NHS approach to investigating patient deaths is poor, says regulator

The NHS in England is failing patients by having inadequate, secretive, and defensive investigations into patient deaths, according to a review from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The commission said that current practice—which too often did not include families of the deceased patient being investigated—needed to change.

For its review, the commission looked at how NHS trusts across England identified, reported, investigated, and learnt from the deaths of people using their services, with a particular focus on people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities.

It gathered evidence during visits to a sample of 12 trusts; a national survey of all NHS trusts providing acute, mental health, and community services; and interviews with more than …