Lessons must be learned from failings of Mid-Staffs NHS Trust

Andrew Lansley has condemned the poor standards of care at the Staffordshire General Hospital after an inquiry found deficiencies at “virtually every stage” in the care of people admitted as emergencies.

The Healthcare Commission found that around 400 more people died at the hospital between 2005 and 2008 than would be expected - and Andrew, the Shadow Health Secretary, warned that the Government must learn from the mistakes made by the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust.

He attacked the prioritisation of targets over patient care, saying, “It is unacceptable that the pursuit of targets – not the safety of patients – was repeatedly prioritised, alongside endless managerial change and a ‘closed’ culture, which failed to admit and deal with things going wrong.”

Andrew stressed that “the number one priority” for every NHS organisation must be to provide excellent care for patients and achieve the best possible outcomes from treatment:

“Organisational changes, financial pressures and Government-imposed targets must not distract management away from that focus.”

And he called on the Government to use data on heath outcomes to actively investigate where results are poor, and to provide health staff with the training and equipment they need:

“Resources must not be consumed in bureaucracy and administration; they have to get to the frontline.”

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