Serious Untoward Incident. 1.1 Definition: A serious untoward incident (SUI) is an event or circumstance that could have resulted, or did result, in unnecessary damage, loss or harm such as physical or mental injury to a patient, staff, visitors or members of the public. An incident investigation is a process to determine the underlying reason for an incident and to identify actions to minimise the likelihood of the event recurring. A root cause analysis investigation should be undertaken. An SUI requiring investigation is defined as an incident that occurred in relation to services and care resulting in one of the following: • Unexpected or avoidable death of one or more patients, staff, visitors or members of the public. • Serious harm to one or more patients, staff, visitors or members of the public or where the outcome requires life-saving intervention, major surgical/medical intervention, permanent harm or will shorten life expectancy or result in prolonged pain or psychological harm (this includes Incidents graded under the NPSA definition of severe harm). • A scenario that prevents or threatens to prevent a provider organisation’s ability to continue to deliver healthcare services, for example, actual or potential loss of personal/organisational information, damage to property, reputation or the environment, or IT failure. • Allegations of abuse. • Adverse media coverage or public concern about the organisation or the wider NHS.
