Building investigation excellence

We have launched a new strategy to help meet the demands of a changing patient safety landscape.

New strategy

‘Building investigation excellence: our strategy for strengthening the capability of healthcare investigations’ will be instrumental in supporting investigators across the NHS in England to carry out high-quality investigations that drive real improvements in patient safety.

Through a targeted approach, the strategy focuses on:

• strengthening capability in investigation skills
• increasing accessibility to investigation resources
• improving the professional connections between investigators
• working in collaboration with the national health system to align priorities and reduce duplication.

The strategy builds on the strong track record of our current education programme. Since 2023, more than 40,000 people have undertaken our courses, demonstrating the need for this expertise amongst healthcare professionals.

Development

Work on the strategy started in late 2025, against the backdrop of significant healthcare announcements. These include the restructuring of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and the Review of the Patient Safety Landscape which set out HSSIB’s role as a 'centre of excellence' for healthcare safety investigations.

Over 250 healthcare staff and representatives from national organisations shared their views and insights with us via workshops, surveys and interviews, which helped to shape the development of the strategy.

The strategy was approved at our Board meeting in February 2026.

Implementation

The strategy sets out a phased implementation approach, with the next step focused on developing the operating model. We will provide further updates as implementation progresses.

Tell us what you think

We welcome ongoing feedback from our healthcare colleagues. Please email education@hssib.org.uk.