World Patient Safety Day 2025: Championing Safe Care for Every Child

17 September 2025 marks World Patient Safety Day, a global initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness and drive action on patient safety. This year’s theme, “Safe care for every newborn and every child”, shines a spotlight on the unique vulnerabilities of children in healthcare settings and calls for urgent, coordinated efforts to protect them from preventable harm.

Why Focus on Children?

Children are not simply “small adults.” Their rapidly evolving health needs, developmental stages, and limited ability to communicate make them particularly susceptible to medical errors and unsafe care. From birth to age nine, they face heightened risks in intensive care units, during complex treatments, and when systems fail to adapt to their specific needs. 

Read more here.

A single safety incident in early life can have lifelong consequences. That’s why the 2025 slogan, “Patient safety from the start!”, is both a rallying cry and a reminder: safeguarding children’s health must begin at birth and continue consistently throughout their care journey to avoid injuries such as cerebral palsy and hypoglycaemic brain injuries. 

Read more here.

Key Messages from WHO

The WHO campaign outlines several critical messages for this year:

• Individualised care is essential: Children require care tailored to their age, weight, developmental stage, and medical condition
• Common causes of harm are preventable: Medication errors, misdiagnoses, infections, and equipment failures are among the leading risks
• Safety depends on systems and teamwork: Well-designed processes, trained staff, and engaged caregivers are vital to keeping children safe
• Every voice counts: Parents, caregivers, and even school-aged children should be empowered to speak up and participate in their care

Goals for 2025

To support this year’s theme, WHO has identified five strategic goals:

1. Engage children and families in safety conversations and decision-making
2. Enhance medication safety through better prescribing and administration practices
3. Improve diagnostic safety to reduce delays and errors
4. Prevent healthcare-associated infections with robust hygiene and infection control
5. Reduce risks for small and sick newborns, especially in neonatal intensive care units

AvMA’s Practical Safety Tips for Families

As part of World Patient Safety Day, Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) encourages families to take proactive steps in navigating healthcare safely. Their advice is simple but powerful.  

• Share your symptoms & history – note when they started, what makes them better or worse
• Track appointments & treatments – keep a record of referrals, medications, and side effects
• Ask questions & raise concerns – understand your options, and bring someone with you to appointments
• Follow up on test results – check results via the NHS App or with your care team.
• Seek a second opinion – if you’re unsure, most professionals welcome another perspective
• Know about Martha’s Rule – families can now request an urgent review if a loved one’s health is rapidly worsening in hospital