Final Report > Chapter 23: Respect and Honesty > Messages from Bristol

Messages from Bristol

• The service in Bristol was based on a paternalistic approach to families and to the care and support they needed.
• The culture in Bristol was not one which encouraged openness and honesty in the exchange of information between and amongst healthcare professionals and between them and families.
• Support and counselling particularly at the time of bereavement did not have a sufficiently high priority.
• Communication was too often left by senior clinicians to nurses or junior doctors because it was time consuming and could be emotionally taxing.