Both the Government and the NHS are gearing up to respond to the Francis Report on Mid-Staffs that will be published in the next few weeks. I am aware that some Trust Boards have already set aside dates to think through the report and their response to it. Given the importance of the way in which culture works in NHS organisations, it will be vital that they develop ways to reassure the public that they have a culture of care and safety. Culture – “the way we do things around here” – sets the parameters for the way in which staff and patients operate. Board leaders thinking through how they help set the tone for their staff is a crucial part of the response.
But we also know that the Francis Report will make a number of recommendations about how the national system of NHS services is organised. Some of us have been trying, not very successfully, to make the case that increasing the amount of national regulation of NHS trusts may give people on the front line the impression that quality is an issue for national organisations and not front line staff and their culture.
