RCN responds to Francis inquiry

Published: 06 February 2013

Responding to publication of the report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, Dr Peter Carter, the Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The RCN welcomes this powerful and monumental report which puts patients at the heart of NHS care. It delivers key recommendations which we support and have been calling for, including the registration and regulation of health care assistants. We welcome moves for overarching standards which enshrine what patients deserve from the NHS and from those who work for it.”

Dr Carter added: “Appalling care cannot be tolerated and everything should be done to ensure that it does not happen again."

He said the RCN would now look in detail at each of the report’s recommendations and work closely with the Government, regulators and NHS managers to ensure Robert Francis’ vision for a patient-centred NHS becomes a reality.

"The RCN has consistently called for the regulation of health care assistants for the benefit of patients in all care settings including older people’s care. We also welcome a greater call for whistleblowing from staff across the NHS. We have been clear to our members; if they see any examples of poor care they have a responsibility to raise them. This goes hand in hand with greater protection for whistleblowers.”

Dr Carter said the RCN was acutely aware that it has real lessons to learn from how it supported members locally at Mid Staffs. “Although we have already put in place numerous measures, we will look at the report in depth to see what other steps we can take to improve our effectiveness.”