Jeremy Hunt vows 'no more NHS cover-ups' as NHS told to adopt culture of zero harm
The NHS will have a legal duty to reveal mistakes on wards, the Health Secretary has announced, to try avoid a repeat of the Mid Staffs hospital deaths scandal. Student nurses will have to work for up to a year as a healthcare assistant as the NHS adopts a 'culture of zero harm.'
Jeremy Hunt says he will set up a new regulatory model for the NHS with a "strong, independent" Chief Inspector of hospitals, adding the new Inspector will be the nation’s 'Whistleblower-in-Chief'.
ITV News Political Correspondent Libby Wiener reports:
Today's announcement from Jeremy Hunt means failing NHS bosses will be put on a blacklist which will stop them working in the health service:
The Health Secretary wants a "national barring list" for managers who let their patients and the NHS down
If trusts do not deliver adequate care to patients they could be put into a "failure regime" and may ultimately be put into administration
Mr Hunt also confirmed that hospitals would be subject to Ofsted-style ratings - where hospitals will be rated as outstanding, good, requiring improvement or poor
The Government also wants student nurses to spend a year working as support workers and healthcare assistants before taking a degree. Jeremy Hunt told the Commons it would lead to a better understanding of the caring role of frontline staff.
Mr Hunt told the Commons that in response to the Mid-Staffordshire scandal, the Government wants to embed a culture of "zero harm and compassionate care" throughout the NHS.