RCPI SAFE

RCPI SAFE

Situation Awareness For Everyone

A practical, workplace-based patient safety improvement programme for multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

RCPI SAFE supports clinical teams to design, implement or improve a bespoke Safety Huddle in their own clinical setting. The programme combines patient safety science, quality improvement methods and expert coaching to help teams improve communication, strengthen safety culture and address a patient safety challenge that matters locally.

This is not a traditional course. There are no exams and no academic assignments. All learning is applied directly within your own workplace, allowing teams to make meaningful improvements while delivering clinical care.

SAFE is open to multidisciplinary teams from acute, community, mental health and hospice services. Successful teams bring together people who work in the same clinical area and are committed to improving patient safety together.

RCPI SAFE at a Glance 

Duration: 6 months

Format: Blended learning (in-person and virtual sessions)

Team size: 4 people

CPD Credits: 22

Cost: Fully funded for HSE teams, €4,000 per team for private hospitals and non-HSE organisations

Project: Design, implement or improve a Safety Huddle in your clinical area

Support: Expert faculty coaching throughout the programme

Why Participate?

The programme helps teams improve patient safety, strengthen multidisciplinary communication, improve situation awareness, create psychologically safe environments where staff can speak up, develop practical quality improvement skills and deliver a meaningful improvement project within their own clinical setting.

What Makes a SAFE Huddle Different?

Many organisations already use huddles, safety pauses or safety meetings.

The SAFE programme helps teams move beyond routine meetings by developing a structured, bespoke Safety Huddle focused on local patient safety priorities.

Previous teams have used SAFE Huddles to improve:

• Medicines safety
• Falls prevention
• Escalation of deteriorating patients
• Communication between multidisciplinary teams
• Patient flow and situation awareness
• Maternity and neonatal safety
• Psychological safety and staff engagement

Whether your team is starting from scratch or looking to improve an existing huddle, the programme provides a structured framework for sustainable improvement.

Considering an Application?

Join our 30-minute online information webinar to learn about RCPI SAFE, eligibility requirements, team composition and application tips.

Webinar details:

Tuesday, 1 September| 17:30–18:00

➡ Register Here

Important: One application must be completed on behalf of your team of four. Please read all information tabs and have the required information for all team members ready before applying.

Who Can Apply?

Applications are welcomed from multidisciplinary healthcare teams working across acute, community, mental health and hospice services. This includes inpatient, outpatient, emergency, maternity, neonatal and paediatric care settings, as well as other healthcare environments where teams work together to improve patient safety.

Team Requirements

• Each application must consist of four team members who:
• Work together in the same clinical or care setting.
• Are committed to implementing or improving a Safety Huddle in that setting.
• Have support from their local management team.
• Can attend all programme sessions.
• Have the ability to influence, support or deliver change within their area.
• For hospital-based teams, one of the four team members must be a consultant who works in the clinical area where the Safety Huddle will be implemented or improved.

We strongly encourage teams to include a mix of clinical, health and social care, operational and support staff perspectives.

The third and fourth team members may come from any professional group that contributes to patient care, patient safety, service delivery or improvement within the clinical area. This may include nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, pharmacists, healthcare assistants, administrative and support staff, quality improvement personnel, managers or other team members who can make a meaningful contribution to the project.

Important

All four team members must work together in the same clinical area where the proposed Safety Huddle will be implemented or improved.

Examples of suitable clinical areas include:

• Respiratory Ward
• Emergency Department
• Orthopaedic Outpatients
• Mental Health Liaison Team

The programme is designed for teams who work together daily or regularly in the same care setting.

Applications from groups of staff who work in different departments, services or sites are unlikely to be successful, even if they work within the same hospital or organisation.

What to expect

During the programme your team will:

Share a new Safety Huddle or improve an existing one

Identify a local patient safety issue to address

Test and refine changes within your clinical setting

Measure progress and impact

Learn from faculty and peer teams

Share achievements and lessons learned

Teams are expected to meet regularly throughout the programme and actively participate in all learning activities.

What Support Will You Receive?

RCPI SAFE faculty will:

• Deliver interactive learning sessions
• Provide coaching and guidance
• Share practical tools, templates and resources
• Facilitate networking with participating teams
• Offer feedback on project progress throughout the programme
• All participants will have access to programme materials and resources through RCPI's virtual learning platform.

What Previous Teams Said

"We might not have solutions for all healthcare problems but we have the tools required to improve patient safety. Psychological safety invites innovation." SAFE Cohort Participant

" The course has strengthened my/our appreciation of structured safety huddles and small, consistent improvement actions as powerful tools to enhance patient safety and team culture. " SAFE Cohort Participant

Read the RCPI SAFE Cohort 9 Report

Discover how participating teams implemented and improved Safety Huddles, the challenges they addressed and the impact achieved in their clinical settings.

➡ View Cohort 9 Report here

Cohort 11 Schedule

Before You Apply

Please ensure that:

☐ Your team consists of four members.
☐ All four members work together in the same clinical area where the Safety Huddle will be implemented or improved.
☐ A consultant is included in the team (hospital-based teams only).
☐ All four members have agreed to participate.
☐ Senior management support is in place.
☐ All team members can attend all programme sessions. 
☐ Your team has identified a patient safety issue or opportunity for improvement.

Applications

One team member should complete the application on behalf of the group.

Please ensure all team members have agreed to participate and have availability to attend all programme sessions before submitting an application.

Attendance at all programme sessions is required for all team members.

Successful applicants will be notified by email.

Questions?

Contact the RCPI Quality Improvement Department:

 qualityimprovement@rcpi.ie