The collection includes multi-agency Safeguarding Adult Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews and SIs which have occurred because of harm, regardless of the setting of the serious incident.

In broad terms, SIs are events in health care where the potential for learning is so great, or the consequences to patients, families and carers, staff or organisations are so significant, that they warrant using additional resources to mount a comprehensive response.

SIs can extend beyond situations which affect patients directly and include incidents which may indirectly impact patient safety or an organisation’s ability to deliver ongoing healthcare.

The data will be used to improve citizen safety by enabling NHS England to identify and report on the number of Serious Incidents that have occurred and to successfully deliver its safeguarding statutory duties, roles and responsibilities to all individuals working in providers of NHS funded care settings and NHS commissioning organisations. It will also be used by safeguarding leads to track the progress of local safeguarding cases, allowing the system to identify the number of cases open, themes of incidents and learning from any recommendations.