Recurring concern
Failure to investigate concerning presentations beyond initial appearance and self-report
- Reports that mention this concern
- 19
- Times this concern has been raised
- 20
- Stated actions linked to this concern
- 37
What this concern includes
Includes failures by staff responsible for safety assessment or care to investigate further when a person’s presentation, behaviour, withdrawal, history or reported account should prompt additional enquiry, collateral information gathering or assessment; include the anchor, over-reliance on a prisoner's presentation in ACCT work, and failure to recognise withdrawal as a significant risk.
What is not included
- Excludes failures belonging to a separately named assessment, observation or risk-management system when that system provides the more specific supported parent boundary.
- Excludes generic professional-curiosity, communication or training concerns where no failure to investigate a concerning presentation or risk beyond initial appearance or self-report is identified.
- Excludes failures limited to the quality of treatment, escalation or follow-up after a sufficiently thorough assessment has been completed.
- Excludes ordinary reliance on a patient's account or presentation where no concerning feature, change or risk required further investigation.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, 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.
Reports and published responses 19 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
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Concerns raised1
Failure to enquire with professional curiosity about suicidal thoughts and plans
This report raised 9 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Introduce a structured HBTT note format prompting documentation of visit purpose, presentation, and risk to self and others.
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Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Train HBTT staff in contact requirements and documentation, supported by senior colleagues to embed the process.
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Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Update clinical risk policy and mandatory training to include professional curiosity, with refresher attendance at least every three years.
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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Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Records indicate that HBTT staff explored risk and made care plans, although documentation did not always reflect discussions with the patient.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to exercise professional curiosity and consider GP information
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to account for partial disclosure of symptomology and history
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
-
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
The actions taken regarding partial disclosure were considered reasonable and proportionate, so no further action was identified.
-
Concerns raised1
Over-reliance on offender self-reporting and ineffective challenge of accounts
This report raised 8 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- HM Prison and Probation Service
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Roll out the national Supervision and Line Management Framework across National Probation Service divisions, including required supervision meetings, practice observations and recording of challenged decisions.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to recognise and mitigate bias when assessing possible intoxication
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
-
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Develop a tool guiding staff to exclude brain injury safely in intoxicated patients, including examination findings and a step-by-step head examination.
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Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Establish a pathway for senior review and further investigation when intoxicated patients do not recover within the expected timeframe after significant head injury is excluded.
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Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Create a training tool addressing confirmation bias and challenging diagnoses when patients fail to follow the expected clinical course.
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Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Use the confirmation-bias training tool in every ED junior doctor teaching programme and reiterate it in department handovers.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to exercise professional curiosity in high-risk discharge decisions
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to inquire into psychiatric history when presentation warrants further inquiry
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Inappropriate reliance by non-health-care staff on actual presentation and the subject’s own views without further investigation
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised2
Over-reliance on prisoners’ accounts instead of previous recorded risk factors
Over-reliance on others to make further enquiries about statements of depression and self-harm
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
- Glen Parva Young Offender Institution
- Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
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Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Implement a robust clinical-information process with documented responsibilities, follow-up, escalation and senior risk-system scrutiny for obtaining prisoners’ clinical notes.
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Glen Parva Young Offender Institution
Implement the Safer Prisons recording procedure and train reception and healthcare staff to document risk information and decisions in O-Nomis and SystmOne.
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Glen Parva Young Offender Institution
Remind staff to open an ACCT whenever information indicates suicide or self-harm risk, even when the prisoner does not appear at risk.
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Glen Parva Young Offender Institution
Remind case managers to consider comprehensive dynamic and static risk information during individual case reviews.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Data last updated 7 September 2026