Significant events
- Doctors must declare and reflect on every significant event they were involved in since their last appraisal.
- The discussion at appraisal should focus on those significant events that led to a change in their practice or demonstrate their insight and learning.
- They must be able to explain to the appraiser why they have chosen these events.
- The reflection and discussion should focus on the insight and learning from the event, rather than the facts or the number they have recorded.
For the purposes of this guidance a significant event is any unintended or unexpected event, which could or did lead to harm of one or more patients. This includes incidents which did not cause harm but could have done, or where the event should have been prevented.
Please ensure that you are familiar with your organisation's local processes and agreed thresholds for recording incidents
- All significant events involving you should be discussed at appraisal or a statement made that there have been none
- In primary care in particular, significant event audit has evolved as an important tool in improving practice. Where these have been undertaken and don’t meet the GMC definition above, they should be included as supporting information for quality improvement activity
- Please note:
- You can submit SEAs that you were not directly involved in if you personally reflect on them and show learning
- You do not need to list any significant events where your only involvement was in the investigation unless that is an important part of your scope of work
This page was last updated on: 21/11/2024
