NHS IT, Records and Data

Trusts ‘cover up’ harm caused to patients

NHS trusts should be forced to tell patients when they have made errors and caused harm to them, ten patient groups urge.

The heads of the Patients Association, the Stroke Association, Asthma UK and Rethink Mental Illness wrote a letter to the Daily Telegraph calling for action, and an amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill to secure this.

Trusts are legally obliged to provide anonymised reports of these incidents, but are not required to tell patients or their close family members if they have made any errors that affect the patient.

Peter Walsh, of the charity Action Against Medical Accidents, one of the groups behind the letter, said: “The current situation means health organisations can effectively cover an incident up from a patient or family member, so long as it sends off an anonymised report.”

Three peers – Baroness Masham of Ilton, Baroness Tyler ofEnfieldand Lord Harris of Haringey – have tabled an amendment calling for trusts to release this information when they cause harm.

The amendment would make it necessary for healthcare organisations registered with the Care Quality Commission “to take all reasonable steps to ensure that a patient or, in the event of death or incapacity, their next of kin, are fully informed” of such safety incidents.

Health minister Simon Burns said: “The changes we have proposed would mean providers must be transparent in admitting mistakes, and this would be enforceable by commissioners.

“We have been consulting on our proposals to bring in the duty of candour, and will make further announcements in due course.”

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