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When to Report a Provider Incident

A Provider Incident should be reported when an event or occurrence has taken place that requires recording, review and organisational learning, but there is no reasonable cause to suspect abuse, neglect, exploitation, or organisational abuse. In these circumstances, appropriate care plans, risk assessments and support arrangements were in place, yet the incident still occurred despite reasonable preventative measures. Examples may include an accidental fall where risk assessments were followed, or an isolated medication error resulting in no harm.

Provider Incidents enable services and the Local Authority to identify trends, monitor quality and promote learning across organisations. Providers should investigate incidents internally, take any necessary remedial action, and ensure sufficient detail is included within the incident report to support review and oversight. Incidents should be reported individually and providers should maintain their own records of submissions.

When to Report a Safeguarding Concern Instead

A Safeguarding Concern must be raised where there is reasonable cause to suspect that an adult is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse, neglect or exploitation. This includes situations where harm has occurred due to failures in care, care plans or risk assessments have not been followed, there is evidence of repeated poor practice, organisational failings are identified, or there is a pattern of incidents affecting one or more adults. If abuse or neglect is suspected, providers should report the concern through safeguarding procedures and not wait until harm has escalated. If you feel that the situation is a safeguarding, please leave the Provider Incident Reporting page and go back to raise a Safeguarding Concern. The responsibility of the provider is to identify and report concerns; the decision regarding whether the statutory safeguarding threshold is met rests with the Local Authority.

Who to Contact
If you are unsure whether an event should be reported as a Provider Incident or a Safeguarding Concern, advice can be sought from the relevant Adult Social Care duty team.

Adult Social Care Duty Teams

  • Adult Social Care (Safeguarding Concerns): 0161 342 5656 (Option 1)
  • Out of Hours Emergency Duty Team: 0161 342 2222

 

 

Key Message: If there is any suspicion of abuse, neglect, exploitation, organisational abuse or avoidable harm, raise a safeguarding concern. If the incident requires reporting, review and learning but there is no indication of abuse or neglect, submit a Provider Incident. When in doubt, seek advice from Adult Social Care. FINAL Provider Safeguarding and Incident Guidance.docx

Report a Provider Incident here

 

 

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