Politicians and NHS criticised as they fail to carry out actions urged by Jimmy Savile inquiry after 10 years

The NHS and government have failed to implement a single recommendation from a key Jimmy Savile inquiry – almost 10 years after plans to prevent future sex abuse of patients in hospitals were put forward, The Independent can reveal.

The shocking discovery was uncovered by the panel tasked to chair the public inquiry into Lucy Letby, the nurse who killed several newborn babies in her care.

Analysing the progress made by the NHS and government after some of the most high-profile health scandals in the UK, it found across 30 inquiries, dating back to 1967, just 302 out of more than 1,400 key recommendations had been adopted.

Alan Collins, a lawyer who represented dozens of victims in claims against Savile’s estate, slammed politicians and public bodies over the failure.

He says: “The thread that runs through the numerous reports, the investigations behind them, and the ongoing failures with lack of implementation is the lack of accountability.

“We have seen time after time the lack of professional curiosity in the face of glaring wrongdoing yet this cultural vacuum rarely sees those charged with responsibility for safeguarding subject to any consequences.”

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Source: The Independent, 3 June 2024