The incident reporting policy explains how NHS Essex ICB reports, investigates and manages incidents. It supports a culture of openness, learning and continuous improvement to help prevent incidents from happening again.
For more information, read the full policy by downloading the accessible Word document at the end of this page.
Who the policy applies to
This incident reporting policy applies to:
- ICB Board members
- all staff, including temporary, agency, bank, voluntary and work experience staff
- contractors working on behalf of NHS Essex
- staff from partner organisations involved in ICB committees, groups or activities
What is an incident?
An incident is any unexpected event that causes, or could cause, harm, loss, damage or disruption. This includes near misses where an incident was avoided but had the potential to cause harm.
Examples include:
- health and safety incidents
- information governance breaches
- security incidents
- violence or aggression
- fraud or corruption
- fire or environmental incidents
- patient safety incidents
Purpose of the policy
The policy helps NHS Essex to:
- encourage staff to report incidents and near misses
- support a fair and open reporting culture
- identify learning and share good practice
- reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again
- maintain accurate records to support investigations
- meet legal, regulatory and NHS requirements
Reporting an incident
All incidents should be reported as soon as possible using the online Datix incident reporting system.
Where serious harm, significant disruption or major loss has occurred, managers and senior leaders should be informed immediately.
Incident reports should include details of what happened, when and where it happened, who was affected and any action taken at the time.
Investigating incidents
Incidents are investigated in a way that is proportionate to their severity and impact. The focus is on understanding what happened, identifying the root cause and learning lessons to improve services and reduce future risks.
Learning from incidents is shared across teams and, where appropriate, with partner organisations.
Roles and responsibilities
Everyone has a role in supporting the Incident Reporting Policy.
All staff are responsible for reporting incidents and near misses, following relevant policies and supporting investigations when required.
Managers are responsible for ensuring incidents are investigated, lessons are shared and actions are taken to prevent recurrence.
Training and support
Staff will receive information about incident reporting as part of their induction. Ongoing training and support are available to help staff understand their responsibilities under the Incident Reporting Policy.
Policy review
This policy was approved on 1 April 2026 and is due for review in April 2028.
For more information, read the full incident reporting policy by downloading the accessible Word document below.