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Thank you for taking on the role of Liaison Officer on behalf of your organisation. As a Liaison Officer your role is vital in protecting public health and ensuring that MHRA Medical Device Alerts are promptly disseminated to the appropriate people in your organisation.
Latest news
New leaflet: 'Adverse incidents with medical devices - report to us'
We have a new leaflet aimed at healthcare professionals to encourage the reporting of adverse incidents involving medical devices. You may wish to circulate it within your organisation.
Annual Report on Devices Adverse Incidents
Our regular overview of medical device related adverse incidents reported to the MHRA during the preceding calendar year. It records recent developments in incident reporting and highlights the more significant actions that we have taken during the year.
New MHRA adverse incident handling strategy
Following a review of our adverse incident report handling strategy, all reports are now subject to a new risk assessment and triage system conducted by our medical device specialists and clinical advisers. This is supported by an expanded and developed system for identifying, analysing and acting upon emerging incident patterns and trends.
These changes enable us to focus our specialist resources directly upon those issues which present the greatest risk to patient safety, and where our active intervention will make a positive difference to the resolution of the problem.
A letter
(110Kb) providing full details of these changes and the new investigation categories was emailed to MDLOs earlier this year.Future publications
From 2012, our two annual publications, 'Reporting adverse incidents and disseminating medical device alerts' and the yearly 'Report on Devices Adverse Incidents', will be produced as a single document to be published in March.
This will remove the current duplication of content between the two existing publications, and ensure, for medical device liaison officers in particular, that all key information is located in a single reference document.
Role of the medical device liaison officer (MDLO) in NHS trusts and primary care trusts
The primary role of the medical device liaison officer is to encourage the effective reporting of adverse incidents. In many organisations the MDLO and the CAS contact is the same person carrying out all functions of reporting adverse incidents, disseminating medical device alerts and providing feedback. In organisations where these posts are separate, both contacts work closely together.
A range of publications that may help liaison officers in fulfilling their role is also available:
Liaison officer helpful publications
Alternatively you may contact us by email dts@mhra.gsi.gov.uk or telephone 020 3080 7032.
Role of medical device liaison officers in social services departments
MDLOs in social services departments encourage the effective reporting of adverse incidents and disseminate MDAs to all relevant staff that fall within their area of responsibility.
If you need to inform the MHRA about a change of MDLO, please email dts@mhra.gsi.gov.uk with the name, title, organisation, address, telephone number, fax number and email address of the new MDLO.
Liaison Officer Focus Group
Did you know that we have a Liaison Officer Focus Group?
The Focus Group comprises liaison officers drawn from NHS trusts, primary care trusts and social services departments. We currently have representatives from each sector that come together at least annually to share experiences and discuss best practice. The group provides a forum for liaison officers to share problems, exchange ideas and comment on MHRA issues and training for liaison officers.
Members of the group contribute to the guidance for liaison officers that is given in the first Medical Device Alert of each calendar year 'Reporting Adverse Incidents and Disseminating Medical Device Alerts'.
The Liaison Officer Focus Group gives MHRA the chance to support and encourage medical device liaison officers in their role.
If you would like to be considered as a member of the Focus Group or would like to receive any further information please send us an email to
kayleigh.purdon@mhra.gsi.gov.uk or call 020 3080 7032.
