World Patient Safety Day 2026 highlights safe care for people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). People with NCDs may manage multiple conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, colorectal disorders, cancer and respiratory disease and we pay testament to the courage and bravery these patients show in living with the often complex symptoms.
With the slogan, “Safe care for life”, the focus is centred on listening to patients living with NCDs, strengthening patient risk assessment, ensuring early detection, accurate diagnosis and integrated management, ensuring safe use of medicines and devices and strengthening care co-ordination, continuity and transitions of care.
Healthcare is evolving: today’s patients should expect to receive a partnership of care, with greater dialogue between multidisciplinary settings. People who experience NCDs often live with the conditions for life and as such they should be recognised as experts in their own bodies, as they are the ones living with the condition and its complexities.
Improving patient safety can begin with a simple question: “What else can we do for you?” Empowered patients often feel less anxious, are more likely to follow any recommended prehabilitation programmes and lifestyle changes, and develop greater trust and confidence in their surgeons. These conditions can affect people of any age, frequently requiring care across multiple settings over long periods and this is often where the patient becomes “at risk”.
From a patient perspective, World Patient Safety Day is a reminder that, in colorectal and pelvic floor care, as in other specialities, the reason someone needs surgery is rarely the only factor affecting their safety. Patients may also be living with long-term conditions such as Crohn’s disease, cancer, obesity or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. These co-morbidities don’t disappear when someone enters a surgical pathway. They can influence preparation, treatment choices, nutrition, wound healing, mobility and recovery.
We must work together to fully understand the impact these have on patients, the domino effect it has on other health conditions and improve the quality of life for patients with NCDs. After all, safe surgical care isn’t just about performing the operation safely, it is about performing safely at the right time and preventing avoidable harm.
Jackie Bullock & Nicola Dames
ASGBI Patient Representatives
