1,000 people a month die needlessly in the NHS each month due to staff blunders

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/nhs/...p-culture.html

Hunt: Sweeping reforms to end 'NHS cover up culture'

Jeremy Hunt has vowed to change the NHS culture, with a national review to prevent needless deaths and new safeguards for staff who blow the whistle on poor care

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announces NHS reforms to put safety first

1,000 patients a month are dying needlessly in NHS hospitals because of staff blunders, the Health Secretary has warned as he announces sweeping reforms to bring an end to a “cover-up culture” which is risking lives.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Jeremy Hunt unveiled plans to drive down mortality rates, by annually reviewing a sample of 2,000 deaths at hospitals across the country.

He also pledged action to support whistleblowers who speak out about poor care, and said the policies would be his defining moment as Health Secretary, and his most important legacy.

On Wednesday, Sir Robert Francis, who led the public inquiry into the Mid Staffs scandal, will publish a report which lays bare the devastating treatment of NHS doctors and nurses who tried to warn of unsafe care.

Mr Hunt will respond with a package of reforms to improve safety in hospitals, starting with the national review of 2,000 deaths, to establish just how many lives might have been saved with the right care.

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Our NHS, the envy of the world.... erm yeah.

I've always said if the NHS were a private company it'd be closed by the courts or simply go out of business.

Thoughts?

[Chippiewill]

This is a fairly meaningless statistic without context. This could equate to either 50% or 0.1% of deaths being avoidable.

[dbgtz]

If NHS was a private business you'd have people dying in the streets. The problem isn't the NHS, the problem is the NHS is too broad for the funding it receives and does need to cut back on what it provides. For starts, it shouldn't provide funding for cosmetic things, even when the person threatens to kill themselves.