Recurring concern
Failure to reliably respond to patient and carer communications
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Request correctionFirst reported 13 Feb 2014•Latest report 30 Jun 2025
What this concern includes
Includes failures of processes for receiving, viewing, acknowledging, triaging, responding to or escalating direct patient and carer communications to clinicians or clinical services, including phone calls, messages and emails, where the failure can delay advice, assessment, follow-up or other necessary care.
Not included
- Excludes generic inter-professional communication, handover or information-sharing failures where patients or carers are not the relevant communicators or recipients.
- Excludes appointment, referral, emergency-call or crisis-service access failures when the specific unsafe condition is not failure to respond to a direct patient or carer communication.
- Excludes failures limited to the content or clinical quality of a response after the communication was reliably received and answered.
- Excludes generic staffing, workload, training, documentation or technology deficiencies unless they directly cause unreliable handling of direct patient or carer communications.
- Reports
- 4
- Individual concerns
- 5
- Date range
- 2014–2025
- Stated actions
- 5
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
Lack of an effective confidentiality-compliant channel for receiving communications when consent is withdrawn
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.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised2
Failure to respond to patient communications requiring medication clarification
Failure to answer patient and carer communications in a timely manner
This report raised 13 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
Increase neurology administrative support and obtain additional funding for administrative staff in the Multiple Sclerosis service.
Stated by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Conduct a GIRFT review visit to Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s neurology department.
Stated by NHS England
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Concerns raised1
Failure to view, acknowledge and respond to direct-access patient communications
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.3
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Action
Draw up Trust-wide guidance on clinicians’ responsibilities for email communication with patients.
Stated by Barts Health NHS Trust -
Action
Explore current practice for email correspondence between clinicians and patients.
Stated by Guy'S and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Consider producing local clinician guidance on patient email and text communication based on NHS England guidance.
Stated by Guy'S and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
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
Concerns about an individual clinician’s conduct should be referred to the General Medical Council as regulator.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient staffing to answer patients’ phone calls
This report raised 9 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