Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on patient confidentiality in relation to sharing information on (a) inquiry reports and (b) other relevant information on killings by mentally ill people with the (i) families of their victims and (ii) general public; and what his policy is on (A) publishing independent homicide reports and (B) intervening to consider publication in such cases, in the context of patient confidentiality.

It is important that in such cases, National Health Service organisations are as transparent as possible within the bounds of the law, and that independent homicide reports are published and shared in line with legal guidance and with engagement from families. These decisions are for the organisations which commissioned the reports on a case-by-case basis.

In the case of the independent investigation into the care and treatment provided to Valdo Calocane, the NHS took the decision to publish the investigation’s report in full in line with the wishes of the families and given the level of detail already in the public domain.

The Department will work with NHS England and partners to set out next steps for how future independent mental health homicide reports should be published to ensure that NHS organisations act as transparently as possible, in line with their legal obligations.