Health chief paves way for new Stafford Hospital inquiry

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley was meeting hospital bosses in Stafford today following the announcement of a full public inquiry into the disaster of poor care at the trust.

Mr Lansley was calling at Stafford Hospital this morning before visiting Cure the NHS campaigners in the town. The group plan to ask Mr Lansley to give more support to hospital boss Antony Sumara in his efforts to turn the hospital around. The Government announced yesterday that a full public inquiry would be held into problems at the hospital.

It is a major victory for families and relatives in Staffordshire who have campaigned for the truth over what went wrong at the hospital for more than two years.

The new inquiry will hear evidence in public, with documents and information also being made available for residents to see for themselves.

Witnesses will have to give evidence on oath and will be cross-examined by lawyers.

They could also be forced to give evidence if any refuse to appear voluntarily.

The new inquiry will be chaired by Robert Francis QC, who led the earlier inquiry under the Labour Government.

The aim of the latest investigation will be to examine the role of different agencies working with the hospital to try and find out why the failings at the trust were not identified sooner.

This will include South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, the Primary Care Trust and Strategic Health Authority as well as foundation trust regulator Monitor, the Health and Safety Executive, and local health scrutiny committees at Stafford Borough and Staffordshire County councils.

Mr Francis will also have extra powers to make recommendations to bodies like the General Medical Council.

Announcing the inquiry in the House of Commons yesterday Andrew Lansley said the coalition Government was doing "what should have been done" back in March 2009 after the damning Healthcare Commission report.

It found a shocking level of care at the trust which could have cost the lives of between 400 and 1,200 patients over recent years.

He said: "We know only too well what happened at Mid Staffordshire, in all its harrowing detail, and the failings of the trust itself.

"But we are still little closer to understanding how it was allowed to happen by the wider system."