Recurring concern
Failure to establish patients’ consent for family involvement in mental health care
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Request correctionFirst reported 12 May 2014•Latest report 13 Nov 2023
What this concern includes
Includes failures in mental-health or associated emergency-care processes to ask about, record or use a patient’s consent for notifying or involving family members about suicidal feelings, mental ill health, deterioration, hospital attendance or related safety concerns.
Not included
- Excludes general failures to involve families in care planning, discharge or treatment decisions where the specific issue is not establishing consent for family involvement.
- Excludes failures to communicate with families after consent was reliably established, unless the consent-establishment process itself was also deficient.
- Excludes generic confidentiality, information-sharing or communication failures without a patient-consent and family-involvement context.
- Excludes family involvement that is legally or clinically inappropriate because consent was refused or another documented restriction applies.
- Reports
- 7
- Individual concerns
- 7
- Date range
- 2014–2023
- Stated actions
- 10
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to clearly record service users' consent to disclosure to family members
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
NHS England is responsible for addressing the report’s concerns about local mental health service issues.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Failure to routinely ask patients whether their families may be involved in their care
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
Next-of-kin information will not be mandatory because patient confidentiality must be protected and access to the service should remain unrestricted.
Stated by North London NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to consider and seek consent for family involvement in care planning
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.5
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Action
Bring stakeholders together to scope routine electronic-record prompts for seeking consent to involve families in mental healthcare.
Stated by NHS England -
Action
Explore linking electronic-record consent prompts to national datasets to enable measurement and targeted improvement support.
Stated by NHS England -
Action
Continue linking with Health Education England on work to improve mental-health staff skills for family-engagement discussions and care planning.
Stated by NHS England
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Action
Transform community mental-health care, including for young adults, through co-produced personalised care and support planning that centres carer and family involvement.
Stated by NHS England -
Action
Develop information-sharing guidance and a consensus statement with Universities UK on when information can be shared without breaching confidentiality.
Stated by NHS England
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Concerns raised1
Inconsistent application of the triangle of care approach for seeking patient permission to approach the patient’s family
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Develop practice against the six Triangle of Care standards through executive oversight and Governance Committee monitoring.
Stated by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure of police officers to ask for consent before sharing information about suicidal feelings or hospital attendance
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Add instruction to training on eliciting consent to inform a nominated person about a suicidal individual's location and mental wellbeing concerns.
Stated by North Yorkshire Police
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
Because Mr Carroll appeared capacitated, was an adult, and had been handed over to professionals, officers had no expectation to notify friends or relatives.
Stated by North Yorkshire Police
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Concerns raised1
Failure to discuss family involvement and provide information about the mental health problem and its treatments
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Document family members’ presence, offer them opportunities to provide views and observations, and include this information in assessment outcomes.
Stated by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust -
Action
Remind Triage Car and Crisis Team staff about the family-involvement protocol and patient choice through managers and team meetings.
Stated by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust -
Action
Introduce an assessment-outcome and plan form providing patients and, with consent, accompanying carers or family members written advice and access information.
Stated by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient review of patient decisions about permission to contact next of kin or family
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Data last updated 7 September 2026