Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Abuse and Sexual Assaults in the NHS: Investigations

16 May 2023 · 1 other contributor · 3,664 words

Opened by Daisy Cooper Lib Dem St Albans

Responding minister: Maria Caulfield

NHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Daisy Cooper raised concerns about abuse and sexual assaults in the nhs: investigations in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Concerns were raised about a constituent named Joan who faced obstacles when reporting sexual misconduct by a medical professional.
  • Joan encountered issues with the GMC's five-year rule, which prevented further investigation into her case due to its age.
  • The debate called for the Government to scrap the five-year rule and implement a specific complaints system for sexual misconduct cases in health services.

Key requests to Government

I ask the Government to respond to the GMC consultation and scrap the five-year rule, which allows perpetrators of sexual misconduct to evade investigation. I also request a specific and clearly signposted complaints system for allegations of a sexual nature in health services. Furthermore, I urge the Minister to make a statement on the handling of sexual abuse cases in the NHS and incorporate recommendations from previous inquiries into existing systems. Lastly, I demand that the Government mandate the creation of an NHS complaint code for registering and monitoring data on sexual abuse and misconduct within health services.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Daisy Cooper Lib Dem St Albans

Joan, a constituent of mine who was a victim of sexual misconduct by a medical professional during her treatment, faced numerous obstacles when seeking justice and support from the NHS trust's human resources team, General Medical Council (GMC), and other organisations. Joan encountered issues with the GMC's five-year rule, which prevented further investigation into her case due to its age. The Professional Standards Authority and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman also failed to provide appropriate assistance. Additionally, there is a lack of tailored support for patients reporting sexual misconduct, unclear complaint mechanisms, and no systematic collection of data on reports of sexual abuse within the NHS.

Other contributors (1)
  • Damian Hinds Con East Hampshire

    It is unacceptable that any form of abuse or sexual assault should occur within the NHS. The Government has taken several steps to address these issues, including strengthening safeguarding measures and improving training for staff.

Government Response

Maria Caulfield

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq, and I thank the hon. Member for St Albans (Daisy Cooper) for securing this important debate. First and foremost, I want to express my utmost respect for the bravery and resilience shown by all those individuals, whether patients, staff or visitors, who come forward to report sexual safety concerns in the NHS. None of those incidents is acceptable, and I reassure hon. Members that we are taking this matter extremely seriously... (The minister continued with a detailed response covering significant work done on addressing sexual abuse and misconduct in the NHS, emphasizing data collection, reporting mechanisms, support for victims, prevention measures, and commitments to improving national standards and policies.)

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