Recurring concern
Failure to maintain clear clinical responsibility for patient care
- Reports that mention this concern
- 39
- Times this concern has been raised
- 42
- Stated actions linked to this concern
- 54
What this concern includes
Includes failures of an explicitly clinical care responsibility arrangement in which clinicians or senior clinical staff do not retain, clearly assign or actively oversee responsibility for patient care, including during private hospital stays, community care and post-discharge care.
What is not included
- Excludes generic delegation or supervision failures not tied to responsibility for the patient’s overall clinical care.
- Excludes administrative, incident-investigation or governance responsibility failures that do not concern ongoing clinical responsibility for patient care.
- Excludes individual delays, omissions or treatment failures unless they arise from the failure to retain or clearly assign clinical responsibility.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, 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.
Reports and published responses 39 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
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Concerns raised1
Confusion between doctors about responsibility for patients with dual orthopaedic and medical needs
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Barts Health NHS Trust
Stated actions 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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Barts Health NHS Trust
Display on-call doctors’ contact information in relevant clinical areas.
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Barts Health NHS Trust
Update the orthopaedic–orthogeriatric interface and define junior doctors’ roles and responsibilities for patient assessment.
-
Barts Health NHS Trust
Escalate orthopaedic patients with clinical concerns to the on-call medical, Critical Care Outreach or intensive care teams for support and further management.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to transfer care to the appropriate clinical specialty
This report raised 8 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
-
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Develop and disseminate a urology referral form documenting transfer reasons, decisions, clinical priority, and coordination-centre notification.
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University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Review processes for allocating the named consultant, agreeing joint care, and escalating disagreements about care ownership.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
-
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
UCLH disputes that gastroenterology had agreed to take over care, stating that specialist gastroenterology teams reviewed the patient instead.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of clarity about responsibility for oversight of patient care following discharge
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Implement and use a Trust-wide electronic Care Coordinator to Care Coordinator Transfer of Care Document for structured handovers and continuity oversight.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to establish clear cross-specialty responsibility for review and escalation
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
Redefine the Major Trauma Service so the Major Trauma Consultant leads whole-patient review and liaises with specialty teams.
-
Concerns raised3
Lack of clarity about responsibility for formulating clear and comprehensive psychotherapy discharge plans
Lack of clarity about responsibility for oversight of patient care following discharge
Lack of clarity about responsibility for post-discharge relapse safety-netting
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of clear responsibility for monitoring and co-ordinating community eating disorder care
This report raised 15 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group
- NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board
- Priory Group
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
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Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Develop a community eating disorder medical-monitoring pathway and accept medically stable patients based on clinical assessment rather than BMI alone.
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Priory Group
Develop a shared operating procedure and training for communication between acute, community and specialist inpatient services.
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NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group
Approve and implement an expanded adult community eating disorder service with psychiatric, physical-health, psychological and dietetic capacity.
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NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board
Implement the expanded adult eating disorder service to provide medical monitoring, specialist treatment, consultation and coordinated pathways.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
-
Priory Group
Priory Hospital Cheadle Royal is not commissioned to provide community interventions, apart from assessments that may lead to admission.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of clarity over responsibility for monitoring GP antibiotic prescribing requested by a hospital
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of clarity about relative responsibility for patients’ overall medical management between Mayday Assistance Limited and air ambulance providers
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Mayday Group Ltd
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
Mayday Group Ltd
Establish Air Ambulance Support Agreements with providers to clarify responsibilities and promote close working relationships on all cases.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of clear allocation of overall clinical responsibility for patients remaining in the Accident and Emergency Department
This report raised 8 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of a named local hospital Consultant for patients with conditions overseen by another hospital
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Wye Valley NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
-
Wye Valley NHS Trust
Develop patient information proformas covering involved professionals and admission management plans, with annual consultant review and updating.
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Wye Valley NHS Trust
Operate divisional standard operating procedures requiring named local consultants and consultation with relevant specialist departments at the overseeing hospital.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Data last updated 7 September 2026