A concise guide to recording and reporting patient safety incidents from pharmacy incident logs to the LFPSE system, plus templates and support contacts
The duty for community pharmacies to keep an incident log dates back to 2005, when contractors were first required to record and report patient safety events to the National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS). Since then the national reporting landscape has changed: in 2026 the Learn from patient safety events (LFPSE) service replaced the NRLS, and pharmacies should now use LFPSE as their primary reporting route.
The requirement to report remains part of the regulatory framework set out in the Approved Particulars, and forms a core element of the clinical governance obligations within the Terms of Service.
Practical reporting will usually begin at the pharmacy team level and ends with submission to the LFPSE service.
For clarity, by incident log we mean the local record that captures details of a safety event, its impact and any remedial actions. Where a team member decides to file a national report they must first register on the LFPSE website and associate themselves with their pharmacy using the registration tool.
Pharmacies are located in the system by choosing the Other organisations option and searching by the pharmacy name or ODS code.
Why consistent reporting matters
Accurate recording and submission of safety incidents supports learning at both local and national levels. The process allows trends to be identified, corrective actions to be shared and systemic risks to be reduced. Using the LFPSE as the single national repository ensures that data from many community pharmacies contributes to patient safety intelligence. The same reporting obligation is described in the Approved Particulars and reinforced through the clinical governance expectations in the Terms of Service, so contractors should treat reporting as a mandatory part of safe practice rather than optional paperwork.
How to report incidents to LFPSE
Registering and submitting directly
Team members who will submit reports via the LFPSE service must complete the registration process on the service website. During registration the reporter identifies the pharmacy by selecting Other organisations and searching by the pharmacy name or ODS code. Once registered, the user can complete the online fields required for the national record. The online submission should include a concise description of the event, any harm or risk, and any immediate remedial actions. Wherever possible, use the structured fields to help national analysts aggregate and interpret the data.
Reporting through head office, superintendent or trade bodies
Some pharmacies choose a centralised route: incident details are recorded locally and then passed to a head office, superintendent pharmacist or trade body. These organisations often use specialist software known as Local Risk Management Systems to collate incidents, perform initial analysis and then forward the required information to the national LFPSE service. This approach can support consistent quality of entries and ensure that corporate governance teams handle national submissions on behalf of multiple sites.
Templates, forms and supporting resources
To make reporting easier, a set of standard forms and templates is available for community pharmacies to adopt. There are dedicated forms for internal pharmacy errors and for incidents that originate outside the pharmacy (for example, prescribing errors). These include the Community Pharmacy Medication Safety Incident (Pharmacy Error) Report Form and the Community Pharmacy Medication Safety Incident (External Incident) Report Form, each provided in Word and PDF formats. Using these templates helps ensure the key facts are captured consistently before a national submission is made.
Additional resources support routine reporting and governance. The Community Pharmacy England patient safety alert information and the work of the Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group provide guidance and worked examples, including a practical document titled Completing the patient safety report which contains sample monthly and annual reporting templates. There are also specific actions listed for controlled drug events: report CD incidents to the relevant CDAO. Regulatory reminders such as the GPhC email about dispensing valproate remain important safety prompts.
Practical next steps and contact
Contractors should ensure their teams know how to keep the local incident log, who is authorised to register and submit reports to the LFPSE, and whether their organisation uses a centralised Local Risk Management System. Keep copies of the completed local forms to support internal review and governance, and refer to the templates for monthly and annual reporting where relevant. For further help or clarification, contact Community Pharmacy England’s regulations team at [email protected], which can provide guidance on forms, templates and registration queries.
