Transforming clinical incident reporting

Introduction

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, one of the UK’s largest specialist NHS cancer centers, provides comprehensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy services to a population of 2.4 million people across Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, the Isle of Man and South Lancashire.

The challenge

The Trust’s Clinical Governance team faced significant challenges in managing their clinical incident reporting due to time-consuming manual processes, which hindered their ability to meet NPSA reporting requirements.

• Manual data entry overwhelmed resources, making it difficult to manage the growing volume of incidents
• Inability to meet NPSA requirements due to the inefficiency of the current manual reporting process
• Strained staff capacity as existing resources were insufficient to handle the increased workload

Finding the right solution

The search focused on a solution that could not only handle the complexity of their existing process but also integrate seamlessly with the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) to ensure compliance and improve reporting efficiency.

The answer was found in Ideagen Quality Management, which offered a tailored approach to meet these specific needs.

• Ideagen’s Incident and Occurrence modules provided the necessary framework to replicate the NRLS form within the system
• The solution enabled automatic uploading of incident batches to the NRLS at pre-determined intervals, eliminating manual input
• With Ideagen, the Centre could meet the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) requirements more efficiently

Implementation and impact

The impact was immediate, with the Clinical Governance team experiencing reduced workload and improved accuracy in their reporting. The ability to automate the submission of incidents saved time and enhanced the integrity of both internal and external reporting.

• Direct integration between Ideagen and the NRLS reduced previous manual tasks, cutting reporting times by a third.
• The automated system improved the Centre’s compliance, transforming it from an NPSA 'under reporter' to a fully compliant entity.
• Enhanced the integrity and timeliness of clinical incident reporting, benefiting both internal governance and external regulatory compliance.