This page covers reporting and managing patient safety incidents, significant events, and notifiable incidents that must be reported to the CQC.
| Type |
Description |
CQC Notifiable? |
| Patient Safety Incident |
Unexpected or unintended event that could or did harm a patient |
Yes, if moderate-severe harm |
| Significant Event |
Any event where learning can improve patient safety |
No, but should be recorded |
| Data Security Incident |
Breach of personal data (see Breach Reports page) |
Yes, if ICO threshold met |
| Complaint |
Formal patient complaint |
No, but tracked separately |
| Near Miss |
Event that could have caused harm but didn't |
No, but valuable for learning |
- Go to Incident Reports
- Click Report Incident
- Complete:
- Date and Time of the incident
- Description — factual account of what happened
- Severity — level of harm or potential harm
- Actions Taken — immediate response
- Root Cause — initial analysis
- Follow-up Actions — what will be done to prevent recurrence
- Click Save
You must notify the CQC without delay when certain incidents occur, including:
- Safeguarding concerns involving children or vulnerable adults
- Deaths of patients using the service
- Serious injuries that may be related to care
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications
- Notifications of offences by regulated persons
- Notifications of absences — when the Registered Manager is absent for 28+ days
- Immediate Response — contain the situation, ensure patient safety
- Investigation — gather facts, interview staff, review records
- Root Cause Analysis — identify underlying causes
- Action Plan — implement changes to prevent recurrence
- Share Learning — discuss with team at governance meetings
- Close Out — document all actions and outcomes
- Record incidents within 24 hours of discovery
- Use the SBAR format (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) for structured reporting
- Share learning from incidents at team meetings
- Review incident trends quarterly to identify patterns
- Incidents are key evidence for CQC's Safe and Well-led domains
- An open, no-blame culture encourages reporting and improves patient safety