This section looks at monitoring the system under consideration. This is important because an SSA is a continuous process which needs to adapt to the changing system to which it is applied. In particular, there may be significant changes in the system that impact the SSA or even trigger a new SSA. These may include new incidents, reduced confidence in service quality, the introduction of new services, technologies or staff and external directives. For example, if there is a significant adverse event it is important to consider whether it impacts the original SSA, informing the causes, likelihood and impact of the particular event and other similar events.
In addition, once an SSA has been started, it will need to adapt to any changes. For example, if the way things are done in the system changes, then it may be necessary to revisit the Describe system and Identify risk activities to ensure that the SSA reflects such changes.
It is particularly important to continue monitoring the system once the main SSA is completed and the actions are put into practice. An SSA is not a one-off process, rather a repeated cycle of assessment to determine whether the actions have been effective, and to keep the actions up-to-date with what is happening in the system. Further details are provided in the section on Implement actions.