The Global State of Patient Safety: Where the UK Stands and What the Data Tells Us
Patient safety data exists in abundance, but it rarely tells a complete story. In this session from the Connected Health & Care Summit 2026, John Illingworth, Senior Advisor at Imperial College London’s Institute of Global Health Innovation, presents findings from the Global State of Patient Safety 2025 report, a partnership with Patient Safety Watch. Drawing on 108 indicators across 200 countries, the session reveals where the UK ranks against OECD peers, which trends are worsening, and what four leading national patient safety systems are doing differently.
Watch Imperial College London present the global patient safety ranking, key trends in mental health, neonatal care and waiting times, and what the UK can learn from Norway, Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands.
What the research found and why it matters
The Global State of Patient Safety report collects and analyses 108 indicators from sources including the WHO, World Bank, OECD and the Lancet Global Burden of Disease study. The headline findings presented in the session were:
- The UK ranked 21st out of 38 OECD countries in the patient safety ranking, with little change from the previous year. Norway ranked first for two consecutive years
- If the UK matched Switzerland’s treatable mortality rate, 22,000 fewer deaths could have occurred in 2021
- Excess mortality rates for people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have risen 21% and 41% respectively across OECD countries since 2015
- Global neonatal mortality has fallen 46% since 2000, but UK rates have plateaued since approximately 2015 and started to rise, driven by preterm births diverging from the OECD average
- The UK is a major outlier on waiting times for complex procedures, and we know very little about the safety of patients while they are waiting
