Recommendation IHRD-69: Executive Director Responsibilities
From Report of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths, published 31 January 2018.
Recommendation
Trusts should appoint and train Executive Directors with specific responsibility for: (i) Issues of Candour. (ii) Child Healthcare. (iii) Learning from SAI related patient deaths.
In brief (written by this site)
In June 2026, the Minister of Health, Mike Nesbitt, stated that the Department of Health assessed recommendation 69(iii), on appointing and training Executive Directors with responsibility for learning from serious adverse incident patient deaths, as actioned under Phase 1 of the implementation programme (Mike Nesbitt, Jun 2026). The Minister noted that this position had been outlined in a departmental update published in June 2023 for recommendations referencing serious adverse incidents (Mike Nesbitt, Jun 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
About this summary
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The record reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Government response
My Department accepts the recommendations of the O'Hara Report in their entirety.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
The Minister of Health accepted all 96 recommendations together, in one sentence of a written statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 25 March 2021. That sentence is not a response to any one recommendation alone, and the Department of Health published no response to each recommendation. The Department's statements of 31 January, 2 February and 30 March 2018 contain no acceptance of the recommendations.
Delivery
Department of Health NI says partially delivered (20 June 2026)
Five recommendations which reference Serious Adverse Incidents (SAIs) were assessed by the Department as actioned under Phase 1 of the Hyponatraemia Related Deaths (IHRD) implementation programme. This position was outlined in an update published by the Department in June 2023. The five recommendations are set out in Table 1 below. Table 1 No Recommendation 40 Learning and trends identified in SAI investigations should inform programmes of clinical audit. 62 Clinicians caring for children should be trained specifically in communication with parents following an adverse clinical incident, which training should include communication with grieving parents after an SAI death. 65 Training in SAI investigation methods and procedures should be provided to those employed to investigate. 69(iii) Trusts should appoint and train Executive Directors with specific responsibility for: Learning from SAI related patient deaths.
From: AQW 45206/22-27 (Northern Ireland Assembly written question: IHRD recommendations that reference Serious Adverse Incidents), Mike Nesbitt, Minister of Health (Northern Ireland)
Site note: The answer's Table 1 lists part (iii) of this recommendation only (Executive Directors with responsibility for learning from SAI related patient deaths). It says nothing about parts (i) and (ii), so the row is marked partially delivered.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Department of Health NI
Response, delivery statement