Patient safety continues to be one of the most important priorities for general practice, and a new national programme offers practices the opportunity to strengthen their approach while helping shape the future of patient safety across primary care.
Registrations are now open for the General Practice Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) Programme, running from July 2026 to March 2027.
Delivered by the Health Innovation Network South London, the programme is open to GP practices, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), Federations and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) across England.
What is PSIRF?
The Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) represents a significant shift in how healthcare organisations respond to patient safety incidents. Rather than focusing solely on investigation and compliance, PSIRF encourages organisations to develop a deeper understanding of why incidents occur, identify learning opportunities, and create meaningful improvements that enhance patient care.
While PSIRF has already been introduced across other parts of the NHS, this programme provides general practice with the opportunity to explore how the framework can be applied effectively within primary care settings.
Why Should Practices Consider Taking Part?
For many practices, the programme offers more than simply preparing for a potential future requirement.
It provides an opportunity to:
- Strengthen patient safety systems and processes
- Improve learning from incidents and near misses
- Build a proactive safety culture across the practice team
- Share experiences with other organisations across England
- Influence how PSIRF is implemented within general practice nationally
- Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement and patient safety
The programme builds on work already undertaken by general practice colleagues and is designed to support organisations at different stages of their patient safety journey.
Getting Ahead of the Curve
At Harmony CQC and EPC, we often talk about the value of being proactive rather than reactive.
When it comes to patient safety, taking early action is always beneficial for both patients and practice teams. Programmes such as this allow practices to stay ahead of emerging developments, strengthen governance arrangements, and embed good practice before it becomes an expectation.
Importantly, practices that can demonstrate they are actively engaging with patient safety improvement, learning from incidents, and implementing robust systems are often better placed when discussing quality and governance during CQC assessments.
While participation alone is not what determines inspection outcomes, demonstrating that your practice consistently goes beyond minimum requirements and actively seeks opportunities to improve can contribute to a strong Good rating and may help support the characteristics associated with Outstanding services.
How to Register
The programme runs from July 2026 to March 2027, and registrations are now open.
Practices, PCNs, Federations and ICBs interested in taking part should register by 7 July 2026 to secure their place.
As patient safety continues to evolve across the NHS, initiatives like this offer a valuable opportunity for primary care organisations to learn, influence future developments, and strengthen the quality of care they provide every day.