Civil Liability (Amendment) Act 2017

Meaning of “patient safety incident”

8. In this Part, “patient safety incident”, in relation to the provision of a health service to a patient by a health services provider, means—

(a) an incident which has caused an unintended or unanticipated injury, or harm, to the patient and which occurred in the course of the provision of a health service to that patient,

(b) an incident—

(i) which has occurred in the course of the provision of a health service to the patient and did not result in actual injury or harm, and

(ii) in respect of which the health services provider has reasonable grounds to believe placed the patient at risk of unintended or unanticipated injury or harm,

or

(c) the prevention, whether by timely intervention or by chance, of an unintended or unanticipated injury, or harm, to the patient in the course of the provision, to him or her, of a health service, and in respect of which the health services provider has reasonable grounds for believing that, in the absence of such prevention, could have resulted in such injury, or harm, to the patient.