12a Response Not Accepted Self-assessed

Suspension during investigation

Recommendation

We recommend that if, when a hospital investigates a healthcare professional's behaviour, including the use of an HR process, any perceived risk to patient safety should result in the suspension of that healthcare professional.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the government's December 2021 response, the Department of Health and Social Care did not accept this recommendation, stating that it does not support blanket automatic suspension of healthcare professionals during investigations. The government's position is that suspension should be decided on a case-by-case basis, guided by existing advice from NHS Employers and professional regulators for managing patient safety risks (Government Response, December 2021).
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
England
Response
Not Accepted
Not Accepted Department of Health and Social Care
16 Dec 2021

Not accepted. Government does not support blanket automatic suspension. Suspension should be decided case-by-case based on risk assessment. Automatic suspension could deter reporting and be disproportionate. Existing guidance from NHS Employers and professional regulators provides for exclusion where patient safety risk is identified. Maintaining clinical practice, where safe to do so, supports professional development. (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
Staff suitability and fitness Patient safety governance Suspension Investigation Patient Safety Hr
Recommendation age 6.1 yrs
Last formal update 1559 days ago