ST MARY'S Hospital staff are taking part in World Patient Safety Day today (Tuesday), to demonstrate the improvements that have been carried out following a wake-up call from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Information displays have been placed around the hospital, advising patients of the risks they may face and how to counter them — for example, by wearing the correct footwear to reduce the risk of falling.

Staff from the infection prevention and control team have also been on hand to talk to patients.

The move comes after the CQC raised concerns about patient safety in an inspection report published earlier this month, which upgraded the Isle of Wight NHS Trust's overall rating from inadequate to requires improvement.

Inspectors raised concerns about a lack of staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep patients safe.

NHS staff across the region have been similarly highlighting their commitment to providing safe, high quality care.

A spokesperson said: "Patient safety, something we all take for granted, remains a global health priority, and NHS organisations are adding their collective voice to just how important it is."

The NHS recently published its first national patient safety strategy to support staff and organisations, ensuring all care provided in GP practices, hospitals and the community meets safety standards.

Key features include staff training, a requirement for all NHS organisations to identify a specialist to lead on patient safety, a new national incident management system and the involvement of patients.

Interim chief nurse for the NHS in the south east, Sally Allum, said: "We trust doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to support us when we are at our most vulnerable and NHS staff work hard each day to deliver the best possible care to patients.

"Our vision is for an NHS that continuously improves patient safety, no matter where care is provided, and we are continuously learning and adapting our practices to improve patient safety.

"Through the new strategy, we will continue working to empower staff and patients with the skills, confidence and means to help us keep improving patient safety further."