RCN responds to the Francis report

Published: 06 February 2013

The Royal College of Nursing today (06 February) commented on the publication of the report on the Mid-Staffordshire NHS trust. The report is the result of a public inquiry into the role of commissioning, supervisory and regulatory bodies in the monitoring of Mid Staffordshire Foundation NHS Trust.

RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, Dr Peter Carter, 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.

“Appalling care cannot be tolerated and everything should be done to ensure that it does not happen again. The RCN will now look in detail at each of today’s recommendations and will 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.

“The RCN is 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.”

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Notes for Editors

1. For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media

2. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations