National Inquiries: 
The National Inquiry into Ethical Decision Making in the NHS

CIHM’s third National Inquiry, this time into Organisational Decision Making in the NHS has highlighted the need for more resources on ethical decision-making at a senior management level.

The major output from this research is a checklist for ethical decision-making, which we recommend implementing in real situations. It is only through practice that NHS staff can improve their ethical decision-making.

In our report we have set out some simple, practical advice that can help NHS organisations to make better, more effective ethical decisions. We have also have looked in detail at specific ethical issues – fairness, justice, equity, equality, openness, honesty, transparency – which will play a role in decisions made by all trusts at some point.

The report is particularly relevant for NHS senior managers and Board members although all those within the NHS who are making strategic and organisational decisions may find it of value. The check list in the report can be used to influence decision-making at all levels of the organisation. Wherever there is an element of ethical complexity to the decision in question, we think these considerations are important, and the checklist is intendeds to be flexible enough to be used in a number of different contexts.

But this is just a starting point. Trusts will need to spend time considering what are the key ethical concerns that drive their own decisions, and to practise applying them in real decisions. Taking this seriously can not only help organisations to avoid ethical pitfalls, but also be a positive influence on staff morale and organisational culture.

Our thanks go to all of those who contributed to this report in particular to our inquiry panel, to members of the CIHM network who contributed at CIHM’s Network Days and above all to everyone who agreed to be interviewed for this research.

This report has been led by CIHM working with colleagues in the University’s Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (IDEA CETL). The IDEA CETL carries out teaching and research in applied ethics, and offers training and consultancy to professionals, businesses and public bodies. The Centre exists to help students, professionals and employees to identify, analyse and respond to the ethical issues they encounter in their disciplines and their working lives.

A full version of the report and a shorter version can be found below along with the checklist.

Ethics Inquiry full report for WEB

Ethics Inquiry short report WEB

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