Important Dates & Application Information

Important dates

October 24th at 12:00 noon ET  

Attend this Rethinking Patient Safety webinar to learn more about the new approach to safety that inspired the Action Series.  Takes place during Canadian Patient Safety Week.

December 1, 2023

Deadline to apply to the Action Series

December 11, 2023

Teams notified of the outcome of the selection process

January 10, 2024

Learning Session 1 (Zoom) noon-1:30 p.m. ET

February 7, 2024

Learning Session 2 (Zoom) noon-1:30 p.m. ET

March 13, 2024

Learning Session 3 (Zoom) noon-1:30 p.m. ET

April 10, 2024

Closing congress celebration (Zoom) noon-2:00 p.m. ET

Application information

To participate, the first step is to apply here. The application is open to anyone, in any setting, across the care continuum. 

Teams will be selected to participate in the Action Series based on the strength of their application, their desire to learn through this series and their ability to meet the criteria outlined below for team composition and expectations.

There is no cost to participate.

Team composition

Core team members: Recommended team size is a minimum of five people. Team members should come from the same area, unit or department and should include a manager, point of care provider and a patient /resident/client or care partner.  You may also want to include a senior leader, physician, quality improvement/patient safety staff and other clinical and nonclinical staff.

Teams are encouraged to recognize the contributions of patients, residents, clients and their care partners as part of their core teams, including compensation.

Expanded team members: those who work in the same area/unit/department or interact with the core team members.

An executive sponsor, possibly the senior leader, will also be required.

Core team member roles and responsibilities

Manager/team Lead

• Actively participates in learning sessions, closing congress and coaching calls.
• Facilitates activities during the action periods.
• Ongoing communication and engagement with team members.
• Resource management and allocation.
• Achievement of timelines and stated goals.
• Updates senior leader.
• Ensures meaningful involvement of patients/residents/clients and their care partners.
• Engages expanded team members in activities related to the Action Series.
• Ensures that the expectations of participation in the Action Series are met.

Point-of-care provider

• Actively participates in learning sessions, closing congress and coaching calls.
• Is a safety champion. Supports manager in communicating and promoting the learnings from the Action Series to expanded team members and other staff.
• Ensures meaningful involvement of patients/residents/clients and their care partners.
• Participates and engages expanded team members in activities related to the Action Series.

Patients/residents/clients and care partners

• Actively participate in learning sessions, closing congress and coaching calls.
• Bring the voice and experience of the patient, resident, client or care partner to the improvement process.
• Participate in activities during the action periods and encourages patient, resident, client and care partner engagement across all aspects of the Action Series.

Expectations of all participants

• Secure senior leadership support for your participation in this work.
• Ensure you have a computer with internet access.
• Dedicate time and space in your workplace to participate in the three learning sessions and coaching calls (3 to 4 based on need) and a closing congress celebration.
• Make a commitment to explore, test and evaluate ideas for expanding and strengthening your understanding of harm and safety and to demonstrate this understanding by implementing at least one proactive approach to safer care.
• Actively listen to the varying perspectives, reflections and insights offered by participants of the Action Series that support collegial, respectful and safe discussions.
• Assist Healthcare Excellence Canada with evaluating the program by providing data and information (see FAQs for more information).
• Complete a final team report and present at the closing congress (3 to 4 slides).

"A lot of patient safety has been chasing after things that have happened before. You will see things like policy, or regulation trying to fix what happened or what harm we have seen in the past. I think what we are seeing now is this emergence of creating safety, that past harm is not the same as creating safe systems or creating safety. I think in the past we have connected it with [harm]. If you've got harm then you aren't safe or if you can just get rid of all that harm, or focus on where we have had critical harm, we'll be safer. I think that was a fallacy. We are in a very complex environment and that really anticipating, reacting, responding doesn't come through a policy or a checklist. It comes through the dynamics that happen in a team, the way people think, make sense of things. I think that is a difference I am seeing in how we are thinking about safety." Dr. Petrina McGrath, Health System Executive, People, Quality and Practice and Chief Nursing Executive, Lakeridge Health