It is a pleasure to speak in this important debate. Members on both sides of the House have shown that we are determined to learn the true lessons from the appalling failings at Mid Staffordshire and to understand what needs to change to prevent them happening again.
We have heard many serious and thoughtful contributions, but I want to start by paying tribute to the hon. Member for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy), whose calm, considered, thoughtful and dignified approach to the issue and the work he has done on behalf of his constituents is a lesson to us all. My right hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) hit the nail on the head when she said that there is nothing to be gained by politicising these issues, but everything to be gained by understanding the lessons and being open about the problems so that they can be tackled properly.
My hon. Friend the Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Kevin Barron), along with many other hon. Members, emphasises the importance of openness. As a constituency MP, I have seen how the NHS too often tries to sweep patient complaints and mistakes under the carpet, ignoring them and pushing patients away. Being open early on, admitting mistakes and learning the lessons is a much better way forward.
A number of hon. Members spoke specifically about the process that Mid Staffordshire hospital is currently going through. My hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Joan Walley) and the hon. Member for Stafford rightly said that there is a lack of clarity about the process and the timetable. I hope that the Minister, when he responds, will give those hon. Members and their constituents much greater clarity on what will happen.
My hon. Friends the Members for Rotherham (Sarah Champion) and for Wythenshawe and Sale East (Mike Kane) raised important points about making the system more accountable and how that is much harder since the NHS reorganisation, with all the different bodies—a point I will return to in a minute. My hon. Friends the Members for Worsley and Eccles South (Barbara Keeley), for Easington (Grahame M. Morris) and for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham) rightly talked about staff shortages and the serious impact they can have on patient care. If we are to get to the root of the problem, simply publishing data every month is not good enough. I was really pleased that the right hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow) talked about mental health. We have been talking mostly about physical health, but he was right to raise those concerns.
In the time available I cannot do justice to all the points raised today, or to the Francis report’s 290 recommendations, so I will focus my comments on the two most fundamental challenges we now face: first, ensuring that the views of patients, their families and the public are heard and acted on, at every level and at all times; and secondly, ensuring that there is clear leadership to make the service changes we need to improve safety and quality at a time of unprecedented pressures on the NHS. Unless we do that, there is a risk of the failings in Mid Staffordshire happening again.