Recurring concern
Inadequate safety-netting advice for patients and carers
First reported 6 May 2016•Latest report 10 Nov 2025
What this concern includes
Includes failures of safety-netting advice provided to patients, parents, carers or receiving care providers after assessment, treatment, discharge or reported deterioration, including advice that is absent, delayed, undocumented, unclear or not tailored to a material suspected condition.
Not included
- Excludes failures of clinical assessment, monitoring, diagnosis or treatment where no safety-netting advice deficiency is identified.
- Excludes generic communication or documentation failures that are not specifically part of safety-netting.
- Excludes staffing, workload or workforce wellbeing concerns unless the report directly identifies their effect on safety-netting provision.
- Excludes emergency call-system or escalation-process deficiencies that do not concern advice given to patients, carers or receiving care providers.
- Reports
- 29
- Individual concerns
- 30
- Date range
- 2016–2025
- Stated actions
- 24
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.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to provide written instructions including safety netting advice after consultation
This report raised 3 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
-
Position
NHS England is responsible for addressing the concerns about hospital admission thresholds, in-person consultations and safety-netting advice.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
-
Concerns raised1
Safety-netting advice failing to provide a meaningful instruction when patients have already sought help for the same concern
This report raised 5 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.2
-
Action
Provide mandatory induction and continuing teaching on paediatrics, deterioration, escalation, TTA medication use and individualized safety-netting.
Stated by Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Update existing patient-information guidance to specifically address safety-netting documentation and advice.
Stated by Royal College of Emergency Medicine
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to record prescribed-drug counselling and safety advice
This report raised 1 other concern. 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.3
-
Action
Update the medication counselling SOP to require documentation of every counselling episode and community-support referral on eScript.
Stated by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust -
Action
Incorporate this case into statutory senior-doctor safe-prescribing training, covering medication counselling, documentation and support for patients who do not understand.
Stated by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust -
Action
Take concerns about medication counselling and written records to an appropriate forum for discussion and consideration of necessary actions.
Stated by NHS England
-
Concerns raised1
Provision of generic safety-netting advice to patients at risk of sudden medication-related crisis
This report raised 5 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.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to provide safety-netting advice to care homes
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.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Unclear advice to callers about calling emergency services back when concerns continue
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.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.4
-
Position
Local and system concerns fall outside NHS England’s national policy and programme remit.
Stated by NHS England
-
Position
Local organisations should address the local and system concerns raised in the report.
Stated by NHS England -
Position
Worsening-condition and 999 callback instructions are standard components of the case exit script.
Stated by NHS England -
Position
The relevant ambulance service must resolve unclear callback instructions locally as a call-handler training issue.
Stated by NHS England
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to provide practical emergency-care advice to carers
This report raised 9 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.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Inadequate safety-netting for apparently benign abdominal conditions
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.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to record clear safety-netting advice to carers
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.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Absence of documented discharge advice on points of access for concerns or complications
This report raised 3 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.2
-
Action
Provide patients and community clinicians with written post-discharge wound information, contact points, escalation advice and urgent bleeding instructions.
Stated by the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Standardize documentation of wound calls, discharge advice and ward reviews, including changes communicated to community teams.
Stated by the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Data last updated 7 September 2026