The Care Quality Commission reports that University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust has been ordered to pay a total of £12,565 after admitting it failed to disclose details relating to a surgical procedure or apologise, following the death of a 91-year-old woman.
The trust was fined £1,600, a £120 victim surcharge and ordered to pay £10,845.43 court costs at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday, 23 September), in the first prosecution of its kind.
Under the Health and Social Care Act, duty of candour (Regulation 20), care providers must act with openness and transparency, and provide a timely apology to people receiving care, or their relatives, in the event of a serious incident.
This is the first time CQC has prosecuted an NHS trust for failure to comply with the regulation concerning duty of candour.