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What to do when an incident happens?
Being involved in a clinical incident can be a difficult and sometimes distressing experience, regardless of your role or how the incident occurred. You may experience a range of emotions, including shock, anxiety, sadness, guilt or uncertainty. Everyone responds differently, and there is no right or wrong way to feel.
You should expect to be treated with compassion, understanding and respect. Support should be available to help you process what has happened, understand any next steps and access opportunities for reflection and learning.
Immediate actions following an event in practice
Following a clinical incident, ensure the safety of the woman and baby, escalate concerns to the appropriate senior clinician and complete accurate clinical documentation and incident reporting in line with Trust policy.
Ensure open and honest communication with the woman and family, following the principles of Duty of Candour.
Before leaving work, speak to your line manager or a senior colleague about what has happened, participate in a ‘hot debrief’ where appropriate and discuss any immediate support needs.
It may be helpful to make a written note of your recollection of events as soon as you feel able, while the details are still fresh in your mind. This may be useful if you are asked to provide a formal statement at a later date.
Hot debrief
A hot debrief is a short discussion that takes place as soon as possible after an incident, once the situation is under control. It is often led by a senior member of the clinical team who was present during the event.
The purpose is to briefly reflect on what happened, identify any immediate concerns and consider whether further support or action is needed. It is not intended to establish blame or provide a full investigation into the incident.
Follow-up or ‘cold’ debrief
A cold debrief takes place sometime after the incident, allowing more time to reflect when the immediate pressures have passed.
The discussion provides an opportunity to explore what happened in more detail, consider the factors that influenced events, recognise good practice and identify learning that could improve future care.
A cold debrief should be a supportive, psychologically safe space where you can share your perspective, raise concerns and ask questions. It should focus on understanding and learning rather than blame.
Click here for guidance for line managers and those supporting colleagues. |