Final Report > Recommendations > Respect and honesty > Responding to the patient when things go wrong

Responding to the patient when things go wrong

33. A duty of candour, meaning a duty to tell a patient if adverse events [2] have occurred, must be recognised as owed by all those working in the NHS to patients.
34. When things go wrong, patients are entitled to receive an acknowledgement, an explanation and an apology.
35. There should be a clear system, in the form of a `one-stop shop' in every trust, for addressing the concerns of a patient about the care provided by, or the conduct of, a healthcare professional.
36. Complaints should be dealt with swiftly and thoroughly, keeping the patient (and carer) informed. There should be a strong independent element, not part of the trust's management or board, in any body considering serious complaints which require formal investigation. An independent advocacy service should be established to assist patients (and carers).
37. There should be an urgent review of the system for providing compensation to those who suffer harm arising out of medical care. The review should be concerned with the introduction of an administrative system for responding promptly to patients' needs in place of the current system of clinical negligence and should take account of other administrative systems for meeting the financial needs of the public. (See further the Recommendations on the safety of care.)

Footnotes

[2] An adverse event is an unplanned event which results in harm to a patient. We use the term `adverse event' rather than `sentinel event' in this instance so as to exclude `near misses'