Health Foundation’s response to government’s report in response to Francis Inquiry

The government has today (11 February 2015) published its report Culture Change in the NHS. The report sets out the steps that the government has taken since Robert Francis’ first inquiry into the poor care at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Jennifer Dixon, the Health Foundation’s Chief Executive, comments: 'We welcome the government’s focus on patient safety, but further steps are still needed.

'It’s time to take stock of the current policies in the NHS to help monitor, assure and improve quality and safety. There is a bewildering array of them and we need to understand which ones to prioritise and where there are gaps.

'There needs to be an assessment of the support available to people working at the frontline to help them improve the quality of care for patients. We recently carried out a survey of 99 hospitals in England, which highlighted an appetite for greater practical and moral support from external bodies.

'It will be essential to monitor the progress of the policies outlined today, in particular any unintended consequences. For example, it will be important to understand if policies such as the new duty of candour and offence around supplying false or misleading information will achieve the desired change in culture.'

Notes to editors

More information on responses to the Francis Inquiry can be found on the Health Foundation website. 

Media contact

Mike Findlay, Media Manager
T: 020 7257 8047
E: mike.findlay@health.org.uk