Thirty-seven patients die needlessly each day in the NHS. Change is good, but patient safety must come first (The Guardian, 24 March 2025)

Summary

The biggest area of risk – in terms of lives lost and cost – involves NHS maternity units. Organisation upheaval must not distract us from what matters most, writes Jeremy Hunt, former health secretary.

He highlights three key things that need to happen. First, it is essential that improving maternity safety is part of the new 10-year plan as it was in the last one. We also need a system to make sure that recommendations from public inquiries, the independent Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) and coroners are actually implemented. There needs be a central repository of recommendations with public accountability as to who is responsible for implementing which ones by an agreed date.

It is also critical to put in place a turnaround programme for the 10% of trusts where maternity safety is rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 

Finally – and most challengingly – we need a renewed focus on dismantling the blame culture that makes it difficult for clinicians to be open about mistakes and failures, and therefore make sure the system learns the necessary lessons.