Board apologies
Paterson Inquiry · Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Issues raised by Paterson · Issued 4 February 2020 · Addressed to: Department of Health and Social Care
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
We recommend that when things go wrong, boards should apologise at the earliest stage of investigation and not hold back from doing so for fear of the consequences in relation to their liability.
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 December 2022 implementation update stated that NHS Resolution had produced a duty of candour animation explaining apology requirements and enhanced training and resources for clinicians on meaningful apologies (Paterson Inquiry Implementation Update, DHSC, December 2022).
Response — verbatim from government
●Department of Health and Social Care
Accepted. Duty of Candour regulations require healthcare providers to be open when things go wrong. NHS Resolution promotes early apology and has clarified that sincere apologies do not constitute admission of liability. Professional Standards Authority guidance supports early acknowledgment of harm. Training on candour being embedded across NHS and independent sector. (Source: Government Response, December 2021)
Department of Health and Social Care · 16 Dec 2021
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
No published activity has been recorded against this recommendation yet.
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.