Since 2015 the body known as NHS Improvement has published, and this year updated, its list of never events - defined as 'serious incidents that are entirely preventable because guidance or safety recommendations providing strong systemic protective barriers are available at a national level.' How this is interpreted, however, especially in dental terms, has been very poorly managed in my opinion, leading to the potential for increased risk of such events happening and raising anxiety levels among many colleagues, especially the newly qualified, and responses to them both at a local and national level potentially give the lie to the no-blame culture purported to exist within healthcare in the UK. This paper is intended to stimulate debate among those who lead our profession towards a realistic consensus view on management of these issues for the safety of our patients and the peace of mind of the profession.