This edition focus on safety & learning and governance, learning from coroners’ Prevention of Future Death reports, governance issues around the quality of information provided to Boards and the recently announced review of the duty of candour.

Our annual Forward View we considers the challenges and opportunities digital health brings, the impact of recent legal decisions tas well as key issues such as the discount rate review.

In our annual Forward View we consider the challenges and opportunities digital health brings, the impact of recent legal decisions as well as key issues such as the discount rate review.

The opportunities for equipment manufacturers and software developers appear to be almost limitless. From tele-radiology and dermatology to using AI in diagnosis – all present unique challenges, but have similar medico-legal issues at their core.

The new fixed costs regime, which came into force for Employer liability and public liability (EL/PL) claims issued after 1 October 2023, will have a significant impact on low value beauty claims.

In recent judgement Supreme Court confirmed that doctors do not owe a duty of care to patient’s families psychologically impacted by witnessing a relatives death, injury or decline, even where it may have been negligently caused.

Court of Appeal confirms the Court can Stay cases and compel parties to engage in non-court-based dispute resolution - Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council [2023] EWCA Civ 1416.

The Clinical Law Insight summarises some of the key issues in healthcare law for the NHS, insurers, and private healthcare providers.

We summarise the first preliminary hearing for module 3 of the Covid-19 Inquiry and a major change in the Civil Procedure Rules from 6 April. We also introduce a new section in which we consider upcoming appeal court judgments and significant issues.

We cover the latest on the Covid-19 Inquiry, NHS Resolution's second Early Notifications report, the roll-out of the new Patient Safety Incident Response Framework and the implications of virtual wards.

The new PSIRF replaces the 2015 Serious Incident Framework and governs the investigation of patient safety incidents in NHS-funded healthcare. It represents a ‘sea change’ in how the NHS responds to incidents, to achieve learning and improvement.

NHS Resolution’s analysis of data for the first year of the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice has identified that quicker and more accurate diagnosis and improved prescribing processes could result in better patient outcomes.