Safe handover, documentation and follow-up

Escalation is only effective if the concern reaches the right person and the next step is clear. A brief verbal message can be missed during a busy clinic, at staff changeover or when a patient rings back.

Handover should be concise and specific so the next person understands what happened, why it matters and who will follow up.

A simple handover structure

• Who: patient name, date of birth or local identifier, and contact details if needed.
• What: the task, symptom, message, result, concern, fault or incident.
• When: time noticed, time reported and any time-critical deadline.
• Risk: why you are concerned or why the matter cannot wait.
• Action: what you have already done and who you have told.
• Next owner: who has accepted responsibility for the next step.

What to document

Record delegated tasks in line with local policy. Include who performed the task, what was done, whether the patient had difficulty, any unexpected equipment behaviour, what was passed to the registrant and what advice was given.

For urgent messages, note the patient's exact words when they are relevant. Avoid vague entries such as "eye problem" or "wants call back". If the handover is verbal, also update the record or task system to show who now owns the next step.

Handover is not complete until the right person has the right facts and owns the next step.