Providing a 'safe space' in healthcare safety investigations
Seeks views on creating a balanced 'safe space' to allow NHS staff to speak up about incidents without the fear of being punished.
The proposal outlined in this consultation will legally ensure that information that staff provide as part of a health service investigation will be kept confidential except where there is an immediate risk to patient safety, or where the High Court makes an order permitting disclosure. This broadly mirrors the procedures followed in air accidents investigations.
The aim to create a balanced safe space and to make sure the proposal reassures staff that the information they provide will not be passed on; and also reassures patients and families that they will be given the full facts of their, or their loved ones’, care.