In this thought paper, Douglas Bilton and Harry Cayton discuss the relationship between regulators and those they regulate – be they people, places or products – and the impact this can have on patient safety.

They propose that regulators should work together to create a regulatory system which minimises the multiplicity of different sources of guidance and direction, which is consistent and clear, and which can be seen to be a single regulatory force with different elements. By working together to create conditions which promote engagement with professional responsibility and identity, regulators can create a consistent regulatory system within which safe care can flourish.