The Tories have today set out a five-point plan which they claim would ensure there is no repeat of the suffering endured by patients at Stafford Hospital.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said “swift action” was needed for patients to be able to have a say over services at their local hospital.

After the Healthcare Commission’s shock report, which said up to 1,200 people may have died due to poor care at the hospital, Mr Lansley outlined five areas he says need to change. They are:

* Tougher inspection to root out failure;

* A strong voice for patients;

* Power for patients to hold hospitals accountable;

* An end to “box-ticking” and targets;

* Exposing hospitals to public scrutiny.

Mr Lansley said: “The suffering that patients endured at Stafford hospital shocked and appaled us all. We need swift action to make sure these awful events are never repeated. The heart of the problem was the people who knew about what was going so terribly wrong had no power to do anything about it.”