Doctors’ apologies for mistakes to be legally protected in bill

New legislative measures will allow doctors to admit mistakes or accidents to patients without accepting personal legal liability, The Irish Times reports.

Health Minister Simon Harris has won Cabinet approval for a voluntary open disclosure scheme, which will give legal protection to medical professionals for any information they give following a patient safety incident.

The measures are set to be introduced in the Seanad as an amendment to the Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill 2017.

An apology under the law cannot be interpreted as an admission of liability and cannot be used in any legal proceedings.

Similar provisions were introduced in England and Wales through the Compensation Act 2006 and very recently in Scotland through the Apologies (Scotland) Act 2016.

Mr Harris said: “Saying sorry and expressing regret when something goes wrong should not be a last resort in our health service. It is important that where an apology is warranted it is made when the facts of the incident are known and not years later in the High Court.”