HSSIB at Ergonomics & Human Factors 2026 conference

This year’s theme, Adapting to the Future, brought together human factors practitioners, researchers, clinicians, designers and safety specialists to explore how the discipline is evolving in a rapidly changing world. The event featured three days of hands-on masterclasses, keynote talks, paper and poster presentations, panel discussions and sector specific sessions.

HSSIB contributed three presentations, sharing insights from our recent patient safety investigations and our own human factors forum, that reflect our capability in systems thinking and human factors across healthcare.

Sharing human factors expertise

We’re very proud of our involvement with the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) and the conference was a fantastic opportunity to showcase some of our recent work and demonstrate how human factors is integral to patient safety in healthcare. It was great to have the chance to listen to presentations and take part in discussions involving experts from other industries and to think about how we can incorporate their learning into the work we do here at HSSIB.

The keynote speech from the team at the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association was incredibly insightful into thinking about the importance of equipment, weather constraints and team dynamics. Another highlight was hearing from Professor Lucy Easthope, a UK expert in emergency planning and disaster recovery. Her insights into learning after major incidents and the importance of family liaison were valuable, with many aspects transferable to how we approach our investigations.

Applying a resilient lens to healthcare investigation

I was the first of the HSSIB team to take to the conference stage. My presentation focused on HSSIB’s first use of the CARe resilience model in three investigations that explore medication related harm. The aim was to understand the resilience indicators within the healthcare system and make suitable safety observations to support improvements in patient safety.

By integrating CARe with the well-known Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework, HSSIB investigators developed structured, evidence-based insights into work as done versus work as imagined. I shared practical examples – focusing on medication related harm on discharge from an acute hospital to the community – of how resilience-based analysis can highlight system adaptations and generate actionable local learning prompts for healthcare organisations.

Exploring the application of systems-based tools in mental health safety investigations

Next up was Melanie Ottewill, Senior Safety Investigator (Trainer). She collaborated with NHS England to talk about how the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) Learning Response Toolkit has been used in mental health investigations, particularly cases involving suicide or homicide. These incidents are uniquely complex and emotionally charged, requiring investigative approaches tailored to mental health contexts.

The presentation highlighted:

• Challenges staff experience when applying systems‑based tools without tailored guidance.
• The importance of foundational human factors knowledge for investigators using PSIRF tools.
• How critical organisational culture, external influences, training and stakeholder engagement are.

Here at HSSIB we’re working on a series of investigations that provide examples of mental health investigations carried out under PSIRF.

Quality versus safety in healthcare – a national debate for patient care

Opening the healthcare sessions on the final day was Nick Woodier, Senior Safety Investigator, who highlighted concerns that the 2025 review of the patient safety landscape in England will lead to a de-prioritisation of patient safety due to a fundamental misunderstanding of safety science.

Nick asserted that safety should be considered as the foundation for quality, rather than as a dimension of quality. He recommended a fundamental rethink of how the NHS views and prioritises patient safety and the need for healthcare to employ evidence-based safety and risk management principles.

Strengthening the role of human factors in healthcare

Human factors approaches are essential for understanding complex health and care systems. Safety investigators must be equipped with the tools, skills and organisational support to apply systems thinking effectively. We are actively developing our own staff in human factors science and support them with professional membership of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors – the organisers of this event.

To support investigators across the NHS in England, we’ve recently published Building investigation excellence: our strategy for strengthening the capability of healthcare investigations, which outlines how we intend to share our deep investigation expertise going forward.

We appreciated the opportunity to speak about our work with colleagues across the human factors community at Ergonomics & Human Factors 2026. The event provided an invaluable platform for exchanging insights, learning from other sectors and strengthening the role of human factors in healthcare.