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Stafford Hospital inquiry timeline
The public inquiry, chaired by Robert Francis QC, is the fifth inquiry into the higher than expected number of deaths at Stafford Hospital. An earlier investigation by NHS watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, concluded that hundreds more people had died at the hospital between 2005 and 2008 than should have been expected.
The latest inquiry looked at the structure of the NHS and the actions of management to see how the failings had come about and why they had remained undetected for so long.
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26 March 2013
Government response
Government vows to introduce "radical new measures" The Government promises to foster a "culture of zero harm and compassionate care" in the wake of Robert Francis QC's report. Speaking in the Commons, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said a number of changes would be introduced, including a rating system for hospitals and care homes, and changes to nurse training. Read the full story -
6 February 2013
Report published
The final report says the NHS must 'fundamentally change'
In his final report, Robert Francis QC makes 290 recommendations for changing the NHS. He states that patients at the hospital "were failed by a system which ignored the warning signs and put corporate self-interest and cost control ahead of patients and their safety". Read the full story -
6 January 2013
Jeremy Hunt MP
Health Secretary calls for change of culture in NHS
Ahead of the inquiry's report, the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called for "proper accountability" and a change of culture to give greater priority to compassion. Mr Hunt said the events at Stafford represented "the most shocking betrayal of NHS founding values in its history". Read the full story -
1 December 2011
Robert Francis QC
Public inquiry ends
The inquiry into standards at Stafford Hospital ends after 139 days and at a cost of over £10m. The chairman Robert Francis QC is left to consider a million pages of evidence which have been presented by the NHS, patients, employees and campaign groups. Read the full story -
21 November 2011
Julie Bailey
Closing statements
The public inquiry into failings at Stafford Hospital has heard closing statements from patient groups. Cure the NHS members criticised the strategic health authority and described the Care Quality Commission health watchdog as a "wholly inefficient" organisation. Read the full story -
7 October 2011
Helene Donnelly
Helene Donnelly, casualty nurse
Casualty nurse Helene Donnelly said she was spurred on to blow the whistle as she could not see patients suffer any more. She told the inquiry that as a result of her actions she was "told to watch my back" and was afraid to leave the hospital unaccompanied. Read the full story -
3 October 2011
Martin Yeates
Martin Yeates, Former Chief Executive, Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
The inquiry heard that Martin Yeates had thought about taking his own life because of the pressure which resulted from the release of the Healthcare Commission report. He also said that he and his team were attempting to improve the services at a difficult time. -
3 October 2011
Toni Brisby
Toni Brisby, Former Chair, Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
Toni Brisby appeared via video link, and told the inquiry she believed the report by the Healthcare Commission which exposed the problems at the Trust was "shaky". She also said that had she not been told to go by the head of the Foundation Trust Regulator Monitor, she would have probably tried to "stick it out". Read the full story -
27 September 2011
Sir David Nicholson
Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of NHS
Sir David was talking about his time overseeing the creation of NHS West Midlands in 2005. He told the inquiry that at the time there was a national drive to save money, but he said that the Mid Staffordshire Trust gave them no cause for concern as it only had a small deficit. Read the full story -
7 September 2011
Ben Bradshaw MP
Ben Bradshaw MP, former Health Minister
Ben Bradshaw told the inquiry that he knew that the Healthcare Commission was investigating the Mid Staffordshire Trust, but he did not intervene because he wanted to allow them to get on with their job. He also expressed surprise at the lack of complaints about the hospital from local people. Read the full story -
6 September 2011
Andy Burnham MP
Andy Burnham MP, Former Health Secretary
During his time as a Health Minister Andy Burnham had allowed the Mid Staffordshire Trust to apply for Foundation Status, having been reassured by civil servants at the Department of Health. The inquiry heard that he'd been told that the Trust had a "can do attitude" but not that officials had previously said the application was "difficult to support". Read the full story -
4 July 2011
Baroness Barbara Young
Baroness Barbara Young, Former Chair Care Quality Commission
Baroness Young told the inquiry that when the Care Quality Commission was set up in 2008 it took quite a while to become fully operational. She also recalled a meeting with the Mid Staffordshire Trust's interim Chief Executive and Chairman in which she told them that they had a "them and us" attitude to the local community. Read the full story -
4 May 2011
Sir Ian Kennedy
Sir Ian Kennedy, former Chairman Healthcare Commission
Sir Ian Kennedy told the public inquiry that his organisation came under almost constant political pressure. He said that the decision to remove the estimation of the number of people who had died at the hospital was his, as he wanted the focus to be on the "appalling" care. See the full report -
18 April 2011
Cynthia Bower
Cynthia Bower, former Chief Executive of NHS West Midlands, now Chief Executive of Care Quality Commission
Cynthia Bower apologised to the relatives of those who had died at Stafford Hospital saying they had been let down. But despite missing vital signs that there could be a problem at the trust she denied that there had been a "serious failing" by the West Midland Strategic Health Authority. Read the full story -
28 March 2011
Dr Helen Moss
Dr Helen Moss, former Director of Nursing, Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Moss told the inquiry she had not made the problems with the number of nursing staff clear enough to the board. She also told the inquiry that she did not realise the extent of staffing cuts which had been made before her appointment. Read the full story -
18 March 2011
Antony Sumara
Antony Sumara, Chief Executive Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust July 2009 - July 2011
Antony Sumara told the inquiry that there were too many regulators monitoring the NHS and that they should all be merged into one. He also cast doubt over whether regulators would be able to spot another Stafford Hospital See the full report -
28 February 2011
Andrew Haigh
Andrew Haigh, Coroner for South Staffordshire
Mr Haigh told the inquiry that this was just one of several healthcare organisations under his jurisdiction and at the time he was more concerned about Queen's Hospital Burton. But he said he hadn't identified a systemic failure because he was dealing with individual cases. Read the full story -
8 February 2011
Janet Eagland
Councillor Janet Eagland, former chair of Staffordshire County Council's Health Select committee
Janet Eagland told the inquiry that during her time on the committee she had not received complaints about any of the county's hospitals. She also said that she felt like she had been "duped" by the previous management who had not told them how bad the situation at the trust actually was. Read the full story -
3 February 2011
David Kidney
David Kidney, former Labour MP for Stafford
Mr Kidney told the inquiry that management assured him no nurses would lose their jobs as the hospital tried to clear its deficit. He also said that when Cure the NHS wrote to him about the staff shortages he was told by management that more nurses had been recruited but later discovered that had not happened. See the full report -
23 November 2010
Julie Bailey
Julie Bailey, leader of the Cure the NHS campaign
Julie Bailey, who began campaigning after her mother died at Stafford Hospital in 2007, gives evidence saying she still has "huge concerns" about patient treatment at the hospital. Read the full story -
8 November 2010
Public inquiry opens
The inquiry into avoidable deaths at Stafford Hospital, chaired by Robert Francis QC, is to look at why the health care system tolerated a "terrible standard of service". It is the fifth inquiry into the higher than expected deaths at Stafford Hospital between 2005 and 2008. Read the full story
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