In honour of World Patient Safety Day 2025, we are shining the spotlight on clinical governance lead, Lisa Shepheard and consultant for neonatal patient safety, Dr Prashant Mallya to find out how their collaborative working is helping to improve patient safety for babies.
Together with neonatal matron, Vicky Ford and patient safety and governance lead, Dominic Lincoln-Bryson they meet regularly to examine patient safety concerns and identify areas for improvement.
As a team, they have introduced several quality improvements with safe prescribing to minimise prescribing and administration errors. 
Lisa Shephard, who initially started working at James Cook as a neonatal nurse before transitioning to clinical governance lead said:
As a team we love our jobs because they stimulate the 'why, what, when and how' questions when dealing with patient safety which ultimately helps us solve the issues that pose as risk for delivering safe patient care.”
They facilitate patient safety teaching and training for staff through regular briefings or formal simulation to encourage learning, development and confidence in reporting issues.
They also work closely with their allied health colleagues to promote safe and effective prescribing standards for safe patient care. 
Dr Prashant Mallya who joined the trust as consultant neonatologist in 2016 before taking over the role of patient safety lead for the neonatal department said:
We are proud to report that the sustained and steady interventions have helped us minimise risks in all aspects of patient care. Our patient safety reports are updated every month and displayed on the units' notice board to all parents to reassure parents that their baby is getting high quality and safe care in the unit.”