Patient Safety Incident Response Plan

A new approach to responding to patient safety incidents

The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) outlines DHU Healthcare's approach to developing and maintaining effective systems and processes for responding to patient safety incidents, with the aim of learning and improving patient safety. PSIRF logo

This patient safety incident response plan sets out how DHU Health Care CIC intends to respond to patient safety incidents between 01/09/2023 to 31/12/2024. The plan is not a permanent rule and may be subject to change. We will remain flexible and consider the specific circumstances in which patient safety issues and incidents occurred and the needs of those affected.

The PSIRF sets out how NHS service providers, such as DHU Healthcare, should respond to patient safety incidents and how and when a patient safety investigation should be conducted. The goal is to cultivate a more open and transparent patient safety culture, with a stronger emphasis on a system-wide approach.

Replacing the Serious Incident Framework (2015), the PSIRF represents a significant shift in the way DHU Healthcare responds to patient safety incidents and is a major step towards establishing a safety management system across DHU Healthcare. It is a fundamental component of DHU Healthcare's patient safety strategy, which supports the development and maintenance of an effective patient safety incident response system, integrating four key aims:

1. Compassionate engagement and involvement of those affected by patient safety incidents
2. Application of a range of system-based approaches to learning from patient safety incidents
3. Considered and proportionate responses to patient safety incidents
4. Supportive oversight focused on strengthening response system functioning and improvement

The PSIRF is not just a new framework for recording incidents; it represents a completely new approach to patient safety, empowering DHU Healthcare staff to speak up when things go wrong.