Cover-ups in the NHS must stop

HEALTH Secretary Wes Streeting has vowed to end a “culture of coverup” in the NHS.

- Jonathan Walker

His 10-year plan for the health service will stop managers hiding the truth when patients die due to mistakes, with those who silence whistleblowers facing the sack and a ban on working in the NHS again.

An inquiry into the deaths of seven infants at the hands of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, at the Countess of Chester Hospital, is considering whether police should have been told earlier about suspicions she was harming children.

And a major report into the state of the health service by consultant surgeon Lord Darzi last week warned: “There are some deep cultural issues in the NHS that must be addressed.

“These include concealing problems and taking retaliatory action against clinicians who raise concerns.”