6b Response Accepted in Part

Mandatory independent complaint resolution

Recommendation

We recommend that all private patients should have the right to mandatory independent resolution of their complaint.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- In December 2021, the government accepted this recommendation in principle, stating that further work was needed on an implementation mechanism and that membership of the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS) had grown (Government Response to the Paterson Inquiry, DHSC, December 2021).
- No published legislation or statutory instrument requiring all private healthcare providers to offer mandatory independent complaint resolution has been identified to March 2026.
- No further published evidence has been identified since 2022.
Sources
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 in Part
Accepted in Part Department of Health and Social Care
16 Dec 2021

Accepted in principle. Government supports principle but further work needed on implementation mechanism. ISCAS membership has grown significantly since the inquiry. Government is considering whether legislative change is needed to make independent adjudication mandatory for all private healthcare providers. Consultation ongoing. (Source: Government Response, December 2021)

Source
Inquiry Paterson Inquiry
Report Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Issues raised by Paterson 04 Feb 2020
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Department of Health and Social Care Primary
Themes & Tags
Complaint record keeping failures No person-centred care Complaints Independent Sector Resolution
Recommendation age 6.3 yrs
Last formal update 1627 days ago