Why David Nicholson must go

As the Mid-Staffs tragedy unfurls, it becomes more and more apparent that contrary to the insistence of former Labour Ministers and Prime Ministers, this was not an isolated case, but an appalling example of problems evident throughout the NHS.

Indeed, back in 2008, the then Labour Government received reports from respected international health consultants warning of a culture of fear and compliance within the NHS; a place where the emphasis was on ‘hitting the targets, but missing the point’ and patient safety came second to presenting a set of statistics suitable for dispatch-box delivery.

Ironically, these reports had been commissioned to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the NHS, but far from presenting something to celebrate, the reports laid bare the same problems existing across the NHS that Francis described in his report on Mid Staffs, five years later.