Psychological Safety

This chapter explores how Psychological Safety in supervision promotes a constructive, supportive learning environment in primary care.

It also highlights how Psychological Safety is essential for supervisee engagement, quality improvement, and achieving high-quality patient care, and includes opportunities to consider how you and your practice team can overcome barriers to Psychological Safety and foster an inclusive learning environment.

Learning outcomes:

Define psychological safety in work environments and outline its four stages.

Identify barriers to psychologically safe supervision and demonstrate the benefits of psychological safety in supervision.

Explore the relationship between psychological safety, accountability for performance, and learning, with reference to the the NHS safer learning environment charter.

Chapter resources:

The following resources are available to share with your practice team or to support you to work through the workshop learning:

A narrated slide deck on the chapter is available to watch or download, so you and your team can work through it at your own pace.
Workbooks with space to complete exercises and note your reflections on key concepts and reinforce learning; one in PowerPoint format to add your own responses, and one on PDF format which can be printed.

Additional resources

NHS Safe Learning Charter

The NHS Safe Learning Environment Charter supports the development of positive safety cultures and continuous learning across all NHS learning environments.

The Charter has been designed for learners and those responsible for supporting learners and sets out the supportive learning environment required to allow learners to become well-rounded professionals with the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, high-quality, and compassionate care.

NHS Safe Learning Charter

Case studies

NCL practices have provided feedback on how changes made relating to themes in this chapter have had a positive impact on supervision and multi-professional teamwork:

What needed to change (what needed improvement)?	What changes were made? Who led and supported change?	What were the results? How has this improved daily work at the practice / within the team?
Incorporate feedback into practice learning sessions.	The practice has updated our internal educational sessions to include clear learning objectives and provide staff with strategies for addressing challenges in a multidisciplinary team environment. These changes were made in response to team feedback.	The culture of giving and receiving feedback has improved. Team members and supervisees now feel confident to share and accept feedback, and are supported in taking constructive action.
Practice team members felt unable to provide feedback or share concerns.	The practice implemented regular "open reflection" sessions. These provide a safe space for team members to share any concerns, challenges, or emotional reactions they may have experienced during their work, without fear of judgment. We encourage everyone, regardless of role, to contribute and offer support to each other.	We have created a non-judgmental environment, promote open communication, reduce stress, and build trust within the team, ultimately fostering a healthier and more supportive workplace culture.
Improve how team members support each other.	The practice now holds regular monthly supervision sessions for all staff, including both clinical and non-clinical team members. These sessions give everyone a chance to talk openly about any challenges they’re facing, reflect on their work, and discuss development or training needs. Having this protected time has made a big difference — people feel listened to and supported.	Having this safe, protected time has made a big difference — people feel listened to and supported more effectively.