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Proceeding contribution from Lord Turnberg (Labour) in the House of Lords on Monday, 27 February 2012. It occurred during Debate on bill on Health and Social Care Bill.


Health and Social Care Bill

My Lords, As someone who taught medical students for many years that it is very important to be absolutely open and candid with your patients, and that, if something has gone wrong, to explain it in full to the patients and their relatives—explaining that that is not necessarily an admission of guilt in some way—I am very keen on the sort of sentiment that is being expressed in this amendment. I am particularly keen on the GMC imposing on doctors the duty of being open. I am all behind the sentiments of this amendment. I have some anxiety, though, about how this can be put into law. How can you legislate for someone to be candid? How will it work? How do you know that someone has been candid or not? There is a great deal of subtlety about this candour and about putting it into law as a duty on every occasion. I am slightly apprehensive about the amendment, even though I support everything about the principle.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
735 c1051-2 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Codes of practice Accountability Competition Conflict of interests Health Health services Fees and charges Education Health authorities Learning disability NHS Patients Mental health services Negligence National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Standards Voluntary organisations Training Safety Reform Research Social services Social enterprises Care Quality Commission NHS Commissioning Board National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical commissioning groups
Legislation
Health and Social Care Bill 2010-12
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk