Hospital Mortality Rates Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Phillip Lee
Main Page: Phillip Lee (Liberal Democrat - Bracknell)Department Debates - View all Phillip Lee's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(11 years, 3 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mr Hunt
If the issues are around staffing, we will sort those out. If the issues are around leadership, we will sort those out. If the issues are around clinical practice, we will sort that out. My commitment to the House is that we will do what it takes to sort out these failing hospitals.
Dr Phillip Lee (Bracknell) (Con)
In 2006 the then Labour Government purchased 49% of Dr Foster, the intelligence unit from which a lot of these mortality data are emanating. Does the Secretary of State agree that for Secretaries of State from that point onwards to be claiming they were unaware of the data seems a bit rich?
Mr Hunt
There were repeatedly high mortality rates in all these 14 hospitals, and it took the public inquiry that Labour did not want to demonstrate to the world just how important hospital standardised mortality ratios are. They are the smoke alarm that was ignored in the case of Mid Staffs, and which could have led to the prevention of thousands of tragedies if we had taken action earlier. That is why we immediately insisted on this review by Sir Bruce.