Recurring concern

Unreliable disclosure of confidential medical information to police for safety purposes

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First reported 27 Mar 2019•Latest report 10 Nov 2020

Definition

What this concern includes

Includes failures in healthcare and police-facing arrangements for determining, authorising, communicating or carrying out disclosure of relevant confidential medical information to police for safety purposes, including disclosure concerning victims at risk and missing people, and failures of professional guidance or cross-agency understanding that directly impair those disclosures.

Not included

  • Excludes ordinary patient confidentiality, consent or information-governance concerns where no safety-related disclosure to police is involved.
  • Excludes generic communication, training or information-sharing deficiencies that do not concern disclosure of confidential medical information to police for a safety purpose.
  • Excludes disclosure to families, courts, coroners, social services or other recipients unless the assertion also concerns the same police-facing medical-information disclosure process.
  • Excludes failures to act after relevant information has been lawfully and promptly disclosed to police.
  • Excludes clinical assessment, treatment, missing-person search or victim-protection failures where the police disclosure process itself is not deficient.
Reports
2

Distinct published reports

Individual concerns
2

A report can raise multiple concerns

Date range
2019–2020

First to latest report issue date

Stated actions
2

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.

Department of Health and Social Care1
Home Office1
Local Government Association1
London Borough of Lewisham1
National Police Chiefs’ Council1
Newcastle Upon Tyne City Council1
Northumbria Police1

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.

  1. Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside

    AI-generated summary

    Ewan Nathanial Brown · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Ewan Nathanial Brown was found dead on 30 April 2019 after absconding while awaiting mental health assessment, following concerns about his behaviour and mental health. The inquest concluded that he died by accidental drowning while experiencing an unassessed and untreated psychotic illness. Concerns included gaps in police and health-service information sharing, multiagency coordination, mental health training, and family contact during the missing-person search.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of cross-agency awareness and training on requesting and sharing confidential medical information about missing persons

    Wider context from the report

    “4. I heard evidence from police officers and mental health professionals that indicated a clear lack of awareness that confidential medical information could be requested and shared with police by General Practitioners and Mental Health Professionals when a person is missing. There is a need for training in respect of this across both agencies. ”

    Source location

    Ewan Nathanial Brown · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 3 · concerns

    Open source report

  2. Inner South London

    AI-generated summary

    Ms Donna Williamson · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Donna Williamson, a 44-year-old woman with mental health, alcohol dependence, mobility and domestic abuse vulnerabilities, died from stab wounds to the chest after being assaulted with a knife by her ex-partner. The principal concerns included the failure to secure her insecure door, failure to inform her that the suspect had been released on bail, and weaknesses in the MARAC process for protecting chaotic and non-engaging individuals.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Insufficient clarity and knowledge of professional and legal duties to disclose confidential information about victims at risk

    Wider context from the report

    “4. Key information about the risk to the victim was secured by the police from the suspect’s GP, who has commendably established new procedures for handling domestic abuse, but the GP was unable to articulate what were the criteria when a GP has a duty to disclose confidential information to the police in relation to a victim at risk. There is a risk that GPs in general may not have sufficient knowledge or awareness of their professional and legal duties of disclosure. ”

    Source location

    Ms Donna Williamson · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 2 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Publish a Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Harm Toolkit for general practitioners, including information, responsibilities and an explanatory film.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “Finally, given the importance of this area of work, RCGP has recently published a Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Harm Toolkit. It includes a wide range of helpful information including a film outlining the key points and responsibilities of general practitioners. You can access it at: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical-and-research/resources/toolkits/safeguarding-adults-at-risk-of-harm-toolkit.aspx”

    Source location

    2019-0111-Responses
    Page 2 · response
    Published 9 June 2019

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Publish guidelines on managing domestic abuse in general practice.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “Pages 33 and 35 provide detail of the educational outcomes from training, which you will note is recommended to be on a three-yearly cycle. I have also enclosed a copy of the guidelines RCGP has published on the management of domestic abuse in general practice.”

    Source location

    2019-0111-Responses
    Page 1 · response
    Published 9 June 2019

    Open published response
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Data last updated 7 September 2026