Recurring concern
Unreliable urgent recall of discharged patients requiring hospital care
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Request correctionFirst reported 19 May 2015•Latest report 17 Jan 2018
What this concern includes
Includes failures in dedicated urgent recall arrangements for discharged patients, including recognising the need for recall, initiating and communicating the recall, arranging ambulance or other urgent transport, coordinating the receiving hospital or ward, and confirming that the patient returns for required care.
Not included
- Excludes routine post-discharge follow-up, appointment reminders or ordinary missed-contact processes where urgent recall to hospital is not the unsafe condition.
- Excludes ambulance dispatch, attendance or hospital handover failures occurring after an urgent recall has been correctly initiated, unless they directly impair the recall process.
- Excludes general discharge-planning, medication, treatment or care-package deficiencies where no failure of urgent recall is identified.
- Excludes failures to provide hospital care after the recalled patient has safely returned, unless the urgent recall process itself was deficient.
- Reports
- 2
- Individual concerns
- 2
- Date range
- 2015–2018
- Stated actions
- 1
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Failure of the system for recalling discharged urology patients by ambulance
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
There was no transfer delay caused by ambulance-service communication; extrication difficulties and clinical deterioration caused the on-scene delay.
Stated by East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
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Concerns raised1
Lack of a system for urgent recall of discharged patients with potentially life-threatening conditions
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Establish an urgent recall procedure directing staff to contact patients or relatives, then primary-care, community or police services when necessary.
Stated by Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Data last updated 7 September 2026