Workforce and patient safety: electronic communications on patient discharge from acute hospitals
Patients come to harm due to failures in the way critical clinical information is electronically communicated when they are discharged from hospital.
Health Services Safety Investigations Body
We investigate patient safety concerns across England to improve NHS care at a national level.
Latest investigation reports
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Read the sepsis reports
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Read the mental health report
Read the patient discharge report
Sepsis: investigating under the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF)
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Despite extensive national work and awareness campaigns, the recognition of sepsis remains an urgent and persistent safety risk.
Mental health inpatient settings: overarching report of investigations directed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This report brings together common themes from our series of mental health investigations, plus new findings. Recommendations to improve inpatient services are too often not implemented, which leads to missed opportunities to learn, improve and prevent harm to patients and NHS staff.
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.
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.
Education
Our 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. Courses are also available to fee paying learners 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.
News, events and blogs
Investigation finds patients suffer harm as electronic communications fail to support their safe discharge from hospital
Patients are coming to harm due to failures in the way critical clinical information is electronically communicated when they are discharged from hospital.
Read the full article
10 year plan recognises importance of HSSIB for the future of patient safety
We welcome the publication today of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan. It recognises the importance of our work and gives us clear direction for the future. We will continue to address systemic patient saf…
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HSSIB’s work to address patient safety concerns continues as usual
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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