Purpose:
This session gives participants the skills and knowledge to provide effective oversight of PSIRF and create the conditions in which learning can flourish. It draws on governance expertise to help leaders understand what matters most, how to assure that responses are proportionate, and how to support teams to translate learning into meaningful improvement. The session focuses on practical decision-making, oversight behaviours, and the challenges leaders face when incidents, complaints, and expectations compete for attention.
Why this course matters to organisations
Effective oversight is a core requirement of PSIRF implementation. Leaders need confidence to commission the right type of response, ensure that learning methods are applied well, and provide assurance that actions are proportionate, fair, and focused on system improvement. This course supports stronger governance, better quality assurance of incident response, improved alignment between PSIRF practice and organisational priorities, and healthier learning culture across teams.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
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Explain the purpose of PSIRF and the role of key documents in providing organisational clarity and consistency
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Commission and oversee proportionate incident responses, including PSII, with clearer scope and expectations
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Apply just culture and restorative principles to leader decision-making and oversight conversations
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Strengthen compassionate communication with those affected, including staff support considerations
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Identify common barriers that reduce investigation and learning quality and take practical steps to remove them
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Ask better oversight questions and use simple quality indicators to assure learning and action follow-through
Format and duration
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Duration: Half-day (3 hours) or full-day (6 hours), depending on depth and local needs
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Delivery: Face-to-face or live online, using case examples, facilitated discussion, and governance scenarios
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CPD: Equivalent to 3 or 6 CPD points (dependent on duration)
Tailoring and follow-up
The session can be tailored to the organisation’s PSIRF Incident Response Plan (PSIRP), governance committees, and current challenges (for example, investigation backlogs, response quality variation, or recurring themes). Optional follow-up can include an oversight clinic for leaders, review of commissioning documentation, or a focused session on strengthening quality assurance and action tracking. Participants receive a certificate of completion and are offered a 30-minute post-session support call.
Intended audience
Designed for leaders and senior roles with responsibility for patient safety governance and oversight, including executive and non-executive directors, divisional directors, heads of patient safety, clinical governance leads, risk and quality leads, medical and nursing leaders, and operational managers who commission, review, or assure PSIRF incident responses.
Topics covered
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Introduction to PSIRF and key documents (PSIRP, PSII standards) and how they relate to the organisation
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How to oversee and manage incident responses: proportionate decision-making, governance routes, and quality assurance
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Just culture and restorative practice: leader behaviours, fairness, and psychological safety
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Communication with those affected: patients, families, carers, and other staff (including second victims)
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Commissioning PSII and planning responses: scoping questions, terms of reference, and selecting the right method
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Barriers and challenges to investigations and learning: common failure modes and how leaders can address them
PSIRF Oversight Training (Leadership)
Specialist oversight training for leaders responsible for PSIRF governance, commissioning incident responses, and enabling learning-focused practice.