IMO recommendation on triage tool
Cranston Inquiry · The Cranston Inquiry Report · Issued 5 February 2026 · Addressed to: Department for Transport
Government responseDepartment for Transport: Accepted (Jul 2026)
DeliveryCabinet Office says completed (Oct 2026)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Department for Transport must consider recommending to the International Maritime Organization that it consider incorporating an in-water mass casualty triage tool within its policies and procedures.
Cranston Inquiry, The Cranston Inquiry Report · 5 Feb 2026 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
The Inquiry asked the Department for Transport to recommend an international in-water triage tool. In October 2026, the Cabinet Office noted that the department had published updates against the recommendation in its interim response (Cabinet Office, Oct 2026). In that July 2026 response, the department stated that "the intent of this recommendation has been fulfilled" through existing guidance referenced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and confirmed it does not plan to make a separate recommendation (Department for Transport response, Jul 2026).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 16 Oct 2026.
Government response
●Department for Transport · Accepted · 16 Jul 2026
Government agrees that the international sharing of best practice and knowledge is beneficial, including in the form of guidance where appropriate. The IMRF updated its Mass Rescue Operations Guidance in June 2025. This provides extensive information and guidance on planning for and executing mass rescue operations, including endorsement of the Multiple Persons in Water Triage Tool, which was developed in the UK and presented internationally by HMCG’s Medical Director and Head of Operational Procedures. The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) current International Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual references this updated IMRF guidance in section 6.15.6. Given this, the Department considers that the intent of this recommendation has been fulfilled through this delivery route and does not plan to make a separate recommendation to the IMO.
Extract from: Cranston Inquiry Report: Interim Response
Delivery
●Cabinet Office says completed · 5 Oct 2026
The Department for Transport published its interim response to the Cranston Inquiry in July 2026, which included updates against this recommendation.
From: Cranston Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, October 2026 (data file)
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