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News

HSSIB’s work to address patient safety concerns continues as usual

30 June 2025

Our work to address systemic patient safety concerns continues as usual, whilst we await the publication of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and the Dash review of patient safety organisations.
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News

Investigation reports highlight ongoing challenges in early diagnosis of sepsis

26 June 2025

Despite extensive national work and awareness campaigns, the recognition of sepsis remains an urgent and persistent safety risk, according to three reports published today.
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A brightly lit corridor on a hospital paediatric ward. The space is clear, clean and predominantly white, with a colourful mural running along one wall.
Blog

Designing paediatric wards to support mental health

20 May 2025

Saskia Fursland, Senior Safety Investigator, blogs about her visit to a newly opened paediatric ward where its design has carefully considered children and young people with mental health needs. Sask…
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Blog

Electronic patient record systems: recurring themes arising from safety investigations

19 December 2023

Senior Safety Investigator, Helen Jones, blogs about some of the key benefits and risks of electronic patient record (EPR) systems used in healthcare, sharing what we are learning from our safety inv…
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An older male patient talks to a GP, sat either side of a desk in a consulting room.
News

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

30 November 2023

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…
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News

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

14 November 2023

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.
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News

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

2 November 2023

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…
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Blog

The impact of menopause on mental health

30 October 2023

Amber Sargent and Helen Jones blog about the patient safety issues that arise when the impact of menopause on mental health is not considered during clinical assessments.
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News

Our response to the Care Quality Commission State of Care report 2022/23

20 October 2023

State of Care is the annual assessment of healthcare and social care in England by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
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News

HSSIB officially launches with aim to drive radical change in patient safety

18 October 2023

As our newly formed investigation body officially launched today, clear messages came from our leadership team that we will aim to drive ‘radical’ change in how patient safety is managed across healt…
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News

Report explores ‘proactive and integrated approach’ to managing safety in healthcare

18 October 2023

Today we publish our first report as the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, exploring the use of safety management systems and how they could contribute to more effective safety management i…
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News

Philippa Styles appointed as Director of Investigations

16 October 2023

Philippa Styles will join our team shortly as Director of Investigations. This is a critical role within the leadership team, overseeing all investigations undertaken by the Health Services Safety In…
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Blog

The importance of non-patient facing NHS services in patient safety

19 July 2023

Senior Safety Investigators Russell Evans and Craig Hadley highlight how behind-the-scenes services are crucial to help the NHS operate effectively and safely, in our latest blog.
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Blog

Helping NHS staff to do their jobs: design of information in the workplace

29 June 2023

Senior Safety Investigators Clare Crowley and Nick Woodier blog about the simple but often overlooked measures that NHS staff and organisations can take to improve the design and display of informati…
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Blog

The investigator's toolkit: Using Appreciative Inquiry in safety investigations

5 June 2023

In the first in a series of blogs looking at the range of investigation methods we use, Nichola Crust reflects on how Appreciative Inquiry can be used to examine patient safety and identify opportuni…
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Blog

Building an international network for patient safety investigation

4 May 2023

Our Chief Investigator, Rosie Benneyworth, writes about exciting developments in the world of international patient safety investigation.
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Blog

Failing to communicate: challenges with electronic communication systems

18 April 2023

Matt Mansbridge and Melanie Ottewill blog about the patient safety issues that arise when systems are unable to communicate with each other, as highlighted in three of our national investigations to …
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Events

The impact of staff fatigue on patient safety: how do we manage the risk

17 March 2023

We facilitated a half-day event on 17 March 2023 to ask how healthcare can understand and start to manage the risk of staff fatigue.
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Blog

Starting the conversation around NHS staff fatigue and patient safety

8 March 2023

Laura Pickup blogs about NHS staff fatigue in the run up to World Sleep Day and our fatigue event on 17 March 2023.
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A member of intensive care staff wearing a face mask stands in front of an artificial lung ventilation monitor.
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Blog

The importance of equipment design in patient safety

10 January 2023

Laura Pickup blogs about equipment design in healthcare and asks whether NHS staff should be held accountable for the use of devices and equipment leading to patient safety events.
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Blog

New opportunities for risk management

10 January 2023

Jonathan Back, Analyst, blogs about the opportunities the healthcare system has to adopt a proactive risk management approach to improve patient safety.
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Blog

The impact of reorganising NHS services on patient safety

5 January 2023

Scott Hislop, Deputy Director of Investigations, looks at the challenges faced by the NHS when flexing to meet demands and how to mitigate potential risks to patient safety.
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Blog

Supporting NHS staff involved in patient safety investigations

19 December 2022

In this blog, Matthew Wain highlights how NHS organisations can support staff with patient safety investigations, and more generally, in the face of increased pressure.
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Blog

Maintaining family involvement in the face of winter pressures

6 December 2022

Louise Pye highlights how the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework can help NHS trusts involve patients and families in the face of extreme winter pressures.
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Blog

Bill Kirkup speaks to HSIB staff about 'Reading the signals'

17 November 2022

Our Clinical Director of Maternity Investigations shares the details of a seminar delivered to HSIB staff by Dr Bill Kirkup CBE as part of our investigation education programme.
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Blog

PSIRF and the HSIB: supporting how the NHS responds to patient safety incidents

9 November 2022

In this blog Melanie Ottewill explains how our work is supporting the NHS to adopt a systems approach to local safety investigations through the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF).
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Blog

100 days at HSIB

9 November 2022

Dr Rosie Benneyworth reflects on her first 100 days leading HSIB as interim Chief Investigator.
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Medication stored in a weekly pill box.
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Blog

How patients’ voices can improve safety in the health service in relation to medicines and medical devices

8 November 2022

Following her seminar with HSIB staff last month, this guest blog post from Henrietta Hughes introduces her vision for her new role as Patient Safety Commissioner.
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Blog

Reviewing our new powers and how they will impact you

11 October 2022

The Health and Care Act 2022 will establish HSIB as the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) in April 2023 - a fully independent arm’s-length body. In addition to our statutory independ…
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Blog

PSIRF: a fundamental shift in how the NHS responds to patient safety incidents

27 September 2022

As part of our investigation education seminar series for our staff, NHS England’s Tracey Herlihey, Head of Patient Safety Incident Response Policy and Lauren Mosley, Head of Patient Safety Implement…
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Blog

Looking beyond the recommendation: building a holistic approach to safety improvement

8 September 2022

As part of our investigation education seminar series for our staff, healthcare improvement expert Professor Mary Dixon-Woods joined us for our August session. In this blog, Ian Lavery rounds-up her …
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Blog

How we’ve worked with NHS England and Learn Together to help give families a voice

26 August 2022

Coinciding with the publication of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) by NHS England, Louise Pye, Head of Family Engagement at HSIB, reflects on her involvement in producing the s…
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Blog

Integrating restorative justice into patient safety investigation

29 July 2022

As part of our investigation education lectures for HSIB staff, this month we welcomed Jo Wailling, Senior Research Fellow at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
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A Norwegian ambulance drives with it's blue lights flashing along a road in Oslo.
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Blog

Knowledge exchange with Norway

28 June 2022

In 2017 HSIB was the first organisation in the world set up to improve patient safety through independent investigations without blame.Now we’re not alone though, as Norway were hot on our heels with…
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An older man lies on a bed with his worried wife sitting with him, holding his hand.
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Blog

Zero avoidable deaths – an aspiration, not a target

8 June 2022

Melanie Ottewill, Senior Safety Investigator and Senior Investigation Science Educator, shares her thoughts on our internal seminar where our guest speaker was Jeremy Hunt MP.
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Blog

The challenges associated with joint surgical care of patients

28 January 2022

Nick Woodier, Senior Safety Investigator, reflects on the challenges associated with joint surgical care of patients and shares learning that can aid the NHS and the private sector as new national ag…
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Blog

Reflecting on our button battery investigation

16 December 2021

As Christmas approaches, Senior Safety Investigator Helen Jones reflects on our button battery investigation and updates on what happened after the high-profile report was published.
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