NHS guilty of ‘culture of cover-up', admits Streeting
Wes Streeting said patients were being forced to endure situations that were 'totally intolerable', with concerns being dismissed when they attempted to find out the truth.
Mr Streeting said a 10-year health plan, due to be published within weeks, would have safety at its heart.
He made the comments after being tackled in the Commons about a case in which repeated NHS failings left a woman permanently disabled.
Perran Moon, a Labour MP, told him about the experience of his constituent, saying: 'A couple of weeks ago at my constituency surgery, through the tears, my constituent Amy explained how, following a hip operation in 2008, she suffered progressive nerve damage due to repeated failures in diagnosis, referral and treatment.
'Despite raising concerns for years, she was told her pain was common.'
The MP for Camborne and Redruth added: 'A nerve test in 2015 confirmed damage, and further tests last year showed a significant deterioration. After 17 years, she's only now been offered surgery.
'All Amy wants to know is what steps are being taken to ensure that no other patient is left permanently disabled due to such long and systemic failures.'
Responding, Mr Streeting said: 'Can I first of all, on behalf of the NHS, apologise to his constituent. That is a totally intolerable situation, but sadly not rare or exceptional.
'There's too much of that happening, and a culture of cover-up and covering reputations rather than being honest with patients about failures. We are changing the culture – safety is at the heart of the 10-year plan – and I'd be delighted to talk to him further about his constituent's case.'
The 10-year health plan follows promises for three major shifts in the way services are delivered – from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from treating sickness to prevention.
It comes after a record-breaking £29 billion annual cash injection for the health service in the spending review.
The plan will detail Mr Streeting's ambitions to turn the NHS into a 'neighbourhood health service' and to shift far more resources from hospitals into GP and community services.
He has also promised NHS league tables so there is no more 'turning a blind eye to failure', saying patients deserved 'far more transparency' about failings in the service.
Last month, the Government set out plans to hand out bonuses of up to £30,000 to health chiefs who deliver 'exceptional results' as part of efforts to turn NHS performance around.
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