NHS Risk Management Essay

Risk management is a rapidly developing areas within many organization, whatever their nature be it public, private, or voluntary. Risk management can be defined as: “the identification, assessment, and prioritization or risks” (ISO31000, 2009) . By utilizing these various techniques, organizations can contain various risks which otherwise could result in the potential of loss or harm to the organization or members of society. In the United Kingdom, millions of people depend on the effective functioning of the National Health Service (NHS), as various procedures are carried out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Due to the robust nature of the NHS it is vitally important that risks are carefully managed to prevent harm to those using its services. Throughout this report we will produce a risk register for a typical …show more content…
“An uncertain event that, should it occur, will have an effect on the achievement of objectives” (PRINCE2) . It is vital that if organizational objectives are to be met successfully, risks need to be identified, assessed and controlled as quickly and efficiently as possible. In order for this to be achieved risks are often logged in a document called a risk register. A typical risk register is divided into three main sections: Identification, risk assessment and risk mitigation and control. Before we actually create our NHS risk register it is important to cover the three main aspects in detail so that we aid our understanding of the risk register. Risk identification, is all about identifying the context in which potential risks may arise. This helps organizations like the NHS understand the types of actions that may be necessary to mitigate risks and help identify clearly organizational objectives. Once the identification process has been carried out, it is vitally important to assess the likelihood and impact that risks