Call for changes in Legal Duty of Candour from NHS
11th Sep 2016
Following the recent tragic accidents at the Mid Staffordshire NHS foundations, an independent enquiry led by Robert Francis QC has been launched. Evidence showed that many patients have their most basic elements of care neglected, level of hygiene was appalling and in many instances, families of the patients were forced to remove used bandages, dressings from public areas and clean toilets themselves for fear of catching infections.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt noted that it is inevitable to address this issue of transparency. He confirmed that the “NHS will have a legal duty to be honest about mistakes. It will be ‘critical’ to ensure that problems are identified quickly and dealt with promptly.”