Support for other agencies
Public Health England should review the support and training that health protection staff can offer to local authorities and other agencies in relation to local oversight of healthcare providers' infection control arrangements.
- UKHSA provides training and support to local authorities and NHS organisations on infection prevention and control (IPC). The UKHSA IPC team publishes guidance on the management of healthcare associated infections and provides specialist advice to local health protection teams who support NHS providers and local authorities (UKHSA IPC guidance, GOV.UK).
- UKHSA regional health protection teams (formerly PHE centres) provide local expert advice and support to Directors of Public Health, local authorities, and NHS providers on infection prevention and control, outbreak management, and surveillance. This includes training on the investigation and management of HCAI outbreaks (UKHSA health protection team functions).
- The Health and Care Act 2022 placed UKHSA's health protection functions on a statutory footing. Directors of Public Health in local authorities have a statutory duty to protect the health of the local population (under the NHS Act 2006 as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012), and UKHSA provides the specialist support and training to enable them to discharge this function in relation to healthcare providers' infection control arrangements (NHS Act 2006, s.73A as inserted by HSCA 2012).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedThe government published "Hard Truths: the Journey to Putting Patients First" (Cm 8777) on 19 November 2013, responding to all 290 recommendations of the Francis Report. This followed an initial response "Patients First and Foremost" in March 2013. Key reforms included a new Chief Inspector of Hospitals, strengthened Care Quality Commission inspection regime, a statutory duty of candour, and the fit and proper person test for NHS directors. Volume 2 (Cm 8754) contains the government's detailed responses to each of the 290 recommendations. See: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7cd486ed915d63cc65d167/34658_Cm_8777_Vol_1_accessible.pdf
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) service replaced the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). NRLS fully decommissioned 30 June 2024. LFPSE has broader coverage including primary care, uses machine learning for analysis and improved trend identification.
Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) replaced the Serious Incident Framework from Autumn 2023. Shifts from individual blame to system-based learning approaches. Mandatory for all NHS-funded secondary care providers. Part of NHS Patient Safety Strategy (July 2019).
HSSIB formally launched 1 October 2023 as independent statutory body under Health and Care Act 2022. Replaced HSIB (non-statutory, established 2016). Has statutory "safe space" protections, powers of entry, inspection and seizure. Conducts system-focused patient safety investigations.
Research published 2023 marking ten years since the Francis Report found mixed results. Structural and legislative changes largely delivered (duty of candour, FPPR, CQC overhaul, revalidation, Freedom to Speak Up Guardians). However, cultural change not fully embedded; understaffing, fear of speaking up, and poor complaint handling persist in parts of the NHS.
Government published "Culture Change in the NHS" (Cm 9009) reporting progress on all 290 recommendations. Key achievements: 19 hospitals placed in special measures; those trusts recruited 109 additional doctors and 1,805 additional nurses; 129 board-level changes made; excess avoidable deaths fell by 450 in less than a year.
Government published "Hard Truths: The Journey to Putting Patients First" (Cm 8777) in two volumes. Vol 1 set out new actions; Vol 2 provided detailed response to each of the 290 recommendations. Approximately 204 of 290 recommendations were fully accepted.