Safeguarding

140 ANNEX F Recommendations of the Kerr/Haslam Inquiry
No*
Page
no
Inquiry recommendation
Government response
Para
Comment
71 35 In relation to private inquiries for
witnesses who make statements, and/
or who give oral evidence, legal
safeguards should be introduced to
grant them immunity from action in
relation to their evidence (whether fact
or opinion), in the absence of malice.
72 35 If not already appointed, a
multidisciplinary committee should be
established to collate, consider and
report on the recommendations made
in this Report, in the Shipman Report,
the Neale Report, the Ayling Report,
and the Peter Green Report, insofar as
those reports, and the
recommendations made in them relate
to the common theme of handling
concerns and complaints, and to
patient protection.
73 36 All Strategic Health Authorities should
set up a manned telephone Helpline
(perhaps called a ‘PatientLine’), where
anonymised (or identified) concerns
could be received and processed. Any
information received through the
Helpline should be logged and
received in confidence (unless there is
express identification of the caller),
and if there is sufficient information
disclosed, should be discussed with
the relevant NHS Trust or PCT.
Consideration should be given as to
how this information could best be
collated either regionally or nationally.
Accepted and implemented as
section 37 of the Inquiries Act
2005.
9.13 Accepted. We will establish a
multi-disciplinary national
advisory group, with
representation from all key
stakeholders, to advise the
Department on the
implementation of the action
programme set out in this
response and in Trust, assurance
and safety.
5.32,5.35 The Government believes that
staff with concerns over patient
safety issues should be invited in
the first instance to share their
concerns in confidence with local
management. We recognise
however that there are situations
(not just in primary care) in which
staff feel unable to raise their
concerns with the organisation in
which they work. In these
circumstances, the PCT or SHA
may have a role to play; we will
explore this in more detail with
stakeholders.