12a Response Not Accepted

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:
- In December 2021, the government did not accept this recommendation, stating that blanket automatic suspension could deter reporting and be disproportionate, and that suspension should be decided case-by-case based on risk assessment (Government Response to the Paterson Inquiry, DHSC, December 2021).
- No subsequent change of position has been identified in published government documents to March 2026.
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)
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The evidence above reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
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 6.3 yrs
Last formal update 1627 days ago