The Infected Blood Inquiry report was published on 20 May 2024, revealing the shocking and awful facts of what happened to more than 30,000 affected people. Their suffering only compounded by the length of time it has taken to get to the facts and receive a public apology.
The PSA welcomes the report’s publication, its focus on patient safety and the need to give voice to victims.
Sadly, as the report notes, the harm people suffered was made worse by the lack of honesty and candour. A lack of candour is far too common in responses to serious health and care failings and this needs to change.
We welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the Inquiry’s deliberations on the safety system. In our 2022 report, Safer care for all, we identified a lack of follow up in the implementation of inquiry recommendations and issues compounded by the complexity of the patient safety landscape. The Inquiry has added its voice to the calls for both simplification of the regulatory framework and for a system of oversight to improve patient safety performance in the NHS.
We also welcome the Inquiry’s commitment to maintain its website with all its published evidence. A concern we raised in our own evidence to the Inquiry was that once an inquiry disbands, there is often an information vacuum which can make it more difficult to follow-up on how recommendations are implemented. Maintaining the Inquiry’s website will provide a very useful ongoing resource for regulators and others.
We are going to look carefully through the details of the report, and particularly at its recommendations, to see what role professional regulation can play in making sure that nothing like this ever happens again.
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the Editor
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care oversees 10 statutory bodies that regulate health and social care professionals in the UK.
- We assess their performance and report to Parliament. We also conduct audits and investigations and can appeal fitness to practise cases to the courts if we consider that sanctions are insufficient to protect the public and it is in the public interest.
- We also set standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for health and social care occupations and accredit those that meet them.
- We share good practice and knowledge, conduct research and introduce new ideas to our sector. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally and provide advice on issues relating to professional standards in health and social care.
- We do this to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of users of health and social care services and the public. We are an independent body, accountable to the UK Parliament.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.
- More information about our work and the approach we take is available at www.professionalstandards.org.uk