Contents
Introduction 5
Government response to the Committee's conclusions and recommendations 7
The Francis Report and its significance 7
The Committee's Inquiry 8
Parliamentary oversight of professional regulation 8
Open culture and professional responsibility 9
The existing duty and practice of candour in the NHS 11
Accountability of commissioners 14
The NHS Constitution 16
The case for a statutory duty 16
The Committee's view on a statutory duty of candour 19
The Francis report and whistleblowers 24
Compromise agreements at the Care Quality Commission 25
Compromise agreements and severance payments 26
The case of Gary Walker 26
The role of the Care Quality Commission in establishing a culture comfortable with challenge 27
Fundamental standards of healthcare 27
Criminally negligent practice 29
Standards on care at the end of life 29
The National Patient Safety Agency 30
Feedback and complaints 31
Staffing ratios and patient care 33
Training and status of nurses 35
Nursing care for the elderly: the registered older person's nurse 36
Training and regulation of healthcare assistants 36
Regulating the system: the future of the Care Quality Commission and Monitor 38
Inspecting the system: a Chief Inspector of Hospitals 40
Death certification reform 40