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TKF: Response to the final report of the Mid Staffordshire Public Inquiry

Responding to the final report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, Anna Dixon, Director of Policy at The King’s Fund, said:

‘We welcome Robert Francis’s comprehensive report which rightly looks across the whole system. His emphasis on developing the right culture of care within the NHS, through better leadership, training, information and transparency is the right approach. It is clear that the causes of the Mid Staffs scandal are deep and complex, and the solutions are equally diverse.

‘This report is the latest in a long line of reports on failures of patient care, dating back to the Ely hospital inquiry of the late 1960s, that have come to similar conclusions. This shows that the real challenge is not the diagnosis and prescription for the problem, it is ensuring that the remedy is administered effectively.

Even if all 290 recommendations were implemented now, the fundamental shift in culture can only be achieved if patient care is put top of the agenda for boards and is the first responsibility of professionals working in the NHS. That will take time and commitment over many years.’


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