Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Paragraph: 29
Set up register of clinicians' interests swiftly after pilot conclusion to prevent delay
Recommendation
We were encouraged to hear that the Government is going ahead with pilots of a register of clinicians’ interests, but we are disappointed by the speed at which the Government is acting on this recommendation. We urge the Government to make the arrangements necessary to ensure the register can be set up swiftly, subject to the pilot phase concluding, to prevent further delay.
Government Response Summary
The government committed to beginning the implementation phase for a register of doctors' interests in England in April 2023, with CQC monitoring publications after an 18-month lead-in period. They also plan to progress at different paces with devolved governments and consider systems for other healthcare professionals later.
Paragraph Reference:
29
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
. We are currently piloting systems for doctors to declare their interests in NHS and independent settings across the UK, with the aim of achieving consistency in the information collected and made available to patients. Throughout the pilot, we have worked with healthcare providers across different healthcare settings, including primary and secondary care, to assess the feasibility and cost of establishing and maintaining systems for collecting and publishing this information. We have sought feedback from providers, doctors, and patients on the content of standardised templates and guidance, as well as the accessibility of information for patients. As the healthcare landscapes in the four nations differ significantly, the piloting phase has not progressed at the same pace across the UK. In response to the Committee’s comments, we have agreed with Devolved Government officials that rather than wait for all nations to be in a position to move into the implementation phase, we will progress at different paces. We expect the implementation phase to begin in England in April 2023. We will continue to work with the Devolved Governments to ensure consistency in approaches across the UK. There will be a lead-in time of approximately 18 months, before the CQC begin to monitor publications of interests on organisations’ websites in England. Once we have established a system in place for doctors, we will consider systems for other healthcare professionals.