Serious untoward incident

Serious untoward incident (SUI) reporting is designed to inform Strategic Health Authorities and the Department of Health about incidents that require urgent attention. They are not necessarily patient safety incidents, and will often include identifiable information to enable action at a local (Trust) level. An SUI panel is set up by the Trust concerned to record statements from everyone involved with the incident within a stipulated period of time, as well as to provide support and assistance. If this is a clinical incident, the patient involved and/or her immediate relatives, as well as her GP, will be informed of this investigation and its progress. Serious clinical incidents that fall under the category of SUI are those that cause a serious adverse effect on one or more patients, cause a major disruption of service, attract media attention or lead to a legal claim. Although there are established criteria for declaring an SUI, it is important to exercise a degree of judgement in deciding a threshold for reporting an incident as an SUI. An investigation report and action plan should be generated within 60 working days of the incident being declared an SUI.