5
Response
Accepted
CQC assurance on MDT meetings
Recommendation
We recommend that CQC, as a matter of urgency, should assure itself that all hospital providers are complying effectively with up-to-date national guidance on MDT meetings, including in breast cancer care, and that patients are not at risk of harm due to non-compliance in this area.
Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- In December 2021, the government accepted this recommendation, stating that CQC had updated its inspection methodology to specifically examine multidisciplinary team (MDT) functioning and compliance with national guidance (Government Response to the Paterson Inquiry, DHSC, December 2021).
- The December 2022 implementation update stated that CQC had incorporated MDT prompts into its inspection frameworks for acute hospitals and was updating its regulatory model to ensure continued MDT monitoring (Paterson Inquiry Implementation Update, DHSC, December 2022).
- The December 2022 update stated that the Independent Healthcare Providers Network had convened a Chief Medical Officers group to share best practice and was developing principles for independent sector MDT working, including specialties, governance, and audits (Paterson Inquiry Implementation Update, DHSC, December 2022).
- No published CQC assessment confirming systematic MDT compliance across both NHS and independent sector providers has been identified to March 2026.
- The December 2022 implementation update stated that CQC had incorporated MDT prompts into its inspection frameworks for acute hospitals and was updating its regulatory model to ensure continued MDT monitoring (Paterson Inquiry Implementation Update, DHSC, December 2022).
- The December 2022 update stated that the Independent Healthcare Providers Network had convened a Chief Medical Officers group to share best practice and was developing principles for independent sector MDT working, including specialties, governance, and audits (Paterson Inquiry Implementation Update, DHSC, December 2022).
- No published CQC assessment confirming systematic MDT compliance across both NHS and independent sector providers has been identified to March 2026.
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
England
Response
Accepted
Response
Accepted
Accepted
UK Government
16 Dec 2021
Accepted. CQC has updated its inspection methodology to specifically look at MDT functioning and compliance with national guidance. Inspectors examine whether MDT processes are effective and whether all relevant cases are discussed. CQC works with NHS England and Getting It Right First Time to ensure national guidance on MDTs is followed. (Source: Government Response, December 2021)
Source
Inquiry
Paterson Inquiry
Report
Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Issues raised by Paterson
04 Feb 2020
Responsible Bodies
CQC
Primary
Themes & Tags
Recommendation age
6.3 yrs
Last formal update
1628 days ago