Recurring concern
Failure to communicate clinically important information reliably between care services
First reported 27 Sep 2013•Latest report 10 Jun 2026
What this concern includes
Includes failures of the cross-service clinical information communication process, including stale or unsupported guidance for emergency clinicians, omitted care decisions, inaccurate handovers and information not reaching involved services.
Not included
- Excludes failures confined to a single clinician's knowledge or competence where no cross-service information communication issue is identified.
- Excludes generic training, staffing, documentation or information-system deficiencies that are not specifically tied to communicating clinically important information between care services.
- Excludes delays or failures in treatment, referral or emergency access where the material communication failure is not part of the concern.
- Reports
- 144
- Individual concerns
- 157
- Date range
- 2013–2026
- Stated actions
- 271
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 to verify treatment information with external mental health service providers
This report raised 2 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
Distribute guidance to City and Hackney clinical staff on contacting external mental health providers.
Stated by East London NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised2
Failure to routinely share clinical assessment records with receiving community mental health services outside the county
Failure to provide timely access to patient information held by mental health services in other counties
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.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to email endoscopy discharge summaries to GP practices
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.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to communicate hospital advice, medication changes and increased INR levels to the GP in time
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.5
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Action
Send electronic inpatient discharge letters to the appropriate GP practice within 24 hours of discharge.
Stated by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust -
Action
Issue and recirculate standards for communicating test results between secondary and primary care.
Stated by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust -
Action
Circulate an organisation-wide patient safety bulletin on antibiotic-related anticoagulation interactions and timely communication.
Stated by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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Action
Write to the lead clinicians of all three Accident and Emergency departments about the concerns and required timely communication.
Stated by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust -
Action
Develop electronic Accident and Emergency documentation enabling direct electronic transmission of clinical information to patients’ GPs.
Stated by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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
Electronic A&E-to-GP communication cannot yet be implemented because competing Trust-wide electronic systems and IT upgrades constrain progress.
Stated by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure of mental health and substance misuse services to share patient information
This report raised 8 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.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to provide the GP with contemporaneous notification of discharge and the assessment leading to discharge
This report raised 2 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.
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Concerns raised1
Inadequate communication and liaison between hospital and community care providers after discharge
This report raised 2 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.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to communicate relevant clinical information between hospitals
This report raised 2 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.4
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Action
Conduct meetings between QEHB and RHH clinical staff to identify communication and referral-system improvements.
Stated by the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Develop and agree a detailed cross-Trust action plan addressing identified communication, referral and emergency-management concerns.
Stated by the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Deliver the agreed cross-Trust action plan to address identified safety concerns.
Stated by the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Conduct cross-hospital meetings to identify communication and patient-management improvements following the clinical incident.
Stated by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Absence of a robust system for conveying summary medical information to receiving A&E departments during acute illness transfers
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
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Action
Implement a jointly authored procedure defining custodial and healthcare responsibilities for conveying summary medical information to receiving A&E departments.
Stated by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Undertake a compliance review of the information-transfer procedure to confirm full implementation of the system.
Stated by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Share the information-transfer procedure at the Offender Health Learning the Lessons Forum to support adoption by other establishments.
Stated by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to communicate relevant dementia information to transport and support services
This report raised 2 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.
Data last updated 7 September 2026