NHS: Reviews

(asked on 15th March 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS (a) fit and proper person requirement and (b) duty of candour applies to an individual who undertakes an independent review commissioned by an NHS body that is funded by his Department.


Answered by
Jackie Doyle-Price Portrait
Jackie Doyle-Price
This question was answered on 20th March 2018

The fit and proper person requirement requires all registered health and adult social care providers to make sure board directors, board members and individuals who perform the functions equivalent to the functions of a board director and member, are fit for their roles. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) assesses whether registered providers have appropriate processes in place for this. In this regard the CQC does not look at individuals, an approach which would extend to independent reviewers.

The statutory duty of candour applies to organisations, rather than to individual members of staff. All regulated healthcare professionals working in the United Kingdom have an individual professional duty of candour, which is a responsibility to be open and honest. This responsibility is set out in their respective professional codes of conduct. The duty of candour set out in professional codes of conduct would therefore not automatically extend to independent reviewers, but any reviewer would be expected to be independent and able to express views with candour.

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