Doctors and nurses ordered to apologise for mistakes under new guidelines

Under new guidelines, hospital staff will be urged to report errors to bosses before informing and then apologising to patients.

15:52 03 November 2014

Under new guidelines released by General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, doctors and nurses are being ordered to report errors to bosses and follow this up with apologies to patients and families for mistakes. 

 

The guidelines were released following reports showing that as many as a fifth of all hospital trusts are under-recording mistakes and near-misses. 

 

Jeremy Hunt said: ‘Transparency and honesty when things go wrong are powerful tools to improve patient safety, and part of the continued culture change we are determined to see in the NHS.

 

‘These new guidelines will complement the statutory duty of candour on organisations and help make the NHS safer than ever before.’

 

Meanwhile, Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC said: ‘Patients deserve a clear and honest explanation if something has gone wrong with their care.

 

‘This is why, for the first time, we are collaborating on this new joint guidance. It will ensure that doctors, nurses and midwives are working to a common standard and will know exactly what their responsibilities are.'