Recurring concern
Failure to maintain an open and accountable safety culture
First reported 10 Feb 2015•Latest report 1 Aug 2025
What this concern includes
Includes failures of organisational culture and leadership arrangements that suppress, discourage, dismiss or defensively respond to safety concerns, errors or poor practice, including lack of candour, fear of speaking up, failure to listen independently and failure to support accountable safety learning.
Not included
- Excludes generic poor management, bullying, harassment or workplace dissatisfaction where no safety-concern, error-reporting, candour or accountable-response dimension is identified.
- Excludes failures confined to a specific complaint, incident investigation, clinical pathway or operational process when organisational safety culture is not itself the shared unsafe condition.
- Excludes ordinary disagreement or disputed professional judgement without evidence that the organisational culture suppresses or defensively handles safety concerns.
- Excludes generic organisational learning or corrective-action failures where the specific unsafe condition is not an open and accountable culture for raising and addressing safety concerns.
- Reports
- 15
- Individual concerns
- 17
- Date range
- 2015–2025
- Stated actions
- 31
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 of multidisciplinary team members to challenge incorrect clinical decisions
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.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of support for staff who challenge clinical decisions or seek second opinions
This report raised 5 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.2
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Position
Direct management of service delivery and oversight of independent primary care contractor staff falls outside the Health Board’s functions.
Stated by Aneurin Bevan University LHB
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Position
Independent primary care contractors are responsible for safe service delivery, professional standards, regulatory compliance and patient accessibility.
Stated by Aneurin Bevan University LHB
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Concerns raised1
Failure to support frank discussion and staff speaking up about deteriorating children
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.
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Concerns raised1
Interference with candid disclosure of the circumstances of a death
This report raised 11 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.2
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Action
Audit the accuracy of medical-record information and remind medical and midwifery staff of their candour duties.
Stated by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust -
Action
Embed the duty of candour into complaints and serious-incident systems, with compliance reported to the Quality Governance Committee.
Stated by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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Concerns raised1
Lack of support for healthcare professionals who report departures from accepted standards
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