National patient recall framework
Paterson Inquiry · Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Issues raised by Paterson · Issued 4 February 2020 · Addressed to: NHS England
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
We recommend that a national framework or protocol, with guidance, is developed about how recall of patients should be managed and communicated, centred around the needs of the patients and applicable in both the independent sector and the NHS.
Paterson Inquiry, Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Issues raised by Paterson · 4 Feb 2020 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The CQC stated in April 2025 that it has incorporated the Recall Framework into its assessment process (Implementation update to Thirlwall Inquiry, DHSC/NHS England, April 2025).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response — verbatim from government
●NHS England
Accepted and implemented. NHS England published the National Quality Board Recall Framework on 1 June 2022, developed with input from Paterson patients. The framework establishes principles for patient-centred recall in secondary care across both NHS and independent sectors. (Source: Government 12-month Implementation Update, December 2022)
NHS England · 16 Dec 2021
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 1 Apr 2025 DHSC and NHS England implementation update provided to the Thirlwall Inquiry (April 2025). This is the government's own account of progress, submitted to the inquiry. Reviewed extent of implementation: Implemented – Closed. The National Quality Board (NQB) Recall Framework was published in 2022 to provide guidance on conducting a patient-centred recall process. CQC has incorporated the Recall Framework into its assessment process to ensure it is being used appropriately. Source →
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.