Articles

Closing the Loop After Incidents: How to Evidence Learning and Prevent Repeat Harm

Many providers record incidents and actions but fail to prove that learning changed practice. This article explains how to “close the loop” after incidents through feedback, assurance checks, outcome measures...

Serious Incident Reviews in Adult Social Care: Getting RCA Right and Proving Change

Serious incidents require more than quick fixes. Providers must run structured reviews, identify contributory factors, agree actions, and evidence sustained change. This article explains how to conduct proportionate serious incident...

Creating a Learning Culture After Incidents in Adult Social Care Services

A strong learning culture ensures incidents lead to safer, more consistent care rather than blame or repetition. This article explains how adult social care providers can embed learning after incidents...

Using Incident Data to Drive Continuous Improvement in Adult Social Care

Collecting incident data is not enough — providers must analyse, interpret and act on it. This article explains how adult social care services should use incident data trends to identify...

Action Plans After Incidents: How to Implement, Track and Evidence Improvement

Incident learning fails when action plans are vague, unowned or not monitored for impact. This article explains how adult social care providers should build practical action plans, assign accountability, monitor...

Conducting Effective Incident Investigations in Adult Social Care: From Facts to Root Causes

Incident investigations in adult social care must go beyond timelines and statements. This article sets out a practical investigation approach that identifies root causes, strengthens controls, and evidences learning through...

Learning from Safeguarding Incidents: Turning Concern into Service Improvement

Safeguarding incidents demand more than procedural responses. This article explains how adult social care providers should learn from safeguarding concerns, strengthen practice, and evidence improvement through governance, supervision and risk...

Using Incident Trends and Data to Drive Continuous Improvement in Adult Social Care

Incident data only improves care when it is actively analysed and acted upon. This article explains how adult social care providers should use incident trends to identify systemic risk, prioritise...

Root Cause Analysis in Adult Social Care: Practical Investigations that Change Practice

Root cause analysis fails when it becomes a template exercise detached from day-to-day delivery. This article explains how adult social care providers should run proportionate investigations, link findings to controls,...

Incident Reporting as a Learning System in Adult Social Care: From Log to Improvement

Incident reporting only improves care when it is treated as a learning system, not a form-filling task. This article explains how providers should capture, triage, investigate and action incidents, with...