A significant event may also be known as an untoward, critical or patient safety incident. It is any unintended or unexpected event, which could or did lead to harm to one or more patients. Each organisation should have its own local processes and agreed thresholds for recording these events. If you have been directly involved in any SUIs you must provide details based on data logged by you or your employer, or by a national incident reporting systems.
If you are self-employed or working outside the NHS in environments where there are no reporting systems, you are responsible for keeping your own records e.g. a brief description of the event, any potential or actual adverse outcomes and evidence of reflection. You should provide a summary of the event at your appraisal. If you have not been involved in any SUIs since your last appraisal, then you should provide a declaration to that effect. If you have learnt from an SUI in which you were not personally involved, you could provide a reflection on this as evidence for your appraisal. The physician specific guidance gives information on this.