Government to act on Thirlwall patient safety recommendations
The UK government will implement measures to improve NHS patient safety and accountability following the Thirlwall Inquiry’s findings of failures at Countess of Chester Hospital, including enhanced safeguarding and neonatal safety initiatives.
The government has announced immediate actions to strengthen patient safety, accountability, and safeguarding across the NHS, prompted by Lady Justice Thirlwall’s final report into failures at the Countess of Chester Hospital. The inquiry identified serious governance and leadership lapses, missed opportunities to protect babies, and failures to act on concerns. The Health and Social Care Secretary acknowledged the suffering of affected families and apologised on behalf of the government and NHS for the failures highlighted in the report.
The government has begun implementing measures while reviewing the inquiry’s recommendations in full, including improvements to neonatal safety and safeguarding practices. The Secretary of State emphasised that safeguarding must be a priority for all NHS staff, leaders, and boards, with protections for whistleblowers and a commitment to acting on concerns. The inquiry recognised some improvements at the Countess of Chester Hospital but stressed the need for further action to prevent recurrence.
Safeguarding will be central to the forthcoming Babies, Children and Young People’s Modern Service Framework, reflecting the government’s commitment to prioritising the safety of babies and children in healthcare. The Health and Social Care Secretary also chairs the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which will develop an action plan based on recommendations from the Ockenden and Amos reviews, to be published later this year.
The government will publish its full response to the Thirlwall Inquiry’s recommendations after completing a detailed review of the report. The measures aim to address systemic failures, enhance accountability, and ensure that safeguarding is embedded across all levels of the NHS to prevent harm to patients.