I’ve spent the last 90 minutes watching the Prime Minister’s statement on the Francis Report into the terrible goings on at Stafford Hospital. What was allowed to happen there was terrible, and an indictment of all those who sat by and watched this catastrophe developing. Let’s not beat around the bush, this happened because the system allowed it to happen. The NHS is far too obsessed with back-watching, targets and bureaucracy rather than being obsessed with the quality of patient care. Others far more qualified than me will comment on the wider implications of what happened there, but let me leave you with one thought.
Can you imagine the outcry if this had happened at a private hospital? There would be calls for the modern day equivalent of public lynchings and the profit motive would be blamed. This was a massive public sector failure. Typically, the NHS regulators failed. The GMC failed to dismiss anyone. Most of the people there were moved or promoted to other senior jobs in the NHS. An utter disgrace.
