Health Services Safety Investigations Body

We investigate patient safety concerns across England to improve NHS care at a national level.

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About us

We aim to be the global leader in professional, high quality healthcare safety investigations. We investigate patient safety concerns across England to improve NHS care at a national level. Our investigations do not find blame or liability with individuals or organisations. Information shared with us is confidential and protected by law.


We are a fully independent arm’s length body of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Find out more about us
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Investigations

We can investigate patient safety concerns that occur in England during the provision of healthcare services, and that have or may have implications for the safety of patients.

Our investigations can consider healthcare provided in the NHS and the independent sector. Where an investigation relates to an incident that did not occur in the NHS, we must consider whether NHS systems and practices could be improved because of our investigation.


We can also be directed to investigate a patient safety concern by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

More about our investigation process
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Education

HSSIB’s CPD accredited education programme is delivered by healthcare safety investigation experts.


We offer a range of courses to support development and help embed professional safety investigations across the NHS. For NHS staff in England, courses run online and are free of charge to attend.


Commercial courses are available to support those outside of the NHS in England.


Our flagship course – A systems approach to investigating and learning from patient safety incidents – launches new cohorts throughout the year. It's free of charge and open to all in healthcare, including those outside of the NHS.

Enrol on a course

Latest investigation reports

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Recommendations but no action: improving the effectiveness of quality and safety recommendations in healthcare

Published by HSSIB and arm's-length body members of the Recommendations to Impact Collaborative Group, this report looks at how the effectiveness of quality and safety recommendations in healthcare can be improved.

Read the recommendations report
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Creating conditions for learning from deaths and near misses in inpatient and community mental health services: Assessment of suicide risk and safety planning

The aim of this interim report is to highlight the importance of staff in mental health inpatient units and community mental health services, taking a person-centred approach to patient safety assessment and safety planning. Part of our Secretary of State directed mental health investigations.

Read the mental health interim report
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Workforce and patient safety: temporary staff – integration into healthcare providers

The NHS regularly uses temporary staff to fill gaps in its workforce. Integration is important because temporary staff may be unfamiliar with a provider's systems, which can pose a risk to patient safety. Discrimination can create a culture of fear that stops them speaking up.

Read the temporary staff report

News, events and blogs

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The investigator’s toolkit: FRAM

David Fassam, Senior Safety Investigator, continues our series of blogs that take a look at the methods we use in our patient safety investigations. Next up is the Functional Resonance Analysis Metho…
Read the full article
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Our response to the Lord Darzi Review

Following the publication of Lord Darzi’s Independent Investigation into the NHS in England, HSSIB’s Chief Executive, Dr Rosie Benneyworth says:
Read the full article
A female British Asian healthcare worker makes a hospital bed.

Discrimination stops temporary workers speaking up about safety concerns

Our latest investigation report reveals there is widespread discrimination against temporary staff in the NHS and this creates a culture of fear that stops them speaking up about patient safety.
Read the full article