About Us
StaffAndPatientSafety.org challenges the culture that staff safety is less important than patient safety. We believe in one safe culture for all, staff and patients alike.
Clinicians, by nature and nurture, have almost always prioritised their patients safety over their own safety.
We have seen a paradigm shifting of staff safety being partly integrated with patient safety improvements driven by clinicians themselves. However, there is a still a way to go where staff and patient safety is part of One Safe Culture.
Our History
In 1999, the Institute of Medicine released a report called To Err is Human: Building a Safer Healthcare System. It proposed a no-blame culture for staff who make an error. However, what we believed was missed in the report was the simultaneous relationship between staff safety, and patient safety.
In 2008, StaffAndPatientSafety.org was founded as an independent organisation, in response to the observation that staff safety is required to build a good culture for patient safety.
As a response in 2011, Co-Founder, Dr Michael Sinnott published in the BMJ, Can we have a culture of patient safety without one of staff safety?, explaining the paradox of blameworthiness. This paradox of a no-blame culture for patients, and self-blame culture for staff leads to organisations prioritising patient safety at the unnecessary expense of staff.
In 2019, at the World Health Organisation’s First Global Patient Safety Day, Dr Sinnott attended as a keynote speaker and presented Staff Safety in Improving Patient Safety. He challenged the key assumptions about what is required to improve patient safety in healthcare facilities.
Today, StaffAndPatientSafety.org are working to make a safer, more supportive healthcare system for all both staff and patients.
Our Team
Dr. Michael Sinnott MBBS, FACEM, FRACP, Co-Founder
Dr Michael Sinnott (MBBS, FACEM, FRACP) is a leader within research and commercial spaces in advocating for staff safety in healthcare. Dr Sinnott has more than 35 years experience in clinical medicine. Dr Sinnott has a strong background in research, contributing to over 50 publications and 45 global speaking engagements. His pioneering research into the link between staff and patient safety led him to be involved in the development of safety guidelines and regulations in the USA, and safety standards and guidelines in Australia.
Dr Neville Henry AM (retired) Co-Founder
Dr Neville Henry AM is world-renowned for his exceptional work in improving staff safety in healthcare, as the inventor of the world’s first single-handed scalpel blade remover. Dr Henry’s career spans diverse roles as a medical professional and humanitarian. For his tireless work improving healthcare worldwide, Dr Henry was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), a prestigious recognition of his lifelong dedication to bettering healthcare safety and access for the Red Cross.
Dr. Chamindika Konara Contributor
Dr Chamindika Konara received her Doctorate in Biotechnology from University of Queensland and her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the National University of Singapore. As an ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 accredited auditor, Dr Konara has strong experience in implementing systems for quality improvement and change control. She designs and delivers education programs to perioperative staff, medical students, and medical industry professionals.
Dr Shreya Singh Program Officer, Education and Advocacy
Dr Shreya Singh has a PhD in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Queensland, two Masters degrees on International Politics in East Asia from the University of Warwick, and East Asian Studies, from the University of Delhi. Dr Singh is passionate about community education and safety, with a focus on empowering frontline healthcare workers. She uses her experiences to undertake advocacy initiatives and work with diverse internal and external stakeholders to achieve positive organisational change.
Ms/RN Amanda Heitman
Amanda Heitman BSN, RN, CNOR has been a nurse for over twenty years and a perioperative nurse for nineteen of those years. She has established Periop Anew, which provides educational consulting for perioperative services highlighting quality and safety for the operating room. She is a lifetime member of AORN and has been a past AORN chapter president, board member, and active leader of the Capital AORN Chapter in Raleigh, NC.