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Hunt: Mid Staffs scandal 'a turning point like Chernobyl'

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has compared the scandal at Mid Staffs hospital to the Chernobyl and Bhopal disasters, in an interview with ITV News. He claimed both were "turning points" for their industries.

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Hunt: Mid-Staffs must be 'a turning point' in NHS culture

The Mid-Staffs scandal, in which appalling conditions lead to hundreds of patients dying prematurely, should be "a turning point" in NHS culture, Jeremy Hunt has said.

In a speech at the Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, the Health Secretary outlined plans to create a "more open, compassionate and transparent culture" in the health service.

It is my clear ambition that the NHS should become the safest healthcare system anywhere in the world.

I want the tragic events of Mid Staffs to become a turning point in the creation of a more open, compassionate and transparent culture within the NHS.

We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to save lives and prevent avoidable harm - which will empower staff and save money that can be reinvested in patient care.

Hospitals are already 'signing up to safety' as part of this new movement - and I hope all NHS organisations will soon join them.

– Jeremy Hunt

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