Announcing the Canadian Patient Safety Week 2026 Theme: What Shapes Safer Care?
Canadian Patient Safety Week (CPSW) will take place from October 26-30, 2026.
Every interaction, environment decision and system can influence safety in care. Some moments are easy to notice. Others are small but just as important.
For CPSW 2026, we are inviting people across health and social care to reflect on one question: What shapes safer care? Together, we'll explore the many ways people, relationships, environments and systems shape safer care every day.
At the heart of this year's theme is a simple idea: safer care is not only the absence of harm – it is something we actively build together. Every day, from a conversation where someone feels heard, respected and included to a question that prevents harm or a system that helps people feel supported when things do not go as planned, every moment has the potential to shape safer care.
Throughout the week, we'll share stories, resources and practical tools that encourage curiosity, conversation and shared learning, helping people reflect on what is already shaping safer care and inspiring new ways to strengthen it.
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Why this matters
Patient safety remains a significant challenge across health and social care. In Canada, one in 17 hospital stays involves unintended harm. While dedicated patient safety efforts remain essential, safer care also depends on the everyday moments, interactions and decisions that influence how care is delivered and experienced.
Safety is not created by one person or policy alone. Every day, safer care is shaped through people, relationships, environments, systems and organizational conditions working together. This means creating environments where people feel heard, respected, included and supported, and where the workforce feels psychologically safe, valued and supported.
This year’s theme encourages reflection, conversation and shared learning. It recognizes that meaningful progress does not always come from perfect or large-scale solutions. Small actions, everyday decisions and honest conversations can also make a big difference.
People may choose to participate in different ways. For some, sharing experiences and stories can be meaningful and empowering. For others, reflection may happen privately or through listening and learning. All forms of participation are valuable, and psychological safety matters in these conversations.
Every moment is a chance to help shape safer care. Whether you are a provider, leader, patient, family member, caregiver, community partner or organization, each of us plays a role in shaping safer care.
How you can get involved
Throughout the campaign, we will invite people to reflect on questions such as:
Who or what affects safety for you?
What stood out in a moment of care?
What helped you feel heard or included?
What can you do to help shape safety?
How can systems support safer care?
We will also share stories and resources that show how safety is shaped every day through people, relationships, systems and environments – often in ways that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Whether you work in care, receive care or support someone through care, your experiences and perspectives matter. You can participate by sharing, reflecting, listening or learning in ways that feel meaningful and safe for you. Together, these contributions help strengthen safer care. Because every moment counts. And safer care is shaped together.
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Add your voice to CPSW 2026
Your experiences, perspectives and ideas can help shape safer care.
Add your voice to this year’s campaign by sharing:
One word that shapes safer care for you, and/or
A moment or experience that shaped safer care for you
We welcome contributions that reflect the diversity of people, roles, settings and lived experiences across health and social care.
Submissions may be featured anonymously as part of this year’s campaign.
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