Safety equity means that everyone, no matter who they are or where they receive care, has the same chance of being safe and receiving high-quality health and social care. It includes fair access to care, how care is delivered, and how people experience that care. Safety equity is supported by organisations, systems, and relationships that work well for different communities and settings. Research in this area focuses on working with patients, families, and staff to design solutions that reduce unfair differences in safety.
At present, there is no widely agreed definition of “safety equity”. The SafetyNet Safety Equity Research Collaboration (SERC) is undertaking scoping work to develop and refine a shared working definition, alongside principles to help put safety equity into practice. Our working definition describes ‘safety equity’ as access to, delivery and experience of fair, safe and high-quality health, and social care, supported by organisational, relational, and structural conditions that enable safety across different groups and contexts. Research in this field aims to identify and codesign solutions to reduce inequities in safety.
Key Definitions: Safety Equity vs EDI
Safety Equity refers to the fair distribution of safety outcomes across all groups. It recognises that some populations face disproportionate risks of harm due to social, structural, or organisational inequities. Safety equity focuses on ensuring that all patients and staff experience equally safe systems of care, with attention to who is most at risk and why.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) describes organisational approaches that ensure fair treatment, representation, and belonging within research and the research culture. EDI initiatives aim to increase diversity and inclusion in employment, leadership, and decision-making but may not directly measure or mitigate disparities in patient safety outcomes.
In short, EDI focuses on who is present and how they are treated, while safety equity focuses on who is safe and how harm is distributed. The two are connected but distinct: EDI creates inclusive environments; safety equity ensures those environments translate into safer care for all.
Safety Equity Fellows
We appointed four Safety Equity Fellows who worked alongside researchers in our research themes to deliver a community-based research project with groups identified as being more vulnerable to avoidable harm.
You can read about the experiences of the Safety Equity Research Fellows here.
Safety Equity PhD Studentships
We have three PhD students whose PhDs are on Safety Equity topics:
Gail Opio -Te is researching Safety Equity in Virtual Care.
Toyosi Ganiyu is exploring the patient safety risks and benefits of virtual wards
Fatima Sabir is investigating high-risk prescribing in older individuals living with frailty.
Safety Equity Research Collaboration
The SERC provides a safe space with access to a wider community of practice addressing safety inequities. It creates a collective opportunity to support and learn with and from each other, sharing challenges and identifying opportunities for collaboration. Safety inequities have been a neglected space in Patient Safety research, however there is recognition across the field that this area requires further investment. The group members’ personal and professional insights, expertise, challenges, and enthusiasm can build this important area of research and impact the lives of those that are often relegated to the margins.
Capacity building – building foundational understanding and knowledge about approaches to engaging in safety equity research including specific training and creating resources/ guidance,
Knowledge exchange – sharing and learning from lived experiences of conducting this research and showcasing impact cases from each PSRC,
Driving innovation – conducting a prioritisation/mapping exercise for focus areas, aligning with national frameworks such as the Dash Review and NHS 10-year plan and identifying opportunities for collaboration,
Connection – developing national and international connections across disciplinary and methodological boundaries to develop a multidisciplinary approach to safety equity research.
EDI Working Group
Our EDI Working Group was set up in 2021 to provide a safe space for monthly open conversations about equality (and equity), diversity and inclusion within the team. We have an ongoing pursuit to promote and develop cultural humility for our personal growth but also to ensure our research helps to address safety inequities.
The Working Group has helped develop our EDI strategy and support EDI in patient safety research by focusing on: EDI within the research team makeup and culture; EDI and the research process and EDI driven prioritisation of research topics and interventions.
This group is open to researchers, research support and interns across YQSR and the Yorkshire and Humber PSRC.
Avoidable Harm Vulnerability Index
We are aiming to deliver a long term project that brings together researchers from across the themes to create an avoidable harm vulnerability index and to work with communities to understand these vulnerabilities and what the potential solutions are.
