Communication strategy for patients and families
Scottish Hospitals Inquiry · Scottish Hospitals Inquiry Interim Report · Issued 4 March 2025 · Addressed to: Scottish Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
Health boards must ensure that in the event of any adverse situation that could affect the wellbeing of patients and their families, there is a communication strategy in place to liaise with this crucially important group. The Scottish Government should ensure that this liaison is supported in any overarching communication strategy it may wish to introduce.
Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, Scottish Hospitals Inquiry Interim Report · 4 Mar 2025 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- On 17 September 2025, the Scottish Government stated that discussions between the Scottish Government and NHS Boards were actively taking place to identify gaps in communication planning and consider whether national guidance is needed (Scottish Parliament Question S6W-40544, 17 September 2025).
- No published national communication strategy guidance for adverse situations affecting patient families has been identified to March 2026.
Response — verbatim from government
●Scottish Government
All 11 recommendations accepted by Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray MSP on 13 March 2025. Progress update 17 September 2025: Discussions between the Scottish Government and NHS Boards are actively taking place to identify any gaps in communication planning and consider if national guidance is required.
Scottish Government · 13 Mar 2025 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 17 Sep 2025 · Scottish Government discussions between the Scottish Government and NHS Boards are actively taking place to identify any gaps in communication planning and consider if national guidance is required.
- 13 Mar 2025 Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray MSP accepted all 11 recommendations in a parliamentary statement on 13 March 2025. 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.