence and further reading
- Dietl JE, Derksen C, Keller FM & Lippke S. Interdisciplinary and interprofessional communication intervention: How psychological safety fosters communication and increases patient safety. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1164288.
- Edmondson, A.C. Psychological Safety [Online]