Occupations and Terms of Reference › Incident reporting coordinator
Universal terms of reference · POS-036 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Incident reporting coordinator
To keep the incident reporting system working, so that every incident is logged, routed and tracked to closure.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You keep the incident reporting system working. You check new reports, route them to the right person, track actions, and produce simple data for managers.
Reports to: Patient safety officer.
Leads or supervises: No direct reports.
What you do on a typical day
- Check new incident reports daily.
- Route reports to the right reviewer.
- Track open actions and reminders.
- Produce monthly incident data.
- Support staff who need help reporting.
Working conditions and demands
- High volume and time pressure.
- Handles confidential information.
- Must be accurate with data entry.
What good looks like
- Every report is logged and routed on the day.
- Open actions are tracked.
- Data is accurate.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Every decision that affects patient safety is made on evidence and recorded.
- Quality means the patient's experience as well as the clinical result; both are measured.
- Problems are reported early and without blame, and learned from.
- Standards are followed the same way on every shift and at every site.
- Every staff member can raise a concern without fear of reprisal.
- Improvement work is planned, measured and kept going until it is embedded.
- Data is used to improve care, and is protected while it is used.
- Where a standard cannot be met, the gap is recorded and escalated the same day.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-036 |
| ISCO-08 | 4132 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Quality and safety |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-026. Supervises: .
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Patient safety officer | Incident review and learning. |
| Quality manager | Reporting data and trends. |
| Information technology manager | Reporting system. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logging | Logs and routes incident reports on the day. | Reports logged same day | Daily | C-01 | T-05 | POL-INC | 2 |
| Action tracking | Tracks open incident actions and sends reminders. | Overdue actions reported weekly | Weekly | C-01 | T-05 | POL-INC | 2 |
| Data | Produces accurate monthly incident data. | Monthly data issued on time | Monthly | C-02 | T-04 | POL-DATA | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Routing of routine reports within the procedure | Reports that describe serious harm (patient safety officer) |
| Routine routing of incident reports | Reports showing possible serious harm (patient safety officer) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Health records, administration or data entry qualification | No | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Incident reporting system training | No | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Administrative or data work in a health setting | 2 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | C-02 |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | C-01 |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Incident reporting system use | Logs reports correctly | Routes reports correctly | Designs reporting workflows | System audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-02 | Data accuracy and simple analysis | Enters data accurately | Produces monthly data | Designs reporting data standards | Data audit | Every 12 months | T-04 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Reports logged same day | 100% | incident register | Daily |
| PI-02 | Overdue actions reported | 100% | action tracker | Weekly |
| PI-03 | Monthly data issued on time | 100% | data report | Monthly |
| PI-04 | Data accuracy spot checks | 98% or more | data audit | Quarterly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Incident reporting coordinator | 2 years (recommended) | Q-01 | C-01 practitioner, C-02 foundation | T-05 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |