Stafford Hospital

The report

290 recommendations in total. Overall, the hospital's board should take ultimate responsibility- they took the decision to peruse a cost-cutting drive to achieve foundation trust status, and which refused to listen to complaints.

There was a lack of clarity about the role of the regional health authority in monitoring. The Department of Health was also being criticised for being to not always putting patients first and being too remote.

The scandal should not be seen as a one-off; change is needed- to put patients first.

More hospitals?

The public inquiry into failings at Stafford hospital has lead to investigations at five other hospitals.

There were many, many unnecessary deaths at the hospital between 2005 and 2008, now David Cameron has announced that these other hospital- of which have had high death rates for two years- to be investigated.

Namely: Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust