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National Reporting and Learning Service

 

Practical information, tools and support to improve patient safety in the NHS

We manage a national safety reporting system. We receive confidential reports of patient safety incidents from healthcare staff across England and Wales. Clinicians and safety experts analyse these reports to identify common risks to patients and opportunities to improve patient safety.

 

We work with organisations providing NHS care, colleges and professional groups to set priorities and develop and disseminate actionable learning. Resources include:

 

 

 

Pharmacist dispensing drugs

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NHS organisations urged to continue to help improve patient safety

Following the publication of the report of the arms-length body review, the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) would like to reinforce the importance of NHS organisations continuing to report patient safety incidents in the usual way through the National Reporting and Learning System. This is so that trends in safety incidents can be identified and acted upon as early as possible.  

This aspect of our work will continue within the new proposed structure of the NHS Commissioning Board and we will continue to work together in partnership with NHS organisations to make services even safer for patients.

We will continue to monitor the implementation of all patient safety alerts and guidance.

Resources

A range of patient safety resources are available. From alerts and guidance to toolkits and data reports.

 

 

Targeted resources:

 

Reporting patient safety incidents

A key factor in providing high-quality care is providing systems for reporting when patients have, or could have been harmed.

 

This information is fed via local risk management systems to a national database. This data is used to identify trends and to inform the development of interventions to prevent future incidents.

 

 

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Patient Safety Incident Data

Sixth release of the Organisation Patient Safety Incident Reports data published on 13 September 2011. 

 

View the data

A Taste of Patient Safety

From 23 to 29 January 2012 NPSA and Patient Safety First present a week about nutrition and hydration.

 

More on 'A Taste of Patient Safety'

Seven Steps to Patient Safety

Seven Steps to Patient Safety is key patient safety guidance for healthcare organisations. The steps help staff to plan activities and measure patient safety performance.

 

More on Seven Steps to Patient Safety

Popular links

What's new

A Taste of Patient Safety

 

Central Alerting System (CAS) response data

 

Proposed transfer of the NRLS

 

Neuraxial Update Newsletter October 2011

Latest patient safety alerts