Francis Report: Update and Response

Robert Flello Excerpts

Wednesday 11th February 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

I have not seen the letter, so I hope that my hon. Friend will understand if I do not comment on it, but I strongly agree with his broader point. Any chief executive or manager in the NHS needs to understand that the best way in which to reassure the public, and to reassure Members of Parliament who speak out for their constituents, is to be honest about the problems.

My local trust was the first in the country to be given an “outstanding” rating. When I last went to see its chief executive, I said that I had three constituency problems, and I raised all three of them with him. He said, “Yes—we were wrong on that one; we should not have done that; and we were wrong on that one.” One of the best trusts in the country was being totally honest about its problems, and wanted to do better. We need to make managers understand that that is the right thing to do, and that we will back them if they do it.

[Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

Longton cottage hospital had to close because the local trust could not recruit enough nurses to ensure its safe operation, yet the Government slashed nurse training places. Now the Department refuses to release the secret KPMG report on “distressed” health economies. The people of Stoke-on-Trent deserve to know what is happening to their local hospitals and to local health care. The Secretary of State rightly says that we need to stop secrecy and have openness, but when will he whistleblow his Department’s own report? The Department is setting a very bad example when it comes to openness and transparency.

[Mr Hunt]

I will look into the issue that the hon. Gentleman raises, but let me deal now with the issue of nurse training places. The cuts began under the Labour Government, and we have been gradually reversing them. The main point, however, is that, in all parts of the House, there was a lack of understanding of the importance of safe staffing in wards before the Francis report, which is why successive Secretaries of State made mistakes in their projections of what was needed.

We have 8,000 more nurses in our hospital wards, including those at Stoke, and I hope the hon. Gentleman welcomes that.