Registers · Safety

Incident and accident register

An incident and accident register is the running record of everything that went wrong or nearly went wrong. On its own it proves little; its value is in what you did next. Inspectors look for three things: that incidents are recorded, that each one was followed up, and that you spot patterns across them.

MyCareCompliance brings practical CQC audits, evidence, workforce oversight and improvement actions into one platform for adult social care providers.

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Last reviewed: 30 September 2026. Independent guidance from AJG Advisory — not official CQC guidance. Always check the official sources listed below for current requirements.

Who it applies to

All CQC-registered adult social care providers. Some incidents must also be reported elsewhere — to CQC, the local authority safeguarding team, or HSE under RIDDOR.

What each entry should record

Type: incident, accident or near miss
Date, time, location and people involved
Category, such as falls, medication, pressure care or missed visit
Severity of harm
Immediate action taken to keep people safe
Whether a CQC notification, safeguarding referral or RIDDOR report is needed, and the date it was made
Whether duty of candour applies
Investigation findings, actions and who signed it off

Turning the register into learning

Review monthly by category, location, time of day and person
Look for repeats: the same person falling, or errors on the same shift
Link each serious incident to a review of the risk assessment or care plan
Share lessons with staff and record that you did

Common findings

Incidents recorded but not analysed
Notifiable incidents not sent to CQC
Near misses not recorded at all
No evidence the person or family was told what happened

Internal audit questions

1.Is every incident, accident and near miss recorded?
2.Was immediate action recorded for each?
3.Were notifiable incidents reported to CQC without delay?
4.Were safeguarding concerns referred to the local authority?
5.Is there a monthly trend review with actions?
6.Is duty of candour recorded where it applies?

Practical checklist

All entries reviewed and closed or in progress
External reports checked
Monthly trend analysis completed
Risk assessments updated after serious incidents
Lessons shared with staff

How MyCareCompliance can help

The incident register in MyCareCompliance records incidents, accidents and near misses with category, severity, safeguarding referral and notification flags. A trend view groups them by period and category, and the governance report includes the numbers each month.

Official sources

MyCareCompliance is founded by Jack Green, ACC Accredited Care Consultant, with over 10 years in adult social care and registered manager experience. Read Jack’s background.

See how the platform organises this work

Genuine product screenshots using demo data. Scores show internal assurance, not CQC ratings. Features vary by plan.

Compliance Centre showing overall score and domain ratings for a care service — Compliance Centre — one snapshot of where the service stands today.

Audit register listing scheduled and completed CQC audits with due dates — Audit programme — scheduled, completed and overdue audits in one register.

Improvement action plan with owners, priorities and due dates — Improvement plan — findings become actions with an owner and a deadline.

Workforce compliance records showing DBS, right to work and training expiry status — Workforce compliance — DBS, right to work, training and supervision expiry.

Need to manage this in your service?

Use MyCareCompliance to organise audits, actions, evidence and governance in one place. 7 days free, then from £24.99 per month for the whole organisation, inclusive of VAT. Features vary by plan.

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MyCareCompliance does not guarantee a CQC rating or inspection outcome.