Alternatives to Litigation: Public Inquiries

• Introduction
• The GMC and other Professional Bodies
• NHS Complaints
• Patient Advocacy: PALS, ICAS, etc.
• Public Inquiries
  • What happens at Public Inquiries?
  • What powers does a Public Inquiry have?
  • When are Public Inquiries ordered?
  • How can I obtain a Public Inquiry?
  • How can Michelmores help?
  • Where can I get more information?
• Regulatory Bodies

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How can I obtain a Public Inquiry into Healthcare in which I have been involved?

Before anything else, you need to be sure that your case is really suitable for a Public Inquiry. When it comes to obtaining a detailed investigation of any one particular case, there are definitely better ways of achieving this aim. Public Inquiries, which are concerned with the "big picture", do not tend to concentrate for very long on individual cases, and almost certainly will not make findings on them. You should only consider campaigning for a Public Inquiry if you are convinced that your experience provides significant lessons that are applicable in a wide range of situations.

Public Inquiries tend to come about as the result of long and organised campaigns. They are very seldom achieved by individuals but, rather, by groups who come together with shared experiences, and the shared aim of obtaining an Inquiry. Groups have to show that they represent a significant number of concerned people, and that the questions they want answered are of major importance to the public at large. Media coverage is often important.

Public Inquiries are frequently only ordered at the conclusion of other investigations: the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry was announced after the General Medical Council's investigation into events in Bristol, and the Shipman Inquiry was ordered on the day after Shipman was convicted of murder in a criminal Court.

The authorities are always reticent to commit to a full Public Inquiry, and will sometimes offer the compromise of a closed, local Inquiry. This may be appropriate for the case in hand, or it may be that you are entitled to hold out for a full, open investigation.

If you are sure that events in which you have been involved should be the subject of a Public Inquiry, then you will have to be very determined, and prepared to argue your case at every opportunity, probably for a very long time.