Why did duty of candour come into effect?

In 1990, Robbie died of Addison’s disease which is a rare disorder of the adrenal glands. At the time of his death, the Coroner refused his parents' request for an inquest, ruling instead that Robbie had died of natural causes. Because of the circumstances surrounding Robbie’s death, his parents campaigned long and hard to establish what happened. 

In 1998, Robbie’s father, Will Powell, complained to the Deputy Chief of Police after the police investigation resulted in “no evidence of crimes committed”. A second investigation drew the same conclusion. 

Detective Chief Inspector Robert Poole was appointed to review the case after Will Powell complained about previous police investigations. In 2002, DCI Poole’s report was submitted with 35 suggested criminal charges against five GPs and their medical secretary. These included:

•     Gross negligence manslaughter

•     Forgery

•     Attempting to pervert the course of justice

•     Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

Essentially, what this meant was that:

• Robbie died of a disease that could have been treated

• The paediatrician suspected Robbie had Addison’s but didn’t tell Robbie’s parents and didn’t conduct the hormone test to confirm the diagnosis

• The GPs and hospital falsified Robbie’s medical records and called Robbie’s family liars

• The Health Authority admitted negligence and liability

• The police failed to investigate professionally, efficiently and effectively