The Health Service Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB)
The Health Service Safety Investigation Body (otherwise Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch) was created in 2015 and has been operating since April 1st 2017, investigating safety incidents within the NHS in England since April 2017.
In the Queen's Speech, June 2017, the government proposed, via the Draft Patient Safety Bill, to give statutory powers to the organisation to investigate safety incidents within the NHS in England and to provide support to NHS organisations undertaking investigations.
The HSSIB is apparently independent of the Department of Health, the NHS and the Care Quality Commission.
The Purpose of the Bill
The stated aim of the government in providing statutory powers to the organisation is to achieve the following:
- Improve how the NHS investigates and learns from its mistakes
- Encourage staff to share information freely with the organisation
- To improve patient safety within the NHS and instil greater public confidence in the provision of healthcare services in England, by ensuring serious incidents are investigated by an independent body
- To embed a culture of learning and safety improvement across the NHS
How the HSSIB works
According to their website, the HSSIB aims to investigate 30 incidents per year in order to provide safety recommendations, raise standards and support learning across the healthcare system.
Their process is to undertake impartial investigation, engaging with staff, patients and associated parties in order to help patients understand safety incidents and improve standards through the production of reports.
According to the NHS Confederation, the provision of statutory powers to the organisation should enable them to access evidence and require NHS organisations to respond to their recommendations.
Investigations and Recommendations
An example of the type of incident investigated is quoted by the HSSIB where a patient suffered a cardiac arrest during a diverted ambulance hospital transfer and was dead by the time the ambulance arrived at its final destination.
The investigation considered the following questions:
- What impact does the safety issue have on people and services across the healthcare system?
- How widespread and common is the safety issue?
- What is the potential for an investigation to bring about positive change and improve patient safety?
NHS Staff Input
One provision of the draft bill is to create a 'prohibition on the disclosure of information held in connection with an investigation conducted by the Health Service Safety Investigation Body.'
The intention of this provision is to encourage staff to share information freely but would not apply where patient safety is at risk or where criminal activity has taken place.
Responses to the Bill
Both the General Medical Council and the National Midwifery Council have welcomed the announcement by the government and stated their commitment to working with the HSSIB.
Questions have been raised, however, as to the impact of the 'prohibition on the disclosure of information' clause on a legal investigation into any safety incident with a view to compensating the victim. Would access to necessary and relevant information be restricted due to the prior claims of the HSSIB investigation?
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