Francis recommends hospitals inspector

The report into the scandal at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has recommended that specialist inspectors for hospitals are created by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and they should cover both NHS and private hospitals in order to identify any problems early. The Francis Report said: The Care Quality Commission should develop a specialist cadre of inspectors by thorough training in the principles of hospital care. Inspections of NHS hospital care providers should be led by such inspectors who should have the support of a team, including service user representatives, clinicians and any other specialism necessary because of particular concerns. Consideration should be given to applying the same principle to the independent sector, as well as to the NHS.’