Press Release: Thursday 17 September 2026
Ministers for Health and Chief Nursing Officer mark World Patient Safety Day 2026
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD; the Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler TD; the Minister for Older People, Kieran O’Donnell TD; and the Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD, today marked World Patient Safety Day and welcomed Ireland’s hosting of a global patient safety conference later this month.
Speaking on World Patient Safety Day, Minister Carroll MacNeill said:
“World Patient Safety Day reminds us of our shared commitment to putting patients at the centre of care. It reminds us to continue strengthening quality, safety and transparency across our health service.
“Entering hospital can be one of the most vulnerable times in a patient’s life. While there is always more work to do, I am encouraged by the dedication of staff, patients and advocates across our health service to driving continued improvements in patient safety.
“Earlier this week, I launched Ireland’s first Sepsis Strategy with the HSE and patient advocates. This strategy demonstrates what can be achieved when patients, advocates and healthcare professionals work together to make care safer and improve outcomes across the health service.”
Minister Butler said:
“In mental health services, safety begins with listening to people and responding to their needs at the right time. Prevention, early intervention and timely access to community-based services can make a lasting difference. World Patient Safety Day reinforces the importance of using the experiences of people with lived and living experience to shape compassionate care throughout each person’s recovery journey.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) marks World Patient Safety Day annually on 17 September 2026. This year’s theme is ‘Safe care for noncommunicable diseases’.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are long term conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, that can affect people of all ages and often require ongoing care throughout life.
Minister Murnane O’Connor said:
“People living with noncommunicable diseases often make important decisions about their care every day. Clear health information, meaningful engagement and shared decision-making can help them participate with confidence. By designing services around patients’ lived experiences, we can reduce risk, improve quality and support better health and wellbeing.”
Minister O’Donnell said:
“For many older people, living with a noncommunicable disease means managing care and support over a long period. Patient safety must therefore extend beyond individual appointments and support continuity of care across services.
“My priority is to advance a health and social care model that enables older people to live full, independent lives in their own communities for as long as possible. Achieving this requires coordinated services and the right wraparound supports to meet people’s changing needs.”
Chief Nursing Officer, Rachel Kenna said:
“This year, the WHO’s patient safety focus is on safe care for noncommunicable diseases. One of its key messages is that people living with chronic diseases may face a higher risk of unintended harm because they often have more frequent contact with health services. Strong patient safety systems are essential to reduce this risk across healthcare services and to support safe working environments for healthcare staff.
“These systems include clear guidelines and standards for clinical care, listening to patients’ experiences, using data to support learning and improvement, and taking an open and compassionate approach when incidents occur.”
“Our international partnerships are important to driving continuous learning and improvement, so we are delighted to host this year’s ISQua global patient safety conference. This year’s ISQua conference theme – ‘Thriving Through Compassion and Community: Sharing Stories for the Future of Health Systems’ – is particularly apt given the many challenges that face health services worldwide, and highlights the need for policymakers, healthcare staff and patients to work together to drive innovations and solutions to make care as safe as possible.”