Dr. Tony Holohan:

It does not. I am not trying to qualify or justify that but I am not aware of a healthcare system of which it can be said that that is fully the case and there are many reasons for that. From our point of view and what we are trying to support through open disclosure, open disclosure is not the ticking of a box and telling somebody a piece of information so that it cannot be said that they were not told. Rather, it is properly supporting a patient from the moment at which harm is recognised through fully helping him or her to deal with that and any consequences therefrom because his or her health can often be significantly impacted, sometimes in life-altering ways. All the international evidence is very clear that the sooner that disclosure takes place, the more constructive that discussion and the more likely that trust and confidence, particularly in the doctors, will be maintained, which reduces the risk of litigation. The international evidence is very clear in that regard.