Hospital may have broken law by failing to reveal errors led to boy’s death

Great Ormond Street Hospital may have broken the law by failing to share information with parents that showed its errors had contributed to their son’s death, The Independent understands.

The care watchdog is speaking to Great Ormond Street about its handling of an expert report into five-year-old Walif Yafi in 2017.

It showed that the hospital’s failure to share results that showed a deadly infection had played a role in Walif’s death. But the boy’s parents were only told about the findings after inquiries by The Independent – months after settling a lawsuit with Great Ormond Street in which the trust denied responsibility.

The Care Quality Commission is looking at concerns relating to duty of candour regulations, which require hospitals to be open and honest with families about mistakes made that result in serious harm to patients. Breaching the regulations is a criminal offence and can lead to prosecution.

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Source: The Independent, 7 December 2020