Simplify External Regulation
Infected Blood Inquiry · Infected Blood Inquiry Final Report · Issued 20 May 2024 · Addressed to: UK Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
Regulation:
That external regulation of safety in healthcare be simplified. As a first step towards this, there should be a UK wide review by the four health departments of the systems of external regulation, with the aim of addressing all the points made earlier in this Report and in other reports since 2000.
Infected Blood Inquiry, Infected Blood Inquiry Final Report · 20 May 2024 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The Government stated in December 2024 that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care asked Dr Penny Dash to conduct a review of patient safety in the health and care landscape, with findings published on 15 October 2024 (Government Response to the Infected Blood Inquiry, Cabinet Office, December 2024).
- A second review by Dr Dash examining patient safety and quality across six health bodies was underway, with conclusions due early 2025, to inform the 10-year health plan and NHS Quality Strategy (Government Response to the Infected Blood Inquiry, Cabinet Office, December 2024).
- No published four-nation review of external regulation systems as recommended has been identified to March 2026.
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
UK Government
In relation to recommendation 4c) i. the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care asked Dr Penny Dash to conduct a review of patient safety in the health and care landscape. The focus of the review by Dr Dash is on six core bodies: Care and Quality Commission (CQC), The National Guardian’s Office, Healthwatch England (HWE) and the Local Healthwatch network, Health Services Safety Investigation Body, Patient Safety Commissioner and NHS Resolution, and how they work with the wider landscape. The Secretary of State asked Dr Dash to make recommendations on whether greater value could be achieved through a different approach or delivery model. The review will be published shortly. All findings will inform the UK Government’s 10-year health plan, as well as work to develop an NHS Quality Strategy, to transform the NHS and social care system and make it fit for the future.
Scottish Government
For recommendation 4c) i., the Scottish Government is engaging on work being taken forward by the UK-wide Inter-Ministerial Group, particularly on proposals for a UK Patient Safety Group.
Scottish Government officials will continue to support this work, providing insight into the current landscape in Scotland and how this aligns with work across the other nations, facilitating effective working, and looking for opportunities for improvement and alignment.
Northern Ireland Executive
Further consideration and wider engagement will be required to fully assess the local regulatory picture and how best to give effect to Recommendation 4c).
UK Government · 14 May 2025 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 15 Jan 2026 · IBCA Community Update As of 13 January 2026: 3,721 people asked to start claims, 3,546 begun process, 3,074 received offers totalling £2.47bn, 2,861 paid totalling £1.89bn. Third compensation regulations in force 31 December 2025. View source → Good Progress
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.
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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.