R22 Response Accepted AI-assessed

Relative discussions recorded

Recommendation

Health Boards should ensure that any discussion between a member of nursing staff and a relative about a patient which is relevant to the patient's continuing care is recorded.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
The Scottish Government accepted this recommendation, referencing the revised NMC code for nurses and the Scottish Government's Records Management: NHS code of practice (Scotland) for accurate record-keeping. The Duty of Candour requires documentation of communications with patients and families regarding safety incidents, ensuring discussions relevant to continuing care are recorded (Scottish Government progress update, 01 Jun 2022). The Excellence in Care CAIR Dashboard monitors communication standards, ensuring statutory duties for documenting discussions with relatives are followed up (Scottish Government progress update, 01 Jun 2022).
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 24 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.gov.scot, 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
Scotland
Response
Accepted
Accepted Scottish Government
18 Jun 2015

Section 4.2 of the Scottish Government's response addresses this through professional standards for record-keeping. The revised NMC code, effective from March 2015, requires nurses and midwives to complete clear and accurate records at the time or as soon as possible after an event. This includes identifying any risks or problems and the steps taken to deal with them, ensuring colleagues have all necessary information. The Scottish Government's Records Management: NHS code of practice (Scotland) also provides guidance on required standards of practice for record-keeping.

Read Full Response
Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Good Progress
01 Jun 2022
Scottish Government Other

Duty of Candour requires documentation of communications with patients and families about safety incidents. Excellence in Care CAIR Dashboard monitors communication standards.

View detailed findings

Statutory duty ensures discussions with relatives about patient care are documented and followed up.

Duty of Candour and Excellence in Care framework View Source
Source
Inquiry Vale of Leven Inquiry
Report The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report 24 Nov 2014
View Source
Responsible Bodies
NHS Health Boards (Scotland) Primary
Themes & Tags
Care plan failures Inaccurate and inaccessible patient records Communication Records Nursing
Recommendation age 11.3 yrs
Last formal update 3932 days ago