Recurring concern
Unreliable documentation of safety risk assessments
First reported 14 Jul 2014•Latest report 12 Jan 2026
What this concern includes
Includes failures to document formal, informal or clinically judged safety risk assessments, risk discussions, risk formulations, assessor identities and material assessment details in the records used for ongoing care, custody, safeguarding or safety review. Includes the anchor assertion, post-triage risk assessments, mental-health risk-assessment details and comparable police or prison risk-assessment records.
Not included
- Excludes failures to perform or clinically formulate a risk assessment where documentation is not itself deficient.
- Excludes generic clinical, care or administrative record-keeping failures that do not specifically concern documentation of a safety risk assessment.
- Excludes failure to communicate or act on a risk assessment after it has been accurately documented, unless the documentation process is also deficient.
- Excludes hazard-specific or named risk systems, such as mental-health, falls, suicide, prisoner or safeguarding risk-assessment systems, when the assertion is confined to a distinct system with a more specific supported parent.
- Reports
- 27
- Individual concerns
- 27
- Date range
- 2014–2026
- Stated actions
- 47
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 update and document risk assessments
This report raised 13 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.7
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Action
Establish and staff a dedicated Early Days in Custody Nurse role to oversee reception screening, risk assessment, information sharing, escalation, supervision, and quality assurance.
Stated by HCRG Care Group -
Action
Provide structured reception-nurse supervision, coaching, documentation audits, case-based feedback, and governance reporting to improve recording and escalation of mental-health risks.
Stated by HCRG Care Group -
Action
Deliver targeted mental-health awareness training and support reception nurses to identify suicide, self-harm, acute distress, and appropriate ACCT observation levels.
Stated by HCRG Care Group
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Action
Standardise sample-based community mental health caseload audits across localities.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Review existing EPR capability for consolidated personalised-care and safety-planning records and update standard operating procedures.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Monitor clinical-documentation timeliness and quality through supervision, monthly performance reporting, and targeted follow-up.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Reissue mandatory escalation guidance and introduce MDT agendas and case-presentation templates for changing risk or uncertainty.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to document risk assessments
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.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to appropriately update and document risk assessments
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.
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
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Action
Implement the unified NOVA electronic patient record to integrate systems and carry forward risk information.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Provide ward-wide digital clinical dashboards displaying quality, performance and risk-assessment information.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to properly record risk assessment details
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.6
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Action
Attend supervision training to refresh risk-assessment and documentation skills.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Extend supervision training to all South Oxfordshire teams.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Discuss risk assessment and documentation during CPA discharge discussions.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Complete spot checks of clinical notes focused on the reported recording concerns.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Use a clinical audit tool to assess records against risk-assessment and risk-management documentation standards.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Ask the CRAM policy owner to consider whether an earlier policy review is required.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to record transport risk formulations
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
Review and revise Psychiatric Decisions Unit handover standards to require urgent information to be documented and communicated before transport, discharge and other significant decisions.
Stated by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to clearly date and signpost revisions within compound risk assessments
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 record risk assessment completion and outcomes
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.
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
Revise line-management supervision forms to cover record-keeping quality, responsibilities, policy, values and professional accountability.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Remind Crisis Response and Home Treatment Service staff in team meetings about documentation and record-keeping requirements.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Audit Home Treatment Team assessments regularly and share findings with the team to improve assessment documentation.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Randomly audit patient records monthly for discrepancies in RAG-rated risk assessments and take action where discrepancies are found.
Stated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to clearly document risk discussions and assessments
This report raised 6 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
Train clinicians to document medication and medical-review discussions, decisions, participants, timings and outcomes.
Stated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Implement and monitor an improvement plan addressing clinical-care, risk-assessment, documentation and reflective-practice gaps.
Stated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Introduce a single crisis-assessment form capturing the person’s journey and prior assessment information in the clinical record.
Stated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Review the Trust electronic-record risk-assessment template to support improved risk assessment, formulation, communication and recording.
Stated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to complete or update risk assessments adequately
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
Provide protected dedicated staff time to update risk assessment documentation.
Stated by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Operate a project group reviewing the risk assessment process, outpatient clinics and documentation for care support patients.
Stated by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Complete the review of the risk management policy.
Stated by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Ratify the revised risk management policy.
Stated by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Monitor risk-assessment completion through monthly local clinical governance committees and the trust-wide performance delivery group.
Stated by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation 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
The Trust disputes that failing to update risk assessment information already recorded would create a risk of death or meet the PFD threshold.
Stated by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to clearly record and make relevant previous incidents known to those responsible for care
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.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Data last updated 7 September 2026