As ever, my hon. Friend makes an incredibly powerful point. An institution is only as strong as the staff within it, and when an institution is not taking seriously an issue that the staff confront as a daily reality, it puts them in an impossible position. He rightly says that by changing the culture of the institution, NHS staff will be able to do their jobs more easily and with more confidence, safe in the knowledge that when they raise issues that may be of concern, whether or not there is in fact a risk, they will be welcomed and supported. That culture change is vital if we are going to turn things around in the way that we are committed to doing.
There are three key sets of provisions in the Bill: the ones that will mandate patient safety as a key requirement of CQC registration; the provisions ensuring the integration of data across the health and care pathway; and the provisions dealing with the regulation of professional standards. They represent real and significant steps to support and develop patient safety in the NHS, and we are delighted to support them. Let me deal with each of the three in turn.
On the CQC requirements to include safety, clause 1 is central to the Bill’s focus on safety and quality, and, in particular, the elimination of the avoidable harm that flows from the provision of poor care in health and adult social care services. Safety is paramount and must
be the focus of care providers at all times. The experience at Mid Staffs underlines the importance of that and of what can happen when providers put other priorities before safety. The CQC’s role in protecting patients is vital, and safety and the avoidance of harm are key elements of the CQC’s regulation of providers, in two key ways. First, monitoring registered providers against safety requirements and taking enforcement action when the requirements are not met is central to the CQC’s objective to protect and promote the health, safety and welfare of people who use services.