Briefing from HSSIB RHO Roundtable: Bias and Discrimination in Patient Safety Investigations

Patient safety investigations are a critical mechanism for learning from harm. However, evidence and lived experience show that racial bias and discrimination are routinely overlooked, leading to inequitable outcomes for racially minoritised patients, families, and the healthcare workforce. This summary draws on insights from a national roundtable convened by the NHS Race and Health Observatory (NHS RHO) and Health Services Safety Investigatory Body (HSSIB) in November 2025, involving people with lived experience, regulators, policymakers, clinicians, and system leaders.