The Medical Protection Society (MPS) and the BMA have written to Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, with key recommendations to ensure the newly created role of Chief Inspector of Hospitals is a success.
The letter follows a meeting of twelve senior representatives of the medical profession, co-hosted by MPS and BMA, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Professor Sir Michael Richards, who has recently been appointed to the role.
They call for the role to be 'demonstrably independent of politics' to ensure public confidence in the nation’s whistleblower. The group concluded the success of the role would depend on the avoidance of an excessively bureaucratic approach, prompt reports and sharing of best practice, as well as the ability to learn from other sectors. Engagement with staff and patients will be a crucial measure of the culture within hospitals.
Dr Stephanie Bown, Director of Communications and Policy at MPS said, 'It is clear there are a number of challenges facing the Chief Inspector of Hospitals but there are also a number of opportunities. With political independence and autonomy, we believe the Inspector can play a crucial part in improving the culture and standards of care in hospitals. We hope the Inspector accepts the advice from within the medical profession in the spirit of support in which it is offered.'
Chair of BMA Council, Dr Mark Porter added, 'Hospitals are complex organisations and any system of inspection must be able to deal the broad and varied range of services and type of care provided. The challenge will be to ensure that this does not reduce any inspection to a simplistic measure and we look forward to working with the Chief Inspector to ensure we have the right system in place.'
Contact
To receive a copy of the letter or to interview Dr Bown, please contact Elizabeth Bananuka on 020 7399 1428 or email [email protected]