Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Report of the Morecambe Bay Investigation by Dr Bill Kirkup, published in March 2015, what steps his Department has taken to (a) establish a proper framework, if necessary statutory, on which future investigations could be promptly established, including setting out the arrangements necessary to maintain independence and work effectively and efficiently and (b) clarify responsibilities of current and former health service staff to cooperate with an investigation.

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch was established in 2017 to investigate to improve patient safety and create a learning culture across the National Health Service.

The Health Service Safety Investigations Bill was introduced in the previous Parliament. This legislation will establish a fully independent arms-length patient safety investigation body, create a statutory ‘safe space’ in this body and provide the new body with powers to discharge its investigative function effectively. These include the power to ask individuals, to attend to answer questions or to provide information, documents equipment or other information as required.

The Department will bring forward these proposals when Parliamentary time allows.