At its meeting held on 28 January 2014, the Policy and Performance Families and Wellbeing Committee considered a report from the Chair of the Francis Report Scrutiny Panel.

The Committee had agreed to refer the report to Cabinet. The minute and report are attached.

In June 2010, Robert Francis QC was asked by the Secretary of State for Health to undertake a public inquiry into the failures of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.  The Francis Report was published on Wednesday 6 February 2013.

The Cabinet noted that the report had exposed the appalling suffering of patients at Stafford Hospital. It further recognised that what happened in Mid Staffordshire was a system failure, as well as a failure of the organisation itself and concluded that a fundamental change in culture was required to prevent such a failure from happening again. It stressed the importance of avoiding a blame culture and proposed that the NHS should develop a learning culture aligned with the needs and care of patients.

The report had also concluded that the Trust Board did not sufficiently listen to its patients and staff and failed to tackle a negative culture involving tolerance of poor standards and disengagement from managerial and leadership responsibilities.  Performance management systems designed to identify poor practice showed on many levels that Mid-Staffordshire was a successful Trust, whilst in reality it was failing patients.

In November 2013, the Government formally responded to the Francis Report, accepting the vast majority of the 290 recommendations, placing particular emphasis on compassion and care for patients; culture and standards of care; openness and transparency; and the importance of leadership in an organisation.

The Cabinet received Minute No. 42 – The Implications of the Francis Report for Wirral of the Policy and Performance Committee - Families and Wellbeing from its meeting on 28 January 2014.  Members noted that the Committee had approved the Francis Report Scrutiny Review Report and resolved that the implications of the Francis Report for Wirral be referred to the next appropriate Cabinet meeting.

Attached to the Minute was a report of the Chair of the Francis Report Scrutiny Panel and The Implications of the Francis Report for Wirral - Scrutiny Review Report.  The Scrutiny Review Report contained 17 recommendations.

The Members of the Scrutiny Review Panel were Councillors Cherry Povall (Chair), Alan Brighouse, Mike Hornby, Moira McLaughlin and Denise Roberts.  They had reported that they were satisfied that, at this particular point in time, that there did not appear to be any immediate risk to the people of Wirral.  They were assured that the Clinical Commissioning Group had a robust system in place for the monitoring of Wirral University Teaching Hospital and were assured that the Care Quality Commission, in its evolving role, would have a more in-depth inspection regime over the next few months.

Overall Members considered that the hospital was facing challenges but was fully aware that the patient needed to remain at the centre of what it did and the pursuit of tick boxing should not be allowed to cloud that central issue.

Councillor Phil Davies told the Cabinet that this was a hugely important piece of work and that the Francis Report had been very important.  He congratulated the Members of the Scrutiny Review Panel and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 177