Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Part of Opposition Day — [11th Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons at 8:58 pm on 18 May 2009.

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Photo of Tony Wright Tony Wright Labour, Cannock Chase 8:58, 18 May 2009

Indeed, and I want an inquiry that tells us some of the things we do not know, but if we are being fair, those people urging a further inquiry have also to be fair and recognise that there are potential risks and dangers in having one. We all want to settle accounts with the past, but we also want to make sure that urgent improvements are made now.

I end by quoting from Professor Alberti at the end of this report. With reference to Stafford he says:

"The Trust has the potential to become a model small to medium-sized hospital of the future with care delivered promptly and appropriately both in the community and in the hospital—and with poor patient experience a dim and distant memory."

That has to be our objective.

In talking about inquiries, the question is whether we can capture some of the advantages of holding a further inquiry while offsetting the very evident possible disadvantages in pursuit of that objective. That is the conversation I intend to have continually with the Government. The Secretary of State has said several times to several of us that he would be happy to have a further inquiry if he thought it would do any good. It is our job to explain to him that it might do some good without doing some harm.