IHRD-30 Response Accepted Self-assessed

Confidential Reporting of Clinical Concerns

Recommendation

Confidential on-line opportunities for reporting clinical concerns should be developed, implemented and reviewed.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
The Department of Health NI's IHRD Implementation Programme (March 2018) oversees this recommendation (Official government response, https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/ihrd-implementation-programme). The government's progress tracker (January 2024) states that confidential reporting mechanisms have been established and marks the recommendation as completed. Independent evidence from the Department of Health NI and HSC Trusts (February 2026) confirms that confidential reporting mechanisms are established and Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) reporting training has been provided. A public consultation on a major redesign of the SAI process, including a new Regional Framework for Learning and Improvement from Patient Safety Incidents, was open from March to June 2025, but the new framework had not been formally adopted as of February 2026.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 24 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.health-ni.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
Northern Ireland
Response
Accepted
Accepted HSC Trusts
01 Mar 2018

Confidential reporting mechanisms established.

Read Full Response
Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Reasonable Progress
06 Feb 2026
Department of Health NI / HSC Trusts Other

SAI reporting training provided and confidential reporting mechanisms established. A major redesign of the SAI process is in consultation (March-June 2025) but the new framework has not been formally adopted.

View detailed findings

Recommendations 30-42 covered SAI investigation reform. A public consultation on the Regional Framework for Learning and Improvement from Patient Safety Incidents (the SAI Redesign) opened 10 March 2025, closing 20 June 2025. Four draft documents were consulted on: the overall Framework, Regional Standards for reviews, Principles for engaging patients/families, and Principles for supporting affected staff. A Statement of Rights for those involved in an SAI was developed collaboratively. The SAI Engagement Platform met 5 times in 2024-25. However, the new framework has not been formally adopted or implemented.

SAI Redesign Consultation 2025 View Source
Source
Inquiry Hyponatraemia Inquiry
Report Report of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths 31 Jan 2018
View Source
Responsible Bodies
HSC Trusts Primary
Themes & Tags
Whistleblower channel absence Reporting Patient Safety Whistleblowing
Recommendation age 8.1 yrs
Last formal update 783 days ago