Introduction
As representatives of the European Patient Safety Foundation, the authors wish to share with the wider patient safety community some current perspectives from across Europe. As the title suggests, in their view, the healthcare systems are dominated by the reality of having to deal with what are seen as multiple crises at the same time, and somehow keep patient safety on the agenda and come up with strategies and initiatives to make improvements. The situation is made even more complex by the fact that these crises take an additional toll on those responsible for delivering safe care, healthcare staff themselves, who already have to cope with difficult working conditions in normal times.
We are thankful to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management for an excellent collaboration and support with promotion of our conference.