News Article

PRESS STATEMENT

7 February 2013

The Professional Standards Authority makes the following statement in response to the publication of Robert Francis’s report into failings at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust:

‘We welcome the report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry and will consider its recommendations carefully, particularly where they affect our areas of responsibility in promoting effective regulation and high standards of professionalism. We agree that the emphasis should be on cultural rather than structural change; behavioural change rather than system change. In particular, we:

• Agree with the specific recommendation made for us  and are already considering how to implement it (recommendation: 235).
• Strongly support the principles of openness, transparency and candour underpinning many of the recommendations
• Support national standards for directors in the NHS,and hope that the Standards for members of NHS Boards and Clinical Commissioning Group Governing Bodies which we submitted to the Secretary of State in July 2012, will be made mandatory
• Doubt the effectiveness or practicality of registering Health Care Assistants and do not think this is a proportionate or targeted way of improving quality of care
• Support the Prime Minister’s announcement that the government will be asking the Law Commission for advice on modernising the NMC’s decision-making process. We would like to see the Law Commission’s proposals for reforming professional regulation legislation expedited.

In the light of concerns about the NMC and GMC failing to take forward fitness to practise complaints about nurses or doctors from Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust we will consider as part of our oversight of the regulators auditing all such decisions.’

ENDS

Media contact: Rachael de Souza

External Relations Manager

Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care

Tel: 020 7389 8031

Email: Rachael.desouza@professionalstandards.org.uk

NOTES TO THE EDITOR

• The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (previously known as the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence) oversees nine statutory bodies that regulate health and social care professionals in the UK. We assess their performance, conduct audits, scrutinise their decisions and report to Parliament. We also set standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for health and social care occupations and accredit those that meet them
• Our document: Standards for NHS Boards and Clinical Commissioning Groups Governing Bodies can be located on our website: http://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/library/document-detail?id=89114436-21e2-47df-b5a0-7d5308b66b8e
• We share good practice and knowledge, conduct research and introduce new ideas to our sector. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally and provide advice on issues relating to professional standards in health and social care
• We do this to promote the health, safety and well-being of users of health and social care services and the public. We are an independent body, accountable to the UK Parliament
• Our values are at the heart of who we are and what we do. We are committed to being impartial, fair, accessible and consistent in the application of our values. More information about our work and the approach we take is available at www.professionalstandards.org.uk.