Human Factors in Healthcare

‘Whatever your experience, whether you’re working in healthcare already, maybe thinking about a career in healthcare, or simply an interested bystander, this book will change what you do, in your work, and in your life.’

Captain Martin Bromiley OBE, Airline Pilot and Founder of the Clinical Human Factors Group

Healthcare is full of brilliant, dedicated people but the conditions we work in often mean we fall short of the care we want to give. Mistakes aren’t usually the result of bad individuals; they are the predictable outcome of poorly designed systems and cultures that don’t make safety easy. When staff don’t feel supported or listened to, it is almost impossible for them to deliver safe care.

This book was written for the entire multidisciplinary team—doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, managers, educators, students, indeed anyone and everyone involved in delivering or improving care—and is an essential guide to recognising the human and organisational factors that shape our actions and learning how to do better. It draws a straight line from staff well-being and psychological safety, connecting these directly to the techniques needed to deliver safe and effective patient care.

Practical and accessible, and sometimes light-hearted, this book focuses on real clinical stories, reflections from the frontline and a healthy dose of honesty about how tough healthcare can be for staff and patients. It’s also packed with simple, doable changes that anyone can implement, whatever your role or seniority. From improving communication, reducing error or learning how to speak up, these are tools you can start using tomorrow to make care safer for both staff and patients.

If you’re fed up with tick boxes, jargon or lip-service to safety, and you want something to make things better and effect real change, this is the book for you.

Professor Rob Galloway is an Emergency Medicine Consultant at University Hospitals Sussex and Honorary Clinical Professor at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. He is dual-trained in Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine, though now works exclusively in the Emergency Department—largely because his attention span is better suited to the pace and unpredictability of A&E. For over 15 years, he has delivered nationally recognised Human Factors training and is an Ambassador for the Clinical Human Factors Group. He has led multiple projects to improve patient safety, including the development of widely used clinical prompt cards, and is the Medical Lead for HealthRota, an electronic rostering system designed to improve both safety and staff well-being. He also serves as medical advisor to Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club and is a columnist for the Daily Mail, helping to translate complex medical issues for a broader public audience. Under the pseudonym Dr Nick Edwards, he is the author of In Stitches: The Highs and Lows of Life as an A&E Doctor which shows an honest insight into life on the NHS frontline. He has co-written textbooks on critical appraisal as well as numerous research papers. He was once named one of the HSJ’s wildcard top ten most influential people in the NHS—though has had virtually no influence since—and was made a Member of the Order of St John, although he suspects the Queen was probably misinformed when bestowing this award.

Miss Eleanor Crossley is currently an ST7 Specialist Registrar in Otolaryngology in the South London Deanery and was the President of the Association of Otolaryngologists in Training (AOT) in 2024–25. She graduated from the University of Birmingham Medical School, where she also completed a BMedSci Intercalated degree in Public Health and Population Sciences. She continues her involvement in various research projects and medical education and has a long-standing interest in global health and charity work.

Dr Mitul Patel is an Anaesthetic Registrar in South London with interests in medical education and multidisciplinary simulation-based teaching.

Dr Chloe Rutherfoord is a Paediatric Registrar in the Department of Paediatrics at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Brighton.

Melanie Whitfield is a Registered Midwife in the NHS with over 25 years’ experience in clinical care, including more than 10 years in senior leadership roles at Trust-wide level. In 2023, Melanie completed her fellowship with the internationally recognised Patient Safety Movement Foundation. She also holds a Master’s degree in Patient Safety and is a recognized leader in patient safety, clinical governance and risk management. Melanie currently holds the roles of Associate Director of Patient Safety, Clinical Governance and Risk Management and Trust Patient Safety Specialist at an NHS Trust in southwest London. Melanie is committed to fostering a culture of constructive challenge, promoting reflective learning, and creating safe spaces for honest dialogue, improvement and continuous learning. She works alongside clinical teams to co-design patient-centred care, placing patients, families and caregivers as active partners in improving safety and quality in healthcare. Melanie is passionate about growing a culture where patient safety is everyone’s business.