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.


Through our education programme we help embed professional safety investigation expertise in healthcare organisations.


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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Join us at a Board meeting near you

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body Board sets our strategic direction, ensures that performance is managed effectively and that we meet our legal duties.

Our Board is committed to accessibility, openness and transparency. We hold our meetings at host organisations across England and encourage our healthcare sector colleagues and the public to attend, observe and ask questions.

Upcoming meetings will be held in Derby, Bristol, Shefford and Yeovil.

Register to attend a Board meeting
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Education

We offer an education programme to the NHS in England delivered by professional healthcare safety investigation experts.


Our courses are aimed at NHS staff in health and social care settings in England, who are involved in safety investigations for learning. We offer a range of courses and standalone sessions to support development and help embed professional safety investigations across the NHS.


Courses run online and are free of charge to attend for NHS staff in England.

Enrol on a course

Latest investigation reports

An older male patient talks to a GP, sat either side of a desk in a consulting room.

Continuity of care: delayed diagnosis in GP practices

Making continuity of care an essential requirement for GP practices could reduce the risk of a delay in diagnosing serious health conditions, and ease significant pressure on GP’s workload and welfare.

Read the continuity of care report
A nurse speaks to a cancer patient.

Risks to medication delivery using ambulatory infusion pumps

Ambulatory infusion pumps are small, battery powered devices that allow patients to carry out day-to-day activities while receiving medication. Despite having warning alarms to notify when medication is not delivered as it should be, there is a risk that alarms can go unnoticed.

Read the infusion pumps report
A nurse helps an older male patient to stand up from his hospital bed.

Caring for adults with learning disabilities in acute hospitals

In the UK it's estimated that over 900,000 adults have a learning disability. Despite national efforts to address inequity, the health and care system does not always meet the needs of people with a learning disability when they are cared for in hospital.

Read the learning disability report

News, events and blogs

An older male patient talks to a GP, sat either side of a desk in a consulting room.

Change needed in how GP continuity of care is prioritised at a national level

Making continuity of care an ‘essential requirement’ for GP practices could reduce the risk of a delay in diagnosing serious health conditions, and ease significant pressure on GP’s workload and welf…
Read the full article
A nurse speaks to a cancer patient.

Investigation explores risk of patients not receiving crucial medication through a portable medical device

Alarms on a portable medical device may not notify staff that medication is not being delivered as it should, creating a ‘hazardous situation’ and increasing the risk of harm to patients.
Read the full article
A nurse helps an older male patient to stand up from his hospital bed.

New report shows needs of learning disability patients ‘not consistently met’ when they are in hospital

Despite national efforts to address inequity, the health and care system is not always meeting the needs of people with a learning disability when they are cared for in hospital, says our latest repo…
Read the full article