Incident reporting policy - Homerton University Hospital

Appendix 1: Incident Risk AssessmentManagement must review incidents to determine the best course of action to eliminate, reduce and control risks.There will always be some degree of risk. However, when the level of risk is controlled and the level of injury islow, the impact on the Trust will also be low, so the level of risk is acceptable. Risk assessment is the process forassessing and prioritising clinical and non-clinical risks. It can also help managers recognise the incidents theyshould report to senior managers and when they need specialist help to prevent incidents recurring.Table 1 Consequence scoresChoose the most appropriate domain for the identified risk from the left hand side of the table Then work along thecolumns in same row to assess the severity of the risk on the scale of 1 to 5 to determine the consequence score,which is the number given at the top of the column.Consequence score (severity levels) and examples of descriptorsDomainsImpact on thesafety ofpatients, staffor public(physical/psychologicalharm)1 2 3 4 5None/InsignificantNegligibleMinimal injuryrequiring no/minimalintervention ortreatment.No time off workMinor Moderate Major CatastrophicMinor injury orillness, requiringminor interventionRequiring time offwork for >3 daysIncrease in length ofhospital stay by 1-3daysModeraterequiringprofessionalinterventioninjuryRequiring time offwork for 4-14 daysIncrease in length ofhospital stay by 4-15daysRIDDOR/agencyreportable incidentMajor injury leadingto long-termincapacity/disabilityRequiring time offwork for >14 daysIncrease in length ofhospital stay by >15daysMismanagement ofpatient care withlong-term effectsIncident leadingdeathtoMultiple permanentinjuriesorirreversible healtheffectsAn event whichimpacts on a largenumber of patientsAn event whichimpacts on a smallnumber of patientsQuality/complaints/auditPeripheral elementof treatment orservice suboptimalInformalcomplaint/inquiryOverall treatment orservice suboptimalFormal(stage 1)Local resolutioncomplaintSingle failure tomeet internalstandardsMinor implicationsfor patient safety ifunresolvedReducedperformance rating ifunresolvedTreatment or servicehas significantlyreducedeffectivenessFormal complaint(stage 2) complaintLocal resolution(with potential to goto independentreview)Repeated failure tomeet internalstandardsMajor patient safetyimplications iffindings are notacted onNon-compliancewith nationalstandards withsignificant risk topatientsifunresolvedMultiple complaints/independent reviewLowratingCritical reportperformanceTotally unacceptablelevel or quality oftreatment/serviceGross failure ofpatient safety iffindings not actedonInquest/ombudsmaninquiryGross failure tomeet nationalstandardsPage 28 of 47