HEALTH secretary Jeremy Hunt has given his assurance Stafford Hospital has a future.
Speaking after yesterday’s publication of the second Francis report he told the Newsletter the hospital had made big improve- ments since the Healthcare Commission report in 2009 high- lighted appalling failings in care.
“Of course the hospital’s still got a future. It’s improved signifi- cantly since these problems were identified. It’s meeting the CQC standards. It’s in a much better place but there is still more to do. We have had instances recently and that’s a warning that all is still not right.”
He also gave his backing to the man at the helm of the NHS, Sir David Nicholson, who campaigners say should resign.
“David Nicholson is one of the best manager we have in the NHS but he’s apologised and he’s said that everyone working in the wider NHS needs to learn the lessons of what happened at Mid Staffordshire,” said Mr Hunt.
“This is a structural problem. We are not unlocking the innate compassion of millions of people in the NHS. We are crushing that on too many occasions. We need to change the culture in the NHS.
“We are underestimating the problem if we say it’s about one or two individuals.”
He said he understood the campaigners’ frustration that no- one had been held to account over the failures.
“It’s incredible we have had all these appalling problems and not one single nurse or doctor has been struck off by the General Medical Council.”
