The power of words: respond to improve

Asking frontline clinical staff what happens when they complete a patient safety incident1 report brings a range of interesting responses. Their main expectation will be that appropriate action is taken by their organisation, and while some will describe an impressive chain of events that clearly demonstrates good local governance processes, others will be less convinced that anything happens at all and will share their scepticism about what can possibly be achieved by allocating valuable time to undertake what they perceive to be a bureaucratic exercise. What is almost certain to be true is they will not appreciate how their reports support and influence the patient safety agenda at a national level.