Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF)

What is PSIRF?

The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) is the approach we use to respond to patient safety incidents, focusing on transparency, supporting those affected, and continuous learning to improve healthcare safety. PSIRF was published in August 2022 by NHS England as part of the 2019 NHS Patient Safety Strategy. In February 2024, the Trust transitioned to PSIRF from the Serious Incident Framework (SIF, 2015), which it replaced. 

The framework has four key aims:

  • Compassionate engagement and involvement with those involved, including patients, families, carers, and staff
  • Systems based learning - understand the system factors that contribute to incidents in order to learn and improve
  • Proportionate incident responses - incidents are reviewed based on whether there is learning or meets local/ national priorities. Learning responses match the scale and complexity of the incident.
  • Supportive oversight to encourage openness, learning, and ongoing improvement across the Trust.

You can read more about PSIRF on the NHS England website -  NHS England » Patient Safety Incident Response Framework or watch this 4 minute video.

 

The Plan 2026-28, second edition

The Patient Safety Incident Response Plan sets out how the Trust will put the policy into practice, including how we will respond to incidents. The Plan is a flexible document which will adapt as the organisation learns and improves (it is reviewed and updated every two years). The Plan is intended to guide, not prescribe, and will remain flexible and consider the circumstances resulting in a patient safety incident and the needs of those affected.

The Plan defines how the Trust will apply a compassionate, systems-based, and proportionate approach to incident response across all services, and ensure patients, families, and staff are compassionately engaged.

In 2026 the Plan was reviewed and updated based on our current incident profile, ongoing improvement priorities, resource availability, and the priorities identified by our stakeholders. This Plan is the second edition and builds on the first edition (2024-26). This Plan includes an updated list of local priorities and incorporates the learning from our first two years of PSIRF.  

Through PSIRF our aim is to ensure proportionate, meaningful responses that focus on identifying systems gaps and opportunities for improvement. To inform the Plan, we reviewed and developed an updated incident profile based on data from the past two years (2024-26) and engagement from stakeholders from across the Trust. The insight shapes how we identify our areas for priority, prioritise our learning responses, and focus our improvement efforts.

This Plan is a living document and will continue to evolve as we deepen our understanding, respond to emerging safety issues, and adapt to new tools and approaches. 

To read the full plan, please click here.