The Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry has called for a 'culture change' throughout the NHS, but Independent Nurse wants to investigate how it's findings will affect primary care and community nurses.
Please contribute by completing our five-minute survey here.
Following the publication of the public inquiry report from Robert Francis QC into events at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, the report recommendations have been made for a shake-up of health care.
It called for new laws requiring all NHS staff and directors to be open and honest when mistakes happen, should be brought forward
The report recommends general practices should undertake a monitoring role on behalf of patients who receive acute hospital and other services.
It also suggested healthcare support workers should be subject to regulation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The RCN and Care Quality Commission came under attack in the report, which suggested the RCN was 'ineffective' and should consider separating its role as a trade union and professional organisation. The Care Quality Commission should not just deal with quality. It should take on responsibility for 'corporate governance' and 'financial competence' as well, the report added.
Francis' report went on to recommend the NMC, working with universities, should consider the introduction of an aptitude test to be undertaken by aspirant registered nurses at entry into the profession, exploring, in particular, candidates' attitudes towards caring, compassion and other necessary professional values.
It also suggested that the leadership required for the delivery of excellent nursing care should be recognised and incentivised in the remuneration structure, by a more explicit reference to the delivery of excellent care, and by use of professionally formulated and accepted performance measures.
Responding, DH permanent secretary, Una O'Brien, said: 'On behalf of the DH, I would like to apologise wholeheartedly for the part the Department played in the failings at Mid Staffs and the terrible impact it had on patients, their families and the standards of care.
'In response to the Francis report, we will be considering more profoundly our own behaviours as steward of the health and care system and how we can do more to listen to patients and truly understand their experience of illness, care and recovery.'
Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, added: '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.'