Patient Safety Incident Response Framework in General Practice
Project overview
In 2024, the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London launched a national pilot to support general practice teams in adopting the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF).
PSIRF introduces a new approach to responding to patient safety incidents, moving away from blame and towards learning and continuous improvement. The framework is underpinned by four key principles:
- Compassionate engagement
- Systems based thinking
- Proportionate response
- Supportive oversight
PSIRF is great! It’s a massive shift in safety culture… it’s now just part of what we do.
Participant of the PSIRF in general practice pilot
Commissioned by NHS England’s Patient Safety Team, our work to implement PSIRF within general practice has demonstrated that it can:
- Support the development of a more open and proactive safety culture
- Provide practical tools to reduce avoidable harm and improve patient outcomes
- Inform and shape future safety initiatives in general practice
Project outputs
Year 1: Learning together (April 2024 – March 2025)
We collaborated with 56 organisations as early adopters of GP PSIRF, including Primary Care Networks (PCNs), GP Federations, and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). This phase focused on identifying practical tools and approaches, and gaining a deeper understanding of how patient safety is managed in general practice settings.
Year 2: Testing and evaluating the pilot (April 2025 – June 2026)
Building on insights from Year 1, we explored how organisations can work collaboratively across the healthcare system to improve patient safety using PSIRF. Together, we:
- Tested the application of PSIRF within GP Practices, PCNs, GP Federations and ICBs, and across organisational boundaries
- Developed practical examples of system-wide collaboration to improve safety
- Continued to share learning and emerging insights nationally
We also produced a practical guide to support general practice teams in assessing their current approach to patient safety, identifying opportunities for improvement, and enhancing the safety of care delivered.
Year 3: Testing scale up of the pilot (April 2026 – March 2027)
Following the success of the pilot, we are expanding GP PSIRF to a wider group of general practice organisations. This phase focuses on understanding how best to scale implementation and maximise benefits across general practice.
We are working in partnership with participants to:
- Deliver interactive learning sessions to build practical skills in patient safety improvement
- Facilitate peer learning and networking, sharing real-world examples from across England
- Share insights from national experts, including regulators
- Gather and respond to feedback to inform the future national implementation of PSIRF across general practice
We sincerely thank participants from all programme years for their generous contributions to the development of PSIRF.
Resources
Piloting the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework in General Practice – Formative Evaluation Report: Summary (Year 2, 2026)
Piloting the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework in General Practice – Formative Evaluation Report: Full length document (Year 2, 2026)
Patient Safety Incident Response Framework in General Practice End of pilot report (Year 1, 2026)
Find out more
For more information about the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework in General Practice, please get in touch.